Chemistry

Slideshow:

In an emulsion, water droplets become surrounded and separated by oil. Each water droplet can be filled with a different set of (perhaps random) molecules, whose behaviors can then be observed. Scientists can use these droplets to run millions of tiny experiments in parallel.
A simple bacterium, only a micron in size, can find sustenance (say, sugar) by “smelling” its odor. It swims in a random direction and, if the smell gets stronger, it keeps going; if not, it tries a new direction, eventually reaching the source. Similarly, scientists may catch the glimpse of a higher truth from individual experiments, and blindly do the same.
Biochemical experiments often require tiny volumes of liquid – microliters, or less…a fraction of a raindrop.
Chemical processes can create patterns similar to the spots on leopards, the patchwork on giraffes, the stripes on zebras. More complex patterns could be created if chemistry could be programmed.
Exposure at a young age to the joy of discovery can cause serious imprinting and make a life-long impression upon one’s curiosity factor.
Objects exchange molecules upon contact. Residue left by each can start a new growth pattern, such as crystallization, on its new host.