Nature abstracted. The 37th annual Nikon Small World competition’s theme was “Recognizing Excellence in Photography through the Microscope.” Some of the outstanding entries:



Mosquito Larvae in a drop of water

Dr. John H. Brackenbury

University of Cambridge

Cambridge, UK

Laser-triggered high-speed macrophotography



Fish Louse (Argulus) (60x)

Wim van Egmond

Micropolitan Museum

Rotterdam, Netherlands

Darkfield



Giant Water Flea Eye (Leptodora kindtii)

Wim van Egmond

Micropolitan Museum

Rotterdam, Netherlands

Differential Interference Contrast



Stamen – Pavonia x gledhillii (Brazilian candles) stamens (20x)

Viktor Sykora

Institute of Pathophysiology, Prague, Czech Republic

Darkfield



Sugar Cane Root cross section (20x)

Debora Leite

University of São Paulo, Brazil

Brightfield



Jumping spider eyes – anterior lateral and median (16x)

Walter Piorkowski

South Beloit, Illinois, USA

Reflected light



Agatized dinosaur bone cells, unpolished, ca. 150 million years old (42x)

Douglas Moore

University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point

Stereomicroscopy, fiber optics



Alona (a crustacean) mounted in Canada Balsam with crystals and other artifacts

Dr. Carlos Alberto Muñoz

University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus

Mayaguez, Puerto Rico

Nomarski Differential Interference Contrast



Graphite-bearing granulite from Kerala, India (2.5x)

Dr. Bernardo Cesare

Department of Geosciences

University of Padua, Padova, Italy

Polarized light microscope



Parasitic Nematode (Ascaris), female (150x)

Massimo Brizzi

Microcosmo Italia

Empoli, Firenze, Italy

Darkfield

Algae Magnified – Spirogyra sp. (green algae) filaments (25x)

Marek Mis

Suwalki, Poland

Polarized light



Butterfly tongue (720x)

Stephen S. Nagy, M.D.

Montana Diatoms

Helena, Montana, USA

Polarized light, brightfield



Crystallized mixture of carbon tetrabromide, resorcinal, and sulphur (25x)

Dr. John Hart

Hart3D Films and Dept. Atmospheric and Oceanic Sci. Univ. of Colorado, Boulder

Transmitted Polarized Light



Lobe Coral, live tissue pigmentation response with red fluorescence (12x)

James H. Nicholson

Coral Culture and Collaborative Research Facility

Charleston, South Carolina

Epifluorescence with triple band (U/B/G) excitation



Butterfly egg – Vanessa atalanta (Red admiral butterfly) egg in Stinging nettle trichomes (10x)

David Millard

Austin, Texas, USA

Diffuse Incident Illumination



Liverwort – Intrinsic fluorescence in Lepidozia reptans (liverwort) (20x)

Dr. Robin Young

The University of British Columbia

Live mount, Confocal microscopy



Chicken Embryo – Chick embryo intestine (20x)

Poulomi Ray

Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University

Confocal



HeLa (cancer) cells (300x)

Thomas Deerinck

University of California, San Diego

La Jolla, California, USA

2-Photon fluorescence



Freshwater Ciliates (Trichodina pediculus), ventral view, living specimens (1000x)

Gerd A. Guenther

Duesseldorf, Germany

Differential interference contrast –



Leucite crystal from volcanic rock showing polysynthetic lamellar twins formed by the cubic- tetrago (40x)

Dr. Michael M. Raith

Steinmann Institut, University of Bonn, Germany

Transmitted polarized light, crossed polarization



Microchip surface magnified, 3D reconstruction (500x)

Alfred Pasieka

Hilden, Germany

Incident light, Normarski Interference Contrast

Nikon’s Small World is regarded as the leading forum for showcasing the beauty and complexity of life as seen through the light microscope. For over 30 years, Nikon has rewