I can’t say I ever wanted to knuffle Antonie van Leeuwenhoek before, but this adorable video may have altered my thinking. Using stop-motion Lego animation, this short documentary—made by the owner of Brickfilms site—offers a great short history of the two Fathers of Microbiology: The aforementioned van Leeuwenhoek and the better-known* Louis Pasteur.
For extra fun, the dialogue for both men is recorded in their native tongue (with subtitles), so there’s none of that awkward “pretending everybody in history spoke English” thing. Plus, you’ll learn how to say “wee beasties” in two languages.
Want more microbiology videos? I really must recommend microbiologist and blogger Cesar Sanchez‘s playlist.
*The film also inadvertently answers the question of why Pasteur is more of a popular figure. When you single-handedly save the beer industry from dangerous bacterial contamination … well, let’s just say that being the first guy to see single-celled organisms doesn’t quite measure up.