“You might have paid more attention to cell division in biology class had you seen this timelapse video from filmmaker Francis Chee (below). It shows the cell division of an egg from Rana temporaria (the common frog) in such astonishing detail that it looks like a digital effect. Starting with just four cells, it divides into seemingly millions more in around 33 hours, a time that’s compressed to 23 seconds in Chee’s video.”
“The team didn’t just grab off-the-shelf equipment. “It was done with a custom-designed microscope based on the ‘infinity optical design’ ” that’s not available from any manufacturer, he said in the YouTube description. Chee also built the LEDs and optics used to film it, and sat the whole thing on an anti-vibration table. The final shot depended on numerous other variables like “the ambient temperature during shooting, the time at which the eggs were collected, the type of water used,” and other factors, he said.”
(H/T: Engadget)
