A miniature crystal lock made from golden rutilated quartz. The dark phosphorescent shell of a blue-black weevil. Slime molds produce spores that look like juicy caramel apples. An otherworldly pineapple nested as the stamen and stigma of a hibiscus flower bud.
These incredibly beautiful images – and over 80 others – were recognized this year in the Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition.
The Japanese camera and imaging technology maker has been running the competition for nearly half a century since 1974, highlighting the photographic achievements of those who capture images through a microscope.
An estimated 1,900 photos were submitted for this year’s competition by photographers and scientists from 72 countries through an open call. The images were then judged by a five-person jury, including a cell biologist from Princeton and the picture editor of the BBC’s Science Focus magazine.
This year’s top honor went to neuroscientist Hassanain Qambari, a researcher at the Center for Ophthalmology and Visual Science at the Lions Eye Institute in Perth, Australia. Qambari’s image, a microscopic, composite photo of a rodent’s optic nerve head captured using confocal microscopy, also had a practical purpose: to help patients with diabetes.
Qambari’s work at the Lions Eye Institute focused on the problem of diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes that can cause blurred vision or blindness due to damage to the blood vessels in the back of the eye.
“Current diagnostic criteria and treatment regimens for diabetic retinopathy are limited to the late stage of the disease,” Qambari said in a press release, “with irreversible damage to the retinal microvasculature and function.”
He hopes his work on retinal imaging will contribute to early detection and cure of the disease, which affects about one in five diabetics.
A stunning close-up of the tip of a match as it ignites along a matchbox secured second prize, a contribution from German digital artist Ole Bielfeldt.
Third place went to health consultant from Warsaw, Poland, Malgorzata Lisowska, for her image of a random valentine growing in a cluster of breast cancer cells.
But all 86 best images from this year’s Nikon competition are a feast for the eyes. Below are twelve that can’t think of anymore.
This castle-like golden rutile quartz was photographed by Danny Sanchez of California. The inclusions are needle-like strands that often look reddish or gold. The stunning stone is popular in the spiritual community as people believe the quartz enhances the ability to offer new possibilities and directions. This image received an honorable mention
These burgeoning slime molds were discovered by Dr. Frantisek Bednar captured from Slovakia. Slime molds are single-celled organisms that lack a brain and neurons. But somehow, these colonies can make complex survival decisions that allow them to determine which direction to take to get to the best food source
The ultra-close image of a blue-black weevil pest was taken by Dr. Andrew Posselt from the University of California photographed. Weevils are beetles but have an elongated snout. The pest’s image is magnetized six times to capture even the smallest details on its antennae, which have chewing abilities
(lLeft) A 25x magnification of crystallized sugar syrup was taken by Dr. Diego García from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain captured using a polarized light method. Simple syrup crystallizes when so many sugar molecules stick together that they become insoluble in water. This image won 11th place. (Right) A glowing close-up of the tip of a match as it ignites along a matchbox. The image submitted by German digital artist Ole Bielfeldt took second place this year. The image shows the moment when friction creates heat and red phosphorus is converted into white phosphorus, which is ignited by the heat
This fluorescence photo of an Acropora aspera shows individual polyps with symbiotic zooxanthellae. Dr. Pichaya Lertvilai of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California took the images at five times magnification. This hard coral is typically found in the Indian Ocean and the western part of the Pacific Ocean. Each polyp has a stomach that opens at only one end. This image placed 15th in the competition
(Left): Development of stamens and stigmas in a hibiscus flower bud by Raghuram Annadana of India. It only takes a few days for the bud to develop into a stunning hibiscus flower. (Right) Sunflower pollen on an acupuncture needle, taken by John-Oliver Dum in Germany. The pollen is waxy and has long, sharp spines. Instead of catching the wind like most pollen, it clumps on top of other pollen and falls into the ground
A cryptocrystalline micrometeorite was submitted by Scott Peterson of Minnesota and won 18th place. This type of micrometeorite is glassy and has small-grain crystallites throughout. Micrometeorites differ from meteorites in that they are smaller, more common, and have a different composition
Venomous fangs from a small tarantula, captured by John Oliver Dum in Germany, took fourth place in the competition. The fangs are hollow and filled with venom that paralyzes the prey. However, the venom is not fatal to humans – when bitten it feels like a bee sting.
Dr. Arthur Chien from Macquarie University in New South Wales, Australia, captured this amazing image of a clear mouse embryo. The scientist managed to capture the small bones that form in the embryo, such as the spine and legs
(Left) Head of an adult transgenic zebrafish with blood vessels (blue), lymphatic vessels (yellow), and skin and scales (magenta), photographed by Daniel Castranova and Dr. Brant M. Weinstein from the US National Institutes of Health. This image won 20th place. (Right) This image may look like a stained glass window, but it shows malonic acid crystals dissolved in ethanol. The photo was taken by Cagri Yalcin in the Netherlands with polarized light at 4x magnification
This image shows diatoms arranged on the head of a pin that Jan Rosenboom captured in Germany. Diatoms are single-celled organisms and a major group of algae. Diatoms are surrounded by a hard cell wall made of silica
This incredible image shows motor neurons growing on a chip in a lab, allowing scientists to perform medical tests on the chip. Motor neurons are a special type of brain cell called neurons that are found in the spinal cord and brain. The picture was taken by Melinda Beccari and Dr. Don W. Cleveland from the University of California and placed 10th
NIKON’S LITTLE WORLD IN MOTION COMPETITION
The Nikon International Small World Competition was created in 1975 to recognize photographers who use a light microscope, also known as photomicrographers.
In 2011, Nikon announced that it would accept films shot with the microscope as a new category.
This category, called “Small World in Motion,” accepts any video or digital time-lapse photos captured through the microscope.
Photographers can use any type of light microscopy technique, including phase contrast, polarized light, fluorescence, interference contrast, darkfield, confocal, deconvolution, and mixed techniques, and record any subject.