We all need to cry sometimes, scientifically tears are divided into three different types based on their origin. Basal tears, reflex tears or emotional tears. We are all familiar with these ways of crying, but how do they look microscopically? Is there any difference? Science says that every tear has a different viscosity and composition. All tears contain a variety of biological substances including oils, antibodies and enzymes suspended in salt water. But how does this relate to the βreal worldβ.
Because of these questions I decided to start an evening of experimenting with my close friends. I asked them to come over and pick a way they would like to cry from. The options they could voluntarily choose from where: cutting onions, eat hot peppers, look in to a fan or cry because of sadness or happiness. To see if there was a resemblance or difference in the structure of forming tears, I took images of every tear drop under the microscope.
A relatively simple and fun proces, first you capture the tear with a micropipet. After you have the tear you dispense it on too a microscopic slide by making several small (2β4 mm) drops. After this step it takes some time to crystalize and settle. After the tear drop(s) are crystallised itβs possible to take images and start comparing.
The structures seen under the microscope and in the images are largely crystallized salt, the circumstances under which the tear dries can lead to radically dissimilar shapes and formations, so two psychic tears with the exact same chemical makeup can look very different up close.
The results
So I think its safe too say that the differences in tears that are seen are not showing differences between the origins of crying, but just show a composition of the tear it self and the circumstances it crystallised in. Never the less they are beautiful to look at.
Emotional Tears:
Tear of mourning
Tear of sadness due sickness of father
Sad memory of something that happend in the past
Reflex Tears:
A tear harvested after cutting white onions, putting pepper in the eyes, snorting water and eating a red pepper
Tear of applying menthol oil close to the eye
This tear is harvested after cutting white onions
Basal Tears:
Biking into the wind
Tear of looking in to a ventilator
Tear of looking in to a ventilator
It would be great if one day I would be able too share this experience live with you during a local exposition. An exposition where you as a volunteer can donate a tear, a tear that would be added to the collection of tears that will travel the world.
Now I would very much love to get my hands on the tears of Donald Trump when he looses the elections!
Imagine how they would look!!
Tear of joy after SteemIt pays off big...
Hope to have some Steem tears some day, don't know yet in which way :O
Omg! I have to say I was buying it at the first pictures, hahaha! Great post man, and the added text was just perfect.
"I would love to get my hands on the tears of Donald Trump" β(Λβ½Λ)β
I've heard tear sizes are proportionate to hands so you might need a better microscope for that, but then again you'll have a lot more samples!
OMG I had to laugh about your last sentence hahaha! Wel I can go up to 1500X enlargement and these are about 100X so maybe we are lucky ;)
There is no way I am going to lose this election!
Ok, ok ok, ether way then we can maybe make a deal. If you win I will get your happy tears but if you loose you have to give me your sad / angry tears! Deal?
It sure is interesting and cool but I'm not sure if it's beautiful or it creams me out! :)
Thats an interesting thing, can you describe why? Is it because of the "color scheme" or is it about the idea of tears? Or its structures or shapes ? Maybe a combination?
Sharp stuff in my eyes! Ouch! :)
Now you know why sometimes when you cry it stings a bit ;)
LOL great work and post!!! I will definately follow you!
Great work. Reminds me of the work done by Masaru Emoto, with thoughts and water crystals. With tears, you give human emotion three dimensions, frozen in time.
Don't You love his work, he is one of my great inspiration sources after I by accident found out that tears look like this under a microscope! In the future I really hope to make this a "service" where people can walk in and share there deepest secrets, emotions and capture them for life. Thinking bout the tears of mom or dad after they get a child. Or a tear of someone on its deathbed capturing his last tear for life.
Emoto seemed to work with intention... with changing the water, imbuing it with the energy that would give the crystals a different formation. Your work is more in the moment or even past emotion. More like a photograph, a picture of emotion rather, a Polaroid of one's internal life.
You just gave me insights on so many levels with your description, I had never seen or thought about it in this way. Especially your last sentences are giving me goosebumps.
