The Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition recently announced its winners, showcasing stunning images of the microscopic world. Among the winners were images of a differentiated mouse brain tumor cells, an electrical arc between a pin and a wire, and a cannabis plant leaf. These images capture the intricate details of the world around us that are often overlooked.
The first-place image by Bruno Cisterna and Eric Vitriol shows differentiated mouse brain tumor cells, highlighting how disruptions in the cell cytoskeleton can lead to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Marcel Clemens’ second-place image features an electrical arc, while Chris Romaine’s third-place image showcases a cannabis plant leaf with details of trichomes and cannabinoids.
Other notable images include a section of a small intestine of a mouse, octopus eggs, slime mold, a neuron from the brain of an adult rat, pollen caught in a spider’s web, and water droplets on slime mold. These images offer a glimpse into the beauty and complexity of the microscopic world.
The competition received around 2,100 entries, with 20 winners selected by a panel of judges. The images not only display incredible clarity and detail but also serve as a reminder to appreciate the little things in life and cultivate curiosity to explore and question.
In addition to the winning images, the competition also featured photographs of a butterfly’s wing scales, the eyes of a green crab spider, a recrystallized mixture of hydroquinone and myoinositol, the scales of a Madagascan sunset moth wing, water fleas with embryos and eggs, and the reproductive organs of stonewort algae.
Alison Pollack captured images of an insect egg parasitized by a wasp and a seed of a silene plant, while Bruno Cisterna and Eric Vitriol also entered an image of an early stage mouse glioblastoma. These images offer a diverse and fascinating insight into the microscopic world.
The Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition showcases the beauty and complexity of the world at a microscopic level. These images not only highlight the incredible detail and clarity that can be captured through microscopy but also inspire curiosity and appreciation for the smaller things in life. Through exploring the microscopic world, we can gain a deeper understanding of the world around us and the intricate details that often go unnoticed.