Contrary to people, who we can’t look inside to figure out “what they’re made of,” we can break or simply open a number of things around us to learn more about them. And when we do, the results can be surprisingly strange and cool.

From simple everyday household items to highly engineered mechanical marvels, we put together a list of pictures exposing the hidden layers that usually stay out of sight. So if you too are tired of hearing “appearance matters,” join us and let’s turn inward.

Discover more in 50 Interesting Pictures Showing The Insides Of Things We Rarely See (New Pics)

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#1 Most Classes Are Annoying, But Here, I Blew 6 Bubbles Inside Each Other For Biology

#2 Inside Of A Mechanical Calculator

#3 Snapped This Picture Inside Of A Hot Air Balloon While It Was Inflating

Serious institutions engage in this sort of fun as well. For example, sharing the joy and excitement of “hidden” science was the inspiration for Under the Microscope, an initiative launched in 2023 by the Nanoscale and Microscale Research Centre (nmRC) at the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom.

“Rather than guessing what people might be interested in, we thought why not just metaphorically hand the keys over to the public?” explains Luke Norman, knowledge exchange fellow at the nmRC. “So we’ve basically just asked the public every single month, what would you like to see imaged by an electron microscope?”

#4 Cross Sections Of Various Undersea Cables

#5 The Inside Of A Sony Camera Lens

#6 A Tree I Cut Down Today Had These Designs Inside Of It

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) probes the surface of solid objects by bombarding them with electrons that are then reflected back and collected by a detector.

The technique is similar to light microscopy, but because the wavelength of an electron is much shorter than that of a visible photon, SEM resolves the surface in much greater detail, with the top-performing instruments reaching up to one million times magnification.

At such an extreme close-up, even familiar objects like leaves and sand become extraordinary as their minute and bizarre structural features are brought into focus. “If you know what an object looks like in real life, you absolutely do not know what it looks like at the microscale! There’s a real curiosity from people to see that,” says Norman.

#7 This Is What The Inside Of A Pine Cone Looks Like

#8 Inside Of Firelog. Kind Of Beautiful

#9 All Of This Was Inside A Baseball

Since its start in March 2023, Under the Microscope has analyzed more than 30 ordinary objects ranging from lizard scales to gluten-free bread, and even a 14th-century manuscript complete with a dust mite.

The public is invited to suggest any solid object (provided it’s obtainable), and each month, Norman’s team selects one, posting the images online for everyone to enjoy.

Norman says the “Oh wow!” and “That’s really weird!” responses are exactly the kind of excitement he’d hoped to generate around electron microscopy and the work at the nmRC.

#10 Cross Section Of A Whale Rib

#11 The Inside Of A Purple Carrot Is An Absolute Work Of Art. Thanks Mother Nature

#12 A Brand New Hd750, Ge CT Scanner ~ Coverless

#13 Tank Cut In Half

Approximately 9.4 million people were employed in jobs related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in the UK.

The sector is considered important by many for future economic growth; however, 49% of engineering and technology businesses in the country report difficulties with recruitment because of skills shortages.

So initiatives like Under the Microscope help spark the much needed interest and awareness.

#14 The Inside Of A Stacked Cup Tower

#15 Went To The Optometrist And They Used A Fancy New Camera To Take Pictures Of The Insides Of My Eyes. Knew It Would Be Cool, Didn’t Think It Would Be This Cool

#16 Looking Up Through The Inside Of An Old Iron Works Chimney

#17 Insides Of A Debit Card Showing The Circuitry That Makes Contactless Work

A TISP survey, conducted across 68 countries with almost 72,000 respondents, found that a large majority perceive scientists positively: 78% say scientists are qualified, 57% say they are honest, and 56% believe they care about people’s well‑being.

While 83% of participants think scientists should actively communicate with the public, only 42% feel that scientists pay enough attention to the views of ordinary people.

However, this seems less about scientists not trying and more about how much is happening behind the scenes. If we could follow along and see what they’re doing and analyzing, we would probably care much more about their work.