The Errant Æsthete

A microscopic glass that is. As inspiring as science is, it can certainly take the heartwarming and nostalgia out of the typical Thanksgiving meal. Wired asked Mike Davidson, a biologist and expert photomicrographer at Florida State’s National High Magnetic Field Lab, to turn his lenses on the all-American meal. The images aren’t particularly appetizing, and they probably won’t help you keep your gobbler moist this year (try brining), but at least you’ll be more intimate with the stuff that’s making you loosen your belt as you collapse on the couch. To see more of your all time favorites, link to the article.

Turkey - The thin pink layer at the top of this 5-micrometer slice is the outer epidermis, followed by the purplish inner dermis, and then muscle. “The white bubble might be a fold in the skin,” Davidson says. “Or it could be a feather follicle.”

Cranberry - The substance that gives this classic ingredient its essential flavor crystallizes upon evaporation. “Crystallization is a guiding motif in the organization of matter,” Davidson says. “In biology, it’s a way of packaging molecules.”

PotatoIn this slice of potato 1,000 times thinner than a Pringle, the red circles are vacuoles — cellular containers — filled with starch. The dark green lines are capillary walls, and the rest is water.