Urea is a by-product of protein catabolism that helps remove excess nitrogen produced by the body during metabolism. This biochemical is then excreted in the urine. Urea is used as a fertilizer due to the high nitrogen content, and can be reacted with aldehydes to produce resins and cross-linked polymers. When recrystallized from the melt, urea will slowly crystallize, forming beautiful dendritic needle-like crystals. The time-lapse movie was made using a modified version of the Intel Play QX3 microscope equipped for polarized light illumination with a full-wave (first order) retardation plate.