What the Heck Is That? Ordinary Things That Look Insane Microscopic!

Chalk Is a Fossil Party

Look at chalk through a microscope, and it stops being a dusty white stick—it becomes a mashup of ancient sea life. Made chiefly of calcium carbonate, chalk is packed with the tiny remains of marine plankton called coccolithophores. Their shells pile up over millions of years, forming this soft, crumbly writing tool.

Under magnification, the surface looks grainy and full of curved plates, like a fossil puzzle that never quite finishes. It’s wild to think a classroom staple is actually a collection of ocean leftovers from the dinosaur era. So, every time it squeaks on a board, it could be chanting something prehistoric.

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