A Few Powers of Ten

Cosmic Variance
By Sean Carroll
Aug 22, 2012 6:10 PMNov 19, 2019 8:09 PM

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news
 

Via the endlessly enjoyable It's Okay to Be Smart, here's a gif image that zooms in by about three orders of magnitude. (Not sure of the original source.) We start by looking at an amphipod, a tiny shrimplike critter about a millimeter across. For some reason (vanity?) it's decorated by an even tinier diatom, a bit of algae that is common in phytoplankton. From there we zoom in on a yet-tinier bacterium, just chilling out near the middle of the diatom.

Human beings have about ten times as many bacterial cells inside them as "human" cells. The bacteria are the passengers, we're just the bus.

1 free article left
Want More? Get unlimited access for as low as $1.99/month

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

1 free articleSubscribe
Discover Magazine Logo
Want more?

Keep reading for as low as $1.99!

Subscribe

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

More From Discover
Stay Curious
Join
Our List

Sign up for our weekly science updates.

 
Subscribe
To The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Copyright © 2025 LabX Media Group