Diatoms: the tinker toys of the microbial world. MacGyver could build a bomb out of the components on this slide. A modern microscopic image of diatoms, artfully arranged. Image by Wipeter, Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License. Click for link.

There aren’t many things about the Victorian world I would have liked, but their impulse to combine nature and art is one thing I could get solidly behind. Don’t miss this slide show over at SEED Magazine highlighting the work of Victorian prepared slide makers. This was a time when the general public actually enjoyed scientific pursuits like looking at things under a microscope in their spare time, so much so that they could actually support an entire diatom art sweatshop industry. Seriously. It happened.

Enjoy!