This butterfly wing looks beautiful under the microscope. The magnification is low, only 40x, but enough to reveal the tiny structures called wing scales. . These scales cover the wings and improve aerodynamics. They remind me of the denticles on shark skin: similar geometry, different worlds. One helps a shark move through water, the other a butterfly through air. Same idea, tuned for different fluids, both aiming for efficiency. . I recorded this clip years ago. I don’t remember where the butt

Up close and personal with the head of a glasswing butterfly (Greta oto). 🦋 Under a scanning electron microscope (SEM) we can the butterfly's head in great detail. Take notice of its large compound eyes, which are made up of individual units called ommatidia. Below the eyes are sensory palps, used for tasting food. Emerging from between the eyes are long antennae, used for detecting scents in the air. At the base of the head is the coiled proboscis, which is uncoiled into a sucking tube for fee