iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Another looker from my experiment recrystallizing Licor 43, a delicious liquor made with 43 botanicals and lots of sweetness. It's that sucrose that accounts for these crystalline formations, which grew on my microscope slide. These sugar micro-flowers would fit inside of a peppercorn.

0133

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Licor 43 is a fab liquor made with 43 botanicals and plenty of sweetness. It's that sucrose sugar that probably accounts for most of the crystalline formations that grew on a microscope slide over several days after I painted it with some 43. This sugar micro-flower would fit on a ladybug's belly.

1102

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Another dancing figure from my recent recrystallization of the taurine/glycine/urea trio of chemicals. This dancer is wearing a "fabric" with molecular layers that trick incoming light into beaming back out with this splash of chromatic vibrance. This dancer would fit in small drop of water.

042

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

A Chorus Line. I dissolved urea & the amino acids glycine and taurine in H2O & ainted the resulting solution onto a glass slide. In a spot the size of a cheerio hole, I saw this lineup of tiny crystalline dancers, their costumes made of molecular layers that play with light the way soap bubbles do.

073

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Bleeding Edge. Another photomicrograph from my recent recrystallization experiments with the combo of alanine, a building block of our proteins, and urea, a molecular waste product from cellular metabolism that finds its way out of us via urine. The scene here would fit inside a Cheerio hole.

032

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

More from my recent urea/glycine series. These are images of lentil-sized areas of a glass microscope slide on which I had recrystallized the combination of glycine (an amino acid) and urea (a cellular waste chemical and a globally important fertilizer) from a solution.

060

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Crystalline Nubulae. I dissolved urea (a waste chemical in cells and a major fertilizer) and glycine (an amino acid) in water and allowed the chemicals to recrystallize on a microscope slide. Here is just one of the space-cloud-like microscapes that formed, this one spanning the area of a lentil.

1102

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Double Dolce. Table sugar, sucrose, also specified chemically as C12H22O11, delivers one of life's beloved gustatory pleasures. This duet of tiny sucrose crystals would fit inside this printed O.

062

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Just out. My latest for Photonics Focus: A Brightness Like No Other. An article about the uber-brilliant electromagnetic death throes of a star that died two billion years ago and how our orbiting sensors captured the ancient light show. Have a read! spie.org/news/photoni...

spie.org

020

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Crystal Glyph. I am learning about Mayan glyphs for a novel I am trying to write. Sometimes I see the equivalent of glyphs in the crystals I grow on glass slides. This microglyph solidified from a solution of amino acids. The area you see here might fit on a cross-section of a peppercorn.

072

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Big shoulder with clown hair? Or really just some ascorbic acid, aka Vitamin C, recrystallized on a glass slide and photographed through a microscope. Kinda love the iridescent effect of this one. This formation would maybe fit in the valley of this letter U.

041

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

From Columbia, South Carolina, on August 21, 2017. A fine fine moment with my good friend David Voss who took this "diamond ring" photo as we and hundreds of others shared a moment of Totality awe.

031

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Three Aminos. I dissolved three amino acids – alanine, glutamine and taurine – in grain alcohol and then allowed these protein building blocks to recrystallize on a microscope slide. They went all gorgeous on me. The scene here would fit on dragonfly's nose. Click on the image for a larger format.

061

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

A video experiment with my crystal imagery along with some original music inspired by Philip Glass.

011

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Crystal Garden. On a microscope slide I recrystallized a combo of alanine and glutamine. These are two of the 20 amino acids that into the proteins that make life possible. The actual area shown here could fit on a bell pepper seed.

040

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

For Thirsty Eyes. When I let a few drops from an expired bottle of eye-drop lubricant recrystallize on a microscope slide, the dissolved substances in the medicine solidified into arresting forms. The scene here is about the size of a fly's eye.

2203

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Ahh Vanill-ahh! I recrystallized onto a glass slide the primary flavor note of vanilla, aka vanillin, aka C8H8O3. This most welcome chemical was first isolated and crystallized by the French biochemist Nicolas-Theodore Gobley in 1858. The actual area of the image is the size of a bumblebee's eye

152

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Analgesia. The combo of acetaminophen and codeine can ease pain. This is what those medicinal ingredients look like when they are dissolved in an ethanol solution and recrystallized onto a microscope slide. The area shown here might fit onto a speck of glitter.

