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Under the microscope

The invention of the microscope revealed a world teeming with tiny creatures, as well as the amazing structure of the human body. For scientists, it was like a new toy—they looked at water, blood, plants, and even scrapings from their own teeth!

Yeast plants Discovered in 1680, most of these single-celled fungi are no morę than 0.000015 in (0.004 mm) across. Yeast has been used in baking and brewing for thousands of years.

Rotifers These tiny creatures, mostly less than 0.02 in (0.5 mm) long, are madę up of around 1,000 cells and live in water and wet soil. Rotifers were first spotted in 1696.

Nematodes These microscopic worms live in both fresh water and salt water and in wet soil. A handful of soil contains many thousands of nematodes.

Red blood cells The cells that give blood its red color are around 0.0003 in (0.008 mm) across. The first person to see them through a microscope was the Dutch naturalist Jan Swammerdam in 1658.