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Mind-Blowing Microscopic Wonders: 87 Images From The 2024 Nikon Small World Competition

The 2024 Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition, now in its 50th year, celebrates the beauty and science behind the smallest details of our world. Each year, scientists and artists from around the globe submit stunning microscope images that reveal extraordinary views of life on a microscopic scale. From intricate cell structures to fascinating natural phenomena, these images offer a unique glimpse into the hidden world around us.

This year’s winners did not disappoint. First place was awarded to Dr. Bruno Cisterna for his incredible image of mouse brain tumor cells, which sheds light on neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and ALS. The 2024 competition continues to highlight how microscopy advances both art and science.

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#1 Image Of Distinction - Zhang Chao

National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China "Beach sand."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

The organizers of Nikon Small World 2024 revealed that judges reviewed entries from around the world to choose the winners. They looked for images that stood out for their originality, the information they showed, technical skill, and visual appeal.

This year, the competition received about 2,100 photos from 80 different countries.

#2 Image Of Distinction - Dr. Laurent Formery And Dr. Nathaniel Clarke

Stanford University Department of Molecular and Cell Biology Pacific Grove, California, USA "Nervous system of a young sea star."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#3 12th Place - Daniel Knop

Oberzent-Airlenbach, Hessen, Germany "Wing scales of a butterfly (Papilio ulysses) on a medical syringe needle."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

Dr. Cisterna’s winning image is not just beautiful—it’s important for science. His work helps us understand how changes in the structure of brain cells may lead to diseases like Alzheimer’s and ALS. By capturing this image, Dr. Cisterna gives us a better view of how these diseases work, which could help find treatments in the future. His image truly combines science and art, showing how powerful and meaningful microscopy can be.

"One of the main problems with neurodegenerative diseases is that we don't fully understand what causes them,” said Dr. Cisterna. “To develop effective treatments, we need to figure out the basics first. Our research is crucial for uncovering this knowledge and ultimately finding a cure. Differentiated cells could be used to study how mutations or toxic proteins that cause Alzheimer's or ALS alter neuronal morphology, as well as to screen potential drugs or gene therapies aimed at protecting neurons or restoring their function.”

#4 Image Of Distinction - Dr. Håkan Kvarnström

Bromma, Sweden "Peacock plume feather."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#5 Image Of Distinction - Timothy Boomer

Vacaville, California, USA "Slime mold (Prototrichia metallica)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

“After three years of research, we finally published our findings four months ago in the Journal of Cell Biology, and there's still more work to be done. I’m deeply passionate about scientific imaging; I’ve been following the Nikon Small World contest for about 15 years. It's an incredible contest that highlights the beauty of photomicrography but also inspires continued exploration and innovation in the field," said Dr. Cisterna.

#6 Honorable Mention - Dr. Igor Robert Siwanowicz

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Janelia Research Campus Ashburn, Virginia, USA "Antenna of a mole crab."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#7 Image Of Distinction - Uwe Lange

Hannover, Niedersachsen, Germany "Pollen on the compound eyes of a fly."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

Second place went to Dr. Marcel Clemens, who captured an electrical arc between a pin and a wire, created by a 10,000-volt charge. Third place was awarded to Chris Romaine for his close-up of a cannabis leaf, showing tiny trichomes and cannabinoid vesicles. These images, along with many others from the 2024 competition, show the beauty and variety of the microscopic world, blending creativity and science in exciting ways.

#8 Image Of Distinction - Ted Kinsman

Rochester Institute of Technology Photosciences Department Rochester, New York, USA "A common house cat claw."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#9 3rd Place - Chris Romaine

Port Townsend, Washington, USA "Leaf of a cannabis plant. The bulbous glands are trichomes. The bubbles inside are cannabinoid vesicles."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

The 2024 judging panel included:

Adrian Coakley, Director of Photography at National Geographic Books;

Michelle S. Itano, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology and Director of the Neuroscience Microscopy Core at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill;

Emily Petersen, Photography Managing Editor at Science Magazine;

Clare Waterman, Ph.D., Cell Biologist and Member of the National Academy of Sciences;

Jennifer C. Waters, Ph.D., Director of the Core for Imaging Technology & Education at Harvard Medical School;

Samantha Yammine, Ph.D., Neuroscientist and Science Communicator.