Your work is more in the moment or even past emotion. More like a photograph, a picture of emotion rather, a Polaroid of one's internal life.
Thank you for this!
You're welcome! Artistry brings out the best in everyone!
I was going to say that this article is a translated repost, since I was absolutely positive that I'd read it before.
But then I looked at the username and it all made sense! Cool to have you around here, wonderful work, I'm a fan!
haha Spookypooky, are you Dutch? :) Nice to hear I had a mega spread and that ppl around the world seem to have heard about this before here.
Yup, Dutch here. I'm glad it's catching on though! Science and art are a great mix.
Hi!I am deng,Welcome to my space
https://steemit.com/@changli-deng
Thanks for looking this up! I was wondering - glad to see its legit
https://steemit.com/charity/@tjpezlo/blogging-for-a-cause-baby-david-survives-initial-surgery
Bravo..
It was very interesting to read ! upvote
I have been researching this for many years now and have found an awful lot of info considering this matter with Russian researchers. they also have found that every person has a specific water imprint to their "persona". The differences with tears of bliss and joy compared to so-called negative emotions are quite impressive and their results on living beings, plants or animals, have monumental implications... Great work, thanks for sharing, thrive on and namaste. :)
Dear Eric, Thanks! I have indeed heard that Russian Researches have done a lot of research on the matter, unfortunately I don't speak or I cant read Russian; But I do have many articles send to me by them. Hope to uncover there secrets and visions on the matter in te future!
If you are interested, we can share findings together? I have stopped delving into it a little while ago as I mosey over to other subject matters, but this is a topic I am very interested in and passionate about. Sharing discussion on the matter is always a great pleasure for me. Namaste :)
I LOL'd so hard :p
Lets work all on it to get his tears! With the power of steem this should be a possibility!
Never really looked a a tear close up , and there beautiful to say the least, extremely beautiful!
This is beyond words incredible.
This is so cool! Learned something today.
Hope to share more and more information about this.
I cri everytime :(
Did this series go viral elsewhere? Did Petapixel pick this up? I seem to remember seeing it before. If this is yours, then effing KUDOS to you, @mauricemikkers . Consider yourself followed. :)
Thanks, yes it got picked up by loads of other big media: smal publication list Good to see people seem to remember my work, I'm therefore honored.
Nice! I thought I recognized it. Ha, in fact if the bot hadn't fact-checked and then posted, I probably would've done it. That's so cool! I've actually been featured on Petapixel and other outlets like that myself as well. Not for anything like this though. Mine was for some videos I produced.
Still very good! Seems like you are doing a good job to; you have a website :D ?
Actually, I do. Sorry, I'm so not trying to steal thunder from your blog post. lol
Here's the website: www.kentandcarolynphotos.com.
You?
Cant reply in your last message below so; Nice job consider yourself followed!
Snowflakes, snowtears.
Thanks!
I love microscope pictures!!
I really enjoyed this !
Thanks I hope to extend this series! So keep tuned in!
so clear and vivid im gonna cry, UP!
Ahh its ok I will comfort you, and take your tears turning them for you in a unique work of art.
vfv
?
Fascinating & beautiful use of photography!
it almost looks like snowflakes :)
really interisting work!
#followmeback
my tears
Hahaha, wel next time you are in the area and yo forget your headphones at home, don't forget to give your tears at the lab so i can analyse them.
no problem)
Those are amazing! I really love seeing microscopic images, even though I wasn't able to configure the microscope for an exam back in high school. Makes you feel like a small droplet (pun intended) in a sea called existence.
Wait and within a few years its like handeling your phone.... O wait maybe it is in the phone( Microscope)
Man, I'm pretty sure it's already possible. It's just that the hardware's too expensive to buy by us common folk lol
Such beautiful images. Interesting that the reason/cause creates such different water. What's next?
Thanks! Whats next are some of my other previous post @mauricemikkers :
Whats Next?
