A peculiar and unseen world exists at our fingertips, and only a microscope has the power to bring this hidden dimension to light. To honor the beauty and scientific importance of microscopic photographs – also known as micrographs – the Nikon Small World image contest hands out awards to researchers and hobbyists who capture the most impressive photos.
This year, over 2,000 pictures were sent in from all over the world, and the best pictures were selected based on subject matter, technique, and inherent beauty. A selection of them can be seen below:
Click on images to enlarge
First place: Keratin structures in human skin cells.
Dr. Bram van den Broek, Andriy Volkov, Dr. Kees Jalink, Dr. Nicole Schwarz, and Dr. Reinhard Windoffer
Second place: Seed-filled head of a groundsel flower.
Dr. Havi Sarfaty
Third place: A colony of volvox algae bursting open.
Jean-Marc Babalian
A tapeworm head.
Teresa Zgoda
Fungus growing on a tomato.
Dean Lerman
Lily pollen spores.
Dr. David A. Johnston
Embryonic chick brain which has been colored using the "brainbow" genetic technique.
Dr. Ryo Egawa
Sensory hair cells (red) and neurons (green) reveal the structure of a rat cochlea (part of the inner ear).
Dr. Michael Perny
This cartilage tissue was composed and colored to look like a Christmas tree.
Catarina Moura, Dr. Sumeet Mahajan, Dr. Richard Oreffo, and Dr. Rahul Tare
Two Weevils passing on their genetic inheritance.
Dr. Csaba Pinter
A close-up of a credit card's holographic logo.
Steven Simon
The eye of a daddy long-legs.
Charles Krebs
An orchid cuckoo bee.
Levon Biss
Two Maestra butterfly eggs nestled on a leaf.
David Millard
A bat fetus with see-through skin and bones.
Dr. Rick Adams
A great tit's down feathers shine like a rainbow.
Marek Mis
This dyed human hair has been tied into a knot.
Harald K. Andersen
Anchor-like structures line the skin of a sea cucumber.
Christian Gautier
An impressive profile of a mouse embryo wall.
Dr. Dylan Burnette
A colony of fungus in some soil.
Tracy Scott
