Dry your eyes

BALTIMORE, USA

Despite looking furry enough to use as a face flannel, this is actually a human tear.

Tears contain a wide array of different proteins, fats and minerals, and each one’s particular chemical make-up hinges largely on which of the three types of tear it is: basal (to lubricate the eye), reflex (to flush out irritants) or emotional tears.

It’s the crystallisation of these different chemical ingredients that gives a teardrop its unique, snowflake-like appearance, as captured in this darkfield micrograph image. NIKON SMALL WORLD 2018