Nikon has just announced the winners of its annual Small World Photomicrography competition, and as you can see from these stunning photographs, bigger isn’t always better.
The competition is in its 42nd year and this year over 2000 people from 70 countries entered. For those that don’t know, photomicrography is the practise of taking a photograph through a microscope or similar magnifying device in order to capture the intricate details of things invisible to the human eye. From the proboscis of a butterfly and the foot of a beetle to espresso coffee crystals, the pictures below give us a whole new way of looking at world.
Fourth Place. Butterfly Proboscis
Fifth Place. Front Foot (Tarsus) Of A Male Diving Beetle
Eyes Of A Jumping Spider
Nineteenth Place. Human Neural Rosette Primordial Brain Cells
Eleventh Place. Scales Of A Butterfly Wing Underside
Thirteenth Place. Poison Fangs Of A Centipede
Sixth Place. Air Bubbles Formed From Melted Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) Crystals
Eighth Place. Wildflower Stamens
Retinal Ganglion Cells In The Whole-Mounted Mouse Retina
Ninth Place. Espresso Coffee Crystals
First Place. Four-Day-Old Zebrafish Embryo
Caudal Gill Of A Dragonfly Larva
Goatsbeard Flower
Second Place. Polished Slab Of Teepee Canyon Agate
Seventh Place. Leaves Of Selaginella