#10 5th Place - Thomas Barlow And Connor Gibbons

Columbia University Department of Neurobiology and Behavior New York, New York, USA "Cluster of octopus (Octopus hummelincki) eggs."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#11 13th Place - Paweł Błachowicz

Bedlno, Świętokrzyskie, Poland "Eyes of green crab spider (Diaea dorsata)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#12 Honorable Mention - Dr. Bruce Douglas Taubert

Glendale, Arizona, USA "Ocelli between the compound eyes of a yellow jacket."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#13 Honorable Mention - Jochen Stern

Mannheim, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany "Golden bug eggs on a sage leaf."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#14 2nd Place - Dr. Marcel Clemens

Verona, Veneto, Italy

"Electrical arc between a pin and a wire."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#15 Honorable Mention - Randy Fullbright

Vernal, Utah, USA "Agatized dinosaur bone."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#16 6th Place - Henri Koskinen

Helsinki University Helsinki, Uudenmaan lääni, Finland "Slime mold (Cribraria cancellata)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#17 Honorable Mention - Daniel Evrard

Aywaille, Liege, Belgium "Vinyl player needle on scratched vinyl disk."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#18 Image Of Distinction - Thomas Neumann

Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany "Ink dot on Japanese washi paper."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#19 Image Of Distinction - Elkhan Yusifov And Dr. Martina Schaettin

University of Zurich Department of Molecular Life Sciences Zurich, Switzerland "Developing nervous system in the eye of a 7-day-old chick embryo."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#20 9th Place - John-Oliver Dum

Medienbunker Produktion Bendorf, Rheinland Pfalz, Germany "Pollen in a garden spider (Araneus) web."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#21 11th Place - Dr. Ferenc Halmos

Bánd, Veszprém, Hungary "Slime mold on a rotten twig with water droplets."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#22 7th Place - Gerhard Vlcek

Maria Enzersdorf, Austria "Cross section of European beach grass (Ammophila arenaria) leaf."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#23 Image Of Distinction - Joshua Coogler

Dallas, North Carolina, USA "Moss sporophyte with spores (green)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#24 Image Of Distinction - Jacek Myslowski

Wloclawek, Kujawko-Pomorskie, Poland "Water mite (Arrenurus)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#25 Image Of Distinction - Dr. Robert Markus

University of Nottingham School of Life Sciences, Super Resolution Microscopy Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom "Dandelion (Traxacum officinale) cross section showing curved stigma with pollen."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#26 Image Of Distinction - Daniel Knop

Oberzent-Airlenbach, Hessen, Germany "Dorsal part of cuckoo wasp (Hedychrum gerstaeckeri) abdomen."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#27 Image Of Distinction - Dr. Igor Robert Siwanowicz

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Janelia Research Campus Ashburn, Virginia, USA "Aster anther cross-section with pollen grains (green)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#28 Image Of Distinction - Daniel Knop

Oberzent-Airlenbach, Hessen, Germany "Opening of a hibiscus flower (Hibiscus moscheutos) exposing the pollen in four stages, each ten minutes apart."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#29 16th Place - Marek Miś

Suwalki, Podlaskie, Poland "Two water fleas (Daphnia sp.) with embryos (left) and eggs (right)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#30 Image Of Distinction - Dr. Saikat Ghosh

National Institutes of Health NICHD Bethesda, Maryland, USA "Human neurons."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#31 Image Of Distinction - Susannah Waxman And Dr. Ian Sigal

University of Pittsburgh Department of Ophthalmology Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA "Optic nerve head collagen of a pig."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#32 19th Place - Alison Pollack

San Anselmo, California, USA "Seed of a Silene plant."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#33 Honorable Mention -Dr. Kseniia Bondarenko

University of Edinburgh Institute for Immunology and Infection Research Edinburgh, MidLothian, United Kingdom "Acute-stage parasites of Toxoplasma gondii in a human skin cell."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#34 Image Of Distinction - Chris Romaine

Port Townsend, Washington, USA "Bract (part of the plant's reproductive structures) of a cannabis plant. The bulbous glands are trichomes."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#35 Image Of Distinction - Dr. Marko Pende

MDI Biological Laboratory Murawala Lab Bar Harbor, Maine, USA "Ladybug (Coccinellidae) on a clover (Trifolium repens)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#36 Honorable Mention - Dr. David Maitland

St. Andrews, Fife, United Kingdom "Transverse section of rachis (stem) of bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#37 Image Of Distinction - Dr. Sherif Abdallah Ahmed

Tanta University, Faculty of Science Department of Zoology Tanta, Egypt, Arab Republic "Anterior section of palm weevil."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#38 Image Of Distinction - Gerd A. Günther

Düsseldorf, Germany "Cross section of a beach grass (Ammophila arenaria) leaf."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#39 Image Of Distinction - Dr. Felice Placenti

FP Nature and Landscape Photography Siracusa, Sicilia, Italy "Potato tuber sprout."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#40 Image Of Distinction - Alison Pollack

