Some things in the Museum are so small you cannot see them with the naked eye. When microscopes were developed in the 17th century, scientists were able to investigate a whole world that was completely invisible before.
This snowflake-shaped pattern is actually an arrangement of tiny single-celled organisms called diatoms. They have been placed onto a microscope slide and sealed under a thin glass sheet; this was once a common pastime. Competitions were held to see who could create the most attractive and complicated arrangements. The skilful scientist or technician who prepared this slide won a prize at an international trade fair in Paris in 1867.
Diatoms are algae found in almost all watery environments where there is enough light for them to photosynthesise. Like plants, they require sunlight to make their own food. Diatoms have a hard outer skeleton made from silica which is often ridged and grooved. There are many different shapes including rods, stars, triangles and circles. This makes them ideal for creating prize winning microscope slides, if you have the skill and patience to carefully arrange them.
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