Heart-stoppingly beautiful, at least to me

I feel a little trepidatious about putting these images up, because I know some people may find them gross or squishy, as they are close examinations of things in growth... But I don't care. It's like using curse words or expressing a political opinion, sometimes it is too important to censor. Although I'm late in the game on this because I believe the photos are from 2009.

These are images of in utero animals, in this case a penguin (which is actually in-egg rather than in utero) and an elephant. Floating in their perfection, sleeping and gently moving like our own babies in our bellies. The images are from a National Geographic documentary called "Animals in the Womb" and to me are gracious gorgeous proof of the importance of science and its unending pursuit, the intersection of beauty and science, the beauty of the animal, the beauty of sleep and growth. I am in awe of these. And the photos make it seem like an elephant baby has more room to grow in the womb than my own baby did, it felt so tight with him in there, the sonograms always made him look squished except when he was the size of a lima bean. Of course the penguin looks pretty packed in there. But so contentedly curled in, protected by its shell that its mother is squatting on, keeping it safe and insulated from the ice.

Thank you to Paul for showing these to me, thank you National Geographic for your pursuit of the intersection of beauty and science for decade upon determined decade. Thank you thank you for showing our irrefutable connection to the animal world.

Images found on Enpundit, taken I believe by Steven Downer, courtesy of National Geographic