Beware: This strawberry under a microscope video shows us what we don't want to know

[Carla_Sinclair]

Originally published at: Beware: This strawberry under a microscope video shows us what we don't want to know | Boing Boing

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[ycleptShawn]

Yikes! With the music it is terrifying. Is it April 1?

[euansmith]

How else do you think they put the crunch in Strawberry Crunch?

[LurksNoMore]

It’s almost like people are bothered by the idea that our food, even fruits and vegetables, come from living things enmeshed in other living things.

[lastchance]

Those critters look to be about as big as the seeds on the surface of a strawberry. I can believe generally not noticing them, but if I go looking for them on berries from the store, will I see them? And do I really want to know the answer? I’m not so sure now.

[Grey_Devil]

I don’t really see a problem with this. There’s living organisms everywhere, including on us.

[chenille]

That microscope has a light from below, which would be really tough to see through that much strawberry after it’s magnified. And sure enough the videos look like they’re taken with a strong light from above. Am I missing something? Or is there a reason to not show the set up they’re actually using?

[euansmith]

Cheese Mites with Banana Mites for scale.

[sqlrob]

What’s that in corgi mites?

[euansmith]

Imperial or Metric Corgis?

[sqlrob]

I don’t know

[euansmith]

[sqlrob]

Nuts. I was going more for the bridge scene from Holy Grail

[euansmith]

I guessed that, and it made me giggle; but the levitating corgi really cracked me up

Edit: I hope I didn’t sound too dismissive of your joke; the idea of a corgi flying off the edge of the Bridge of Death really made me giggle.

[knoxblox]

So, what’s the law for vegetarians/vegans? Are strawberries off limits now?

[libelle]

You’re supposed to wash them before eating!

[ChuckV]

Can we know more about their anuses, please?

[Medievalist]

I think the arguments over the relative death tolls of veganism and carnivory only count vertebrates. Every such argument I’ve seen implicitly assumes that tiny critters don’t count.

[RickMycroft]

@Carla_Sinclair

Unless you’re like me and don’t care if you eat harmless, invisible bugs

The kilos of invisible bugs in my gut will enjoy them.

[Shuck]

@lastchance

Those critters look to be about as big as the seeds on the surface of a strawberry.

@chenille

Or is there a reason to not show the set up they’re actually using?

Yeah, I mean, the video is fake, in the sense that the initial footage of strawberry slicing is unrelated to the video of the spider mites. They’re trying to give the impression that any store-bought strawberry, that looks unblemished and clean, will be covered with plant mites, but mites are big enough to be noticeable and are pretty unlikely to be found on strawberries that have been poisoned to hell with pesticides and then washed.