Little wonders from the Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition

Dinosaur bones, slime moulds and dental drills are some of the highlights from this year's microscopic competition.

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James Cutmore

Published: October 11, 2022 at 2:00 pm

Every year we are amazed by the Nikon Small World winners, and this year is no different.Grigorii Timin has taken top prize in 2022 for his image of an embryonic gecko's hand, painstakingly merging hundreds of images together to form one striking photograph.

Second place was awarded toDr Caleb Dawson for his image of breast tissue showing contractile myoepithelial cells wrapped around milk-producing alveoli. Third place went toSatu Paavonsalo and Dr Sinem Karaman for their intricate image of blood vessel networks in the intestine of an adult mouse.

Other highlights in this year's batch include a burning candle close-up, mouse blood vessels and a fly being savagely crushed by a tiger beetle.

The Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition is open to anyone with an interest in photography or video. The awards have been championing the best microscopic imagery for nearly 50 years.

Overall winner

Embryonic hand of a Madagascar giant day gecko (Phelsuma grandis). The cyan areas are nerves, and the bones, tendons, ligaments, skin and blood cells are shown in a range of warmer colours. This embryonic hand is about 3mm in length.Photographed at 63x magnification. Photo by Grigorii Timin & Dr Michel Milinkovitch/Nikon Small World Competition 2022

Second place

Human breast tissue showing contractile myoepithelial cells wrapped around milk-producing alveoli. Photographed at 40x magnification. Photo by Dr Caleb Dawson/Nikon Small World Competition 2022

Third place

Blood vessel network of a mouse intestine. Photographed at 10x magnification. Photo by Satu Paavonsalo & Dr Sinem Karaman/NikonSmall World Competition 2022

Fourth place

Long-bodied cellar, or daddy long-legs spider (Pholcus phalangioides). Photographed at 3x magnification. Photo by Dr Andrew Posselt/Nikon Small World Competition 2022

Fifth place

Slime mould (Lamproderma). Photographed at 10x magnification. Photo by Alison Pollack/Nikon Small World Competition 2022

Sixth place

Unburned particles of carbon released when the hydrocarbon chain of candle wax breaks down. Photographed at 2.5x magnification. Photo by Ole Bielfeldt/Nikon Small World Competition 2022

Seventh place

Human neurons derived from neural stem cells (NSCs). Photographed at 20x magnification. Photo by Dr Jianqun Gao & Prof Glenda Halliday/Nikon Small World Competition 2022

Eighth place

Growing tip of a red algae (Rhodophyta). Photographed at 10x magnification. Photo by Dr Nathanaël Prunet/Nikon Small World Competition 2022

Ninth place

A liquid crystal mixture that resembles a person wearing a uniform. Photographed at 40x magnification. Photo by Dr Marek Sutkowski/Nikon Small World Competition 2022

Tenth place

A fly under the chin of a tiger beetle. Photographed at 3.7x magnification. Photo by Murat Öztürk/Nikon Small World Competition 2022

Eleventh place

An image of a stack of moth eggs. Photographed at 10x magnification. Photo by Ye Fei Zhang/Nikon Small World Competition 2022

Twelfth place

Autofluorescence of a single coral polyp (approximately 1mm). Photographed at 20x magnification. Photo by Brett M Lewis/Nikon Small World Competition 2022

Thirteenth place

Aremineralised dinosaur bone. Photographed at 60x magnification. Photo by Randy Fullbright/Nikon Small World Competition 2022

Sixteenth place

Longitudinal section through a white asparagus shoot tip. Photographed at 10x magnification. Photo by Dr Oliver Leroux/Nikon Small World Competition 2022

Honourable mention

A stacked image of a butterfly egg. Photographed at 10x magnification. Photo by Ye Fei Zhang/Nikon Small World Competition 2022

Honourable mention

A radula (rasping tongue) of a marine snail (Turbinidae family). Photographed at 10x magnification. Photo by Dr Igor Siwanowicz/Nikon Small World Competition 2022

Honourable mention

Two-month-old juvenile sea star (Patiria miniata). Photographed at 20x magnification. Photo by Dr Laurent Formery/Nikon Small World Competition 2022

Honourable mention

A colourful slime mould (Didymium clavus). Photographed at 10x magnification. Photo by Alison Pollack/Nikon Small World Competition 2022

Honourable mention

Cross section of young stem of garden bamboo (Fargesia sp.). Photographed at 10x magnification. Photo by Gerd Günther/Nikon Small World Competition 2022

More images from Science Focus:

Images of Distinction

A microscopic image of a mouse retina. Photographed at 4x magnification. Photo by Dr Jason Hill/Nikon Small World Competition 2022

Images of Distinction

A red speckled jewel beetle (Chrysochroa buqueti rugicollis). Photographed at 3x magnification. Photo by Yousef Al Habshi/NikonSmall World Competition 2022

Images of Distinction

A human lung cell infected with coronavirus. Photographed at 60x magnification. Photo by Dr Honor Glenn/NikonSmall World Competition 2022

Images of Distinction

Winged ant encased in approximately 20 million-year-old Dominican amber. Photographed at 5x magnification. Photo by Enrico Bonino/NikonSmall World Competition 2022

Images of Distinction

A dental drill bit studded with diamond chips. Photographed at 4x magnification. Photo by Karl E Deckart/Nikon Small World Competition 2022

Take a look at previous Nikon Small World Competition winners:

Picture Editor, BBC Science Focus

James Cutmore is the picture editor of BBC Science Focus Magazine. He has worked on the magazine and website for over a decade, telling compelling science stories through the use of striking imagery. He holds a degree in Fine Art, and has been nominated for the British Society of Magazine Editors Talent Awards, being highly commended in 2020. His main areas of interest include photography that highlights positive technology and the natural world. For many years he was a judge for the Wellcome Trust's image competition, as well as judging for the Royal Photographic Society.

©Wang and Pan et al