San Anselmo, California, USA "Slime mold (Lamproderma arcyrioides)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#41 Image Of Distinction - Dr. Martin Hein

Lions Eye Institute Physiology and Pharmacology laboratory Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia "Abnormal blood vessel formation in a human retina with severe diabetic retinopathy."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#42 Image Of Distinction - Dr. Nick Gatford

University of Oxford Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (NDCN) Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom "A network of dopaminergic neurons generated from human stem cells."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#43 Image Of Distinction - Steven A. Valley

Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) Entomology Lab Albany, Oregon, USA "Immature male damselfly (Calopteryx aequabilis)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#44 Image Of Distinction - Dr. Grigorii Timin And Dr. Michel Milinkovitch

University of Geneva Department of Genetics and Evolution Geneva, Switzerland "Skin scales of a snake embryo stained with Fast Green dye."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#45 1st Place - Dr. Bruno Cisterna And Dr. Eric Vitriol

Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University Department of Neuroscience & Regenerative Medicine Augusta, Georgia, USA "Differentiated mouse brain tumor cells (actin, microtubules, and nuclei)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#46 Image Of Distinction - Shao Yang

Beijing Miteyide Culture Co., Ltd.A925 Beijing, China "Fiber of nylon stockings."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#47 Image Of Distinction - Dr. Guillermo Moya

Johns Hopkins University Department of Biology Baltimore, Maryland, USA "Neuronal axons connecting to the muscles of the iris and the cornea."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#48 10th Place - Jan Martinek

Charles University Department of Experimental Plant Biology Prague, Czech Republic "Spores of black truffle (Tuber melanosporum)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#49 14th Place - Marek Miś

Suwalki, Podlaskie, Poland "Recrystallized mixture of hydroquinone and myoinositol."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#50 Honorable Mention - Christopher Algar

Hounslow, Middlesex, United Kingdom "Brine shrimp."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#51 Honorable Mention - Angus Rae

Australian National University Centre for Advanced MicroscopyA306 MacGregor, Australian Capital Territory, Australia "Autofluorescence in the face of a little two-spotted ladybird (Diomus notescens)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#52 Image Of Distinction - Didier Barbet

Club Français de Microscopie Bailly, France "Fracture surface of mica (mineral)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#53 Image Of Distinction - Chew Yen Fook

Woodend, Waimakiriri, New ZealandA936 "Graffiti from Berlin Wall stone section."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#54 Image Of Distinction - Dr. Gonzalo Quiroga Artigas

RBM-CNRS Montpellier, Herault, France "Tardigrade (Hypsibius exemplaris)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#55 18th Place - Alison Pollack

San Anselmo, California, USA "An insect egg parasitized by a wasp."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#56 Image Of Distinction - Nikky Corthout And Miranda Dyson

VIB (Flanders Institute of Biotechnology) Center for Brain and Disease Research Leuven, Vlaams-Brabant, Belgium "Fruit fly (Drosophila) brain vasculature."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#57 Image Of Distinction - Dr. Amir Maqbool

Lovely Professional University Department of Zoology Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India "Small fly killed by 'zombie fly' fungus (Entomophthora muscae)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#58 Image Of Distinction - Dr. Igor Robert Siwanowicz

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Janelia Research Campus Ashburn, Virginia, USA "Floret of a common chicory with pollen grains (spiky balls)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#59 Image Of Distinction - Ou Zhilei

Guangdong Radio and Television Guangzhou, Guagndong, China "Stamens of flowers (Anemone cathayensis Kitag. ex Ziman & Kadota)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#60 4th Place - Dr. Amy Engevik

Medical University of South Carolina Department of Regenerative Medicine & Cell Biology Charleston, South Carolina, USA "Section of a small intestine of a mouse."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#61 17th Place - Dr. Frantisek Bednar

Svosov, Zilinsky, Slovak Republic "Stonewort algae (Chara virgata) reproductive organs - oogonia (female organs) and antheridia (male organs)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#62 Image Of Distinction - Jan Martinek

Charles University Department of Experimental Plant Biology Prague, Czech Republic "Spores of a black Bagnoli truffle (Tuber mesentericum)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#63 Image Of Distinction - Chew Yen Fook

Woodend, Waimakiriri, New Zealand "Water mite (Hydrachna sp.)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#64 Image Of Distinction - Aryah Nagarajan

Falmouth University Institute of Photography Penryn, Cornwall, United Kingdom "Spores releasing from the sori of a Polypody fern (Polypodium vulgare)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#65 15th Place - Sébastien Malo

Saint Lys, Haute-Garonne, France "Isolated scales on Madagascan sunset moth wing (Chrysiridia ripheus)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#66 Honorable Mention - Kevin Terretaz