196

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

A detail from today's roiling summer-dome sun. Just kidding. This is a detail from a microscope slide on which I recrystallized the combination of the amino acid alanine (a molecular component of protein) and stevia (a sweetener). The actual area depicted here is smaller than a match head.

161

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Conjuring a microBird. A solution of the amino acid taurine (in your Red Bull drink) and urea (in your urine) recrystallized onto my microscope slide. I was astonished to see a tiny crystalline bird looking right back at me with a tad of disdain. The bird would just about fit inside this printed p.

1175

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Table Sugar, a still life. I recrystallized sucrose from a solution in grain alcohol. It took days for the crystals to form on my glass slide. I spied these two formations, which reminded me of a long married couple. Go figure. This couple would fit between a honeybee's shoulders.

1142

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Hey, sugar. I took you, just as you are, from the first pressing of your cane home and still holding hints of molasses, dissolved you in intoxicating DIY (75% alcohol), and let you ripen on a glass slide into sweet crystalline micro-sculptures, each right-sized if you were a hard candy for a bee.

192

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

I had forgotten that I submitted a photomicrograph of the soluble and recrystallized components of an opioid pill to Pulse, an online medical, health and healing venue. To my delight, yesterday the editors posted the image and a deep caption explaining it. pulsevoices.org/visuals/opio...

pulsevoices.org

Opioid Facets - Pulse

PDFPrint

031

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Cold Sun. This, from the archives, makes me think of a star with its broadcast of heat and light dialed down, a fantasy in heat-wave times like these. The image shows a recrystallization on a microscope slide of the amino acid, alanine. The area depicted would fit on the head of a match.

063

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Sweet and Sour. Vitamin C and the sugar substitute stevia, recrystallized from a solution onto a glass slide into minuscule yet jaw-dropping formations, like this one. It would fit inside of a Cheerio's hole. As always, all of the crystal photomicrographs that I post could be hanging on your wall.

051

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Steve and Alan. A combo of the sweetener stevia and the amino acid alanine recrystallized from on my microscope slide from an ethanol solution into organic, kelpy formations. Here is one that grabbed my eyeballs. The area here might fit inside this printed O.

052

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

Double T: T and T for the amino acids threonine and taurine, the latter of which was first found in the bile of a bull and gives Red Bull some of its pep. I recrystallized this duo onto a microscope slide and this formation caught my eye. The area shown would fit in a Cheerio hole.

074

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Conjuring a Canopy. An experiment in recrystallizing salicylic acid (C₇H₆O₃), a staple for wart medicine and a chemical precursor to aspirin, yielded a variety of formations on my microscope slide, including this one. The area shown would fit inside the hole of a Cheerio.

131

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

Dear Friends, here is something for you to know ... The Golden Hour art exhibit: June 4 - July 24, 2026, South Orange, NJ An eclectic mix of paintings and photography by local artists. ALL WORKS OF ART IN THE EXHIBIT, INCLUDING MINE, ARE FOR SALE! www.creativeincommon.org/gallery

creativeincommon.org

Gallery — Creative In Common CINC

010

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

Relax! Cylcobenzaprine–a wingnut-shaped molecule with the formula C20H21N–was first studied as an antidepressant, but now is mostly prescribed as a muscle relaxant. I recrystallized the water-soluble components of a cyclobenzaprine pill onto a glass slide. This formation is the size of a fly's eye.

052

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Vanilla Gone Spectral. I recrystallized vanillin, the primary flavor chemical in the celebrity flavor vanilla, in Mezcal. Here's a snapshot of one of the formations that solidified onto my microscope slide. This crevasse-like formation would fit in a needle's eye, just about.

0104

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Come hither. The amino acid and protein building block, alanine, and citric acid, a sour-adding kitchen denizen and a essential player in your cells, recrystallized from a solution onto a microscope slide. This formation, the size of a snowflake, seemed to beckon me into its crystalline microscape.

