Radiolaria are unicellular protists, some species of which are over 500 million years old, that make complex shells made of silica. Much like snowflakes, no two radiolaria have the same design, adding to their natural complexity. I was fascinated by Haeckel’s commitment to finding art in science and combining them beautifully. Because of his ability to find art in nature, he was driven to discover over 4,000 different species of radiolaria, proving that science is made possible with passion. I do believe that if all scientist found beauty in their work the same way Haeckel did, there would be far more people dedicated to discovery. I have always had the tendency to connect art, nature, science, and mathematics, so this film did not do much to change my views on that. As a chemistry major, I have always found beauty in understanding the world both at a micro and macro level. The film does pose a contradiction when it comes to what in nature should be accepted as fact, as opposed to what is left up for creative interpretation. This is interesting to me, because on one side a man like Haeckel strives to find beauty in nature, which requires bending reality at times. However as a scientist, it is also his duty to understand an accepted truth. In my opinion, the balance is found in presentation of the material. I do think it is reasonable and healthy to portray certain discoveries as art, examples being the radiolaria, or like I mentioned before Wilson Bentley’s snowflakes. However, it is also important to present an accepted truth to all discoveries without romanticizing them. I believe that by crafting our own models of radiolaria, we are exploring the beauty of science in a way that allows us to understand natures unfailing precision and complexity, and this film is one of the greatest examples I have seen of this.