The Microscopic Beauty of Air Pollution

There aren't many good things to say about air pollution, given the way it tends to kill tons of people. But if one were forced to find a silver lining in smog, it's that it can look strangely alluring under high-powered microscopes, like evil, malformed snowflakes.

China is a place with vast holdings of smog. So it's fitting these alien-looking images of harmful particles were recently featured by China Central Television. Made by photographer Zhang Chao, they show different types of PM 2.5 or "fine" particulate air pollution. This is the stuff resulting from auto and power-plant combustion that sticks deep in the lungs. Health studies have linked it with respiratory problems, cardiovascular disease, and premature mortality, according to the EPA.