CRBM-CNRS Montpellier, Hérault, France "Mosquito cells in culture with fluorescent markers for DNA and microtubules."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#67 Image Of Distinction - Anne Patricia Algar

Hounslow, Middlesex, United Kingdom "Mosquito larva."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#68 Image Of Distinction - Dr. Adolfo Ruiz De Segovia

Madrid, Spain "Plant root."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#69 8th Place - Stephanie Huang

Victoria University of Wellington School of Biological Sciences; School of Psychology Wellington, New Zealand "A neuron densely covered in dendritic spines from the striatum of an adult rat brain."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#70 20th Place - Dr. Bruno Cisterna And Dr. Eric Vitriol

Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University Department of Neuroscience & Regenerative MedicineA215 Augusta, Georgia, USA "Early stage of mouse glioblastoma cell differentiation (actin, microtubules, and mitochondria)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#71 Image Of Distinction - Nadia Efimova

Amicus Therapeutics Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA "Dandelion pappus."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#72 Image Of Distinction - Dr. Bruno Vellutini

Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics Dresden, Saxony, GermanyA903 "Gene expression patterns in a drain fly embryo (Clogmia albipunctata) with an open eggshell."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#73 Image Of Distinction - Dr. Florian Alonso

University of Bordeaux BioTis-INSERM U1026A383 Pessac, Gironde, France "Mouse aortic endothelium stained for beta-catenin (green), laminin (purple), smooth muscle actin (red), and Hoechst (cyan)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#74 Image Of Distinction - Anna-Mari Elisabeth Haapanen-Saaristo

University of Turku Turku Bioscience Centre / Cell Imaging & Cytometry Core and Zebrafish Core "Gene expression patterns in a drain fly embryo (Clogmia albipunctata) with an open egg. Nutrient storage cells in a tardigrade."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#75 Image Of Distinction - Wen Jie Ji

Yin Works The Bureau of Microworld Exploration Beijing, China "Integrated circuit chip."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#76 Image Of Distinction - Dr. Ewa Langner

Washington University in St Louis Department of Medicine - Renal Division, Mahjoub Lab St Louis, Missouri, USA "Mouse embryonic kidney showing interstitial fibroblasts (yellow), tubular epithelium (cyan), and nuclei (magenta)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#77 Image Of Distinction - Satu Paavonsalo And Dr. Sinem Karaman

University of Helsinki Individualized Drug Therapy Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, Helsinki, FinlandA700 Helsinki, Finland "Blood vessels (color gradient) and endothelial cell nuclei (white) in the intestinal villi of a mouse."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#78 Image Of Distinction - Yurim Seo, Dr. Mark Looney And Dr. Simon Cleary

University of California, San Francisco Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy and Sleep Medicine San Francisco, California, USA "Lymphatic vasculature (cyan) and vessels (red) of a mouse lung."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#79 Image Of Distinction - Maxime Teixeira

Laval University Department of Molecular Medicine Québec, CanadaA858 "Cultured monkey kidney cells labeled for tubulin (blue) and actin (orange) showing pathological accumulation of alpha-syn aggregates (red)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#80 Image Of Distinction - Dr. Theo Theune

Oost-Souburg, Zeeland, Netherlands "Abdominal skin of a tick that engorged with blood."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#81 Honorable Mention -Dr. Anja De Lange

University of Cape Town Neuroscience Institute & Department of Human BiologyA249 Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa "Astrocytes surrounding a blood vessel in a thin slice of human brain."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#82 Image Of Distinction - Dr. Leo Serra

University of Cambridge Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom "Leaves arising from thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) meristem."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#83 Image Of Distinction - Dr. Bruce Douglas Taubert

Glendale, Arizona, USA "Mid-tibial tuft on a male orchid bee, used to attract mates."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#84 Image Of Distinction - Karl Gaff

Dublin, Ireland "Larva of a midge fly (Chironomidae)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#85 Image Of Distinction - Dr. Robert Markus, Dr. Zeeshan Mohammad, Dr. Sarah Pashley And Dr. Rita Tewari

University of Nottingham School of Life Sciences, Super Resolution MicroscopyA632 Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom "Malaria parasites and mouse blood cells - tubulin (green), all proteins (purple), DNA (red)."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#86 Image Of Distinction - Luna Šošo Zdravković, Michael Surala And Christian Madry

Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin Institute of Neurophysiology Berlin, Germany "Pyramidal neuron in mouse hippocampus."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

#87 Honorable Mention - Dr. Amy Engevik

Medical University of South Carolina Department of Regenerative Medicine & Cell Biology Charleston, South Carolina, USA "Intestinal villi."

Image credits: Nikon Small World

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