Tiny majesty

When we think of beach sand, most of us think of this.

Photo found at the Banzai Surf School.

Nice! But nothing special.
But microscope photographer Dr. Gary Greenberg knows what beach sand REALLY looks like. This!

Pictured below, a collection of magnified beach sand from Maui, Hawaii resembles booty from a pirate’s treasure chest.

Sand grains from Okinawa, Japan include starry skeletons of single-celled foraminifera.

And these microscopic shells once housed microscopic snails.

So the next time you see a sand castle, remember, it’s a trove of microscopic riches!