020

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Geometry Worship. C3H7NO2, 13 atoms in a configuration known as alanine. C6H8O6, 20 atoms in a configuration know as citric acid. Here, I recrystallized this duo of compounds on a glass slide and took this picture through a microscope. The formation is the size of a typical snowflake.

061

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Whirlihoo. Chemicals really do the darnedest things. LIke this. I dissolved two amino acids, alanine and glutamine, into a sub-shot of Mezcal and then recrystallized the solutes onto a microscope slide. Here's one of the microscapes I saw on the slide. It's smaller than an appleseed.

040

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

My Facetation With The World. Here's another visage from a glass microscope slide onto which I crystallized a combo of the amino acid alanine and the sweetener stevia that I had dissolved in grain alcohol. The area seen here would fit readily on a canvas that would fit inside this letter O.

064

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Surge Against Maroon. I recrystallized the amino acid alanine and the sweetener stevia in on a glass slide. A polarizing filter and a patch of clear plastic food wrapping in the light path did some optical physics to generate the colors. The actual area seen here would fit readily on a fly's wing.

041

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Three Aminos. On a glass microscope slide, alanine, glutamine and glycine (three of the 20 amino acids that build into your body's proteins) recrystallized from an ethanol solution. I used vodka for my solvent. The patch of the slide shown here is the size of a mouse's eye.

022

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Canopy on Kepler-452b. I let a solution of the amino acids alanine and glutamine recrystallize on a slide. This scene, one of the many I spied on the slide, would fit on a bell pepper seed. Perhaps looking up through tree-like life on a habitable exoplanet like Kepler-452b would look like this.

0143

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Glycine is one of the 20 amino acids that build into your body's proteins. In 2016, NASA scientists found glycine in particles of the comet Wild 2 that were returned to Earth by the Stardust spacecraft. I recrystallized glycine on a glass slide. The area shown would fit inside of this printed o.

020

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

Abstract of an octopus dream. I found this sesame-seed-sized composition on a microscope slide on which I recrystallized the amino acid combo of alanine and glutamine from a solution. It elicited a cephalopod hallucination, until I looked away.

1171

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Begetting Flames. The recrystallization of the amino acids alanine & glutamine onto a glass slide almost always delivers surprises wrapped in beauty. Here I see a core of flame on the purple side of the spectrum giving way to flames on the yellow/red side. This visage would fit on a dragonfly's eye

063

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Curtain Call. Could be a design for a 3-leaved theater curtain. What you see, actually, is a result of a recrystallization onto a microscope slide of the acetaminophen/codeine combo in a percocet pill that I had dissolved into an ethanol solution . The area you see would fit inside this printed O.

34614

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

Portal in a Thicket. This dendritic formation emerged on a glass slide during a re-crystallization of the natural sweetener stevia and nitrogen-rich urea. On the slide, this molecular sculpture is the size of a freckle.

0103

Reposted by Ivan Amato

Helen Pearson @helenpearson.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

My book BEYOND BELIEF is out today! It says: in a world flooded with questionable claims and misinformation, evidence from science can help show what’s nonsense – and what’s not. In other words: "Essential reading for the rational-minded". Please repost! 1/🧵 @princetonupress.bsky.social

413671

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

Small Salt. I recrystallized a pellet of Morton's water-softener salt, which is almost 100% NaCl, onto a microscope slide. The "big" cubic crystal would fit inside this O. The littler ones in the other picture, with the salt swords and waves, would fit on this period. Click pix for larger formats.

171

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

Portraits of Spring during a late April, late afternoon walk in South Mountain Reservation in NJ.

030

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

A maiden study of combining my crystal photomicrography imagery with original music. Turn on the sound!

031

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

Gratitude to Knowable Magazine for giving this article and second wind.

030

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Roiling. On a microscope slide I recrystallized a combo of alanine and glutamine. These are two of the 20 amino acids that bond into the protein machines that do pretty much everything your body needs to be alive rather than dead. The actual area shown here could fit on a bell pepper seed.

1122

Ivan Amato @ivanamato.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

Yang and Yang? Here I recrystallized urea, the world's most used fertilizer, with the amino acid taurine, first isolated from the bile of a bull. The symmetry of this formation, the size of a bread crumb, reminds me of the Yin-Yang symbol, except both components seem more Yang-like than Ying-like.

061