Tears of Kuwait
Food Additives
Antibiotics
Painkillers
caffeine
Hard Drugs
super cool till you had to mention trump, when is every one gonna realize it is a one party rigged system? beautiful photos
Thanks and Rigged or not, I want to have that mans tears !
Truly a fascinating share. I cry from a song, a moving commercial I mean you name it. I'd be interested in seeing the differences in mine.
You can always book a session if you are in the area an maybe I'm able to visualise your tears.
This post almost had ME in tears! It's so interesting and beautiful that tears are composed differently based on the emotion behind it. To me it almost feels like these tears are physical evidence of emotions - no longer do sadness and anger have to be feelings. They can take form, and this proves it. And of course on top of it all, the photographs were amazing. I'm an amateur photographer myself, so if you woudn't mind giving me feedback or even just advice on how to better myself and make the best use of this site, that would be amazing! (Also, loling at the Trump joke at the end)
Thanks for your response, is good to hear it grabs peoples attention in such a way. And yes we should embrace our emotions and feelings, and by doing / daring to show one by one we might get rid of crying as a taboo.
nice picture
You inspired me to share a post I'd been considering posting and referenced you. There's a direct correlation with the type of cause for the tears and they're outcome when photographed. Very clear when you set them side by side. Especially the emotional ones.
Thank you for your post! Again, super fascinating!
https://steemit.com/life/@comealong/a-small-peak-into-water-and-how-words-effect-us
Thank you, yes that is very corresponding. I had a nice conversation before with fellow steemian @inkbit, about Emoto and he said this beautiful thing:
Your work is more in the moment or even past emotion. More like a photograph, a picture of emotion rather, a Polaroid of one's internal life.
The second part can be found back here:
https://steemit.com/photography/@mauricemikkers/tears-from-kuwait
Great story. Great Work.
I have put my journey to andaman and nicobar islands at https://steemit.com/tribes/@girish227252/my-tour-to-andaman-and-nicobar-india-s-treasure-islands
may be you like it. please do visit.
Namaste from India
"When I grow up, I want to harvest the tears of the world." :)
These are beautiful. They almost look like planets.
Thanks, thats a good and fun quote to add in my bio :)
wow such great shots! thank you!
Trump's tears would be crying also if he loses. Great post and since it reached the TOP 10 articles I've added it on the Flipboard Steemit Trending Magazine for everyone to see it.
Thanks that is awesome! good work man on the Fliboard steemit trending magazine that is a huge + to have.
Nice picture, good work..
Me ha encantado el post, gracias por compartir mauricemikkers ;)
"Teardrops are the raindrops that cleanse the soul." - Ghandi
Namaste' @mauricemikkers
how about tears of joy?
This is my tear of happiness:
There is a beautiful world beyond the reach of our eyes. Your photos are great and reflect very well the beauty of these tears and complicated forms.
graet job
Laughter to tears Tom Cruise
Give me!
Out of curiosity, did you happen to repeat the experiment? do you think there would be similarity of pattern between people, environment, of circumstance ?
Very lovely post !
Hello @iivii yes im still working on the experiments. In most cases all tears are different every time, even a tear from 1 emotion can be different visual from the left eye then from the right eye. I have only encounterd a few people that from the same emotion on same day gave quite similar results. Its a combination of factors, physiology, environment (humidity / temperature) and the time it takes to dry and maybe even the emotions that created them. So to say I stil cant tell how, why, when, etc. Tho I do have a plan, but this would meen I would need 10.000+ euro's to buy the basic equipment and ask / repeat the procedures I did in a more controlled environment.
This is some amazing work.
welcome!
This is such a great, informational post. I don't mean this to sound rude, I just think of this after reading the post.
not rude at al! thanks for your message en support. That spongebob gif is nice :) !
great one! Awesome!
thank you!
very beautiful
Oh and what do I get this weekend Bells palsy and end up using false tears and sunglasses as well as a face that looks like I have had a stroke.
would i get an upvote for that ummm should I submit a pic, possibly not don't want to scare the kids here.