Modern microscopes are essentially very specialized camera systems with a powerful zoom, so it’s not surprising that some of the images scientists take while they work are stunning artworks in their own right. Every year, Nikon awards some of these images in the annual Small World competition, and today they announced the 2022 winners.
Embryonic hand of a Madagascar giant day gecko (Phelsuma grandis). 63X magnification. Winning image … [+]
The first prize went to a very detailed image of a gecko’s front paw during development, taken by Grigorii Timin, a PhD student in the Laboratory of Artificial & Natural Evolution at the University of Geneva. As part of his research under supervision of Michel Milinkovitch, Timin studied this embryo of the Phelsuma grandis day gecko under the microscope. He used different fluorescent labels to stain distinctive parts of the gecko hand: nerves, bones,tendons, ligaments, skin and blood cells.
“This particular image is beautiful and informative, as an overview and also when you magnify it in a certain region, shedding light on how the structures are organized on a cellular level,” Timin told Nikon.
The judging panel, which included experts in science and photography, sifted through thousands of submissions and managed to select over 90 images as either winners or honorable mentions.
Breast tissue showing contractile myoepithelial cells wrapped around milk-producing alveoli. … [+]
Submissions came in from all over the world. Caleb Dawson of The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne took home the second place award with his image of myoepithelial cells wrapped around milk-producing alveoli in breast tissue. Third place went to Satu Paavonsalo and Sinem Karaman of the University of Helsinki for an image of blood vessels in mouse intestines.
Blood vessel networks in the intestine of an adult mouse. Courtesy of Nikon Small World.
Scrolling through the list of all winners and honorable mentions also shows the wide variety in subject matter: Insects, algae, human cells, animals, crystals – even carbon particles from candle wax all made it into the gallery.
Unburned particles of carbon released when the hydrocarbon chain of candle wax breaks down. Courtesy … [+]
Even though many of the competition entrants are scientists like Timin, who have access to high quality microscopes through their research institutes, the Nikon Small World competition is open to anyone who takes microscope images. That includes amateur microscopy enthusiasts but also professional microphotographers.
One of the regular entrants to the Nikon Small World photo and video competitions is Wim van Egmond, a professionally trained photographer who specialises in microscope photography. Over the years, many of his images have made it to the winners’ and honorable mentions galleries, and this year he got an honorable mention for an anemone larva.
Larva of an anemone, found in marine plankton. Courtesy of Nikon Small World.
Slime mold (Lamproderma). Courtesy of Nikon Small World.
California photographer Allison Pollack specializes in mushroom photography and her extreme close-ups of fungi earned her a fifth place as well as an honorable mention this year.
Check out the Small World website to see all the 2022 winners and get an extreme close-up view of many corners of the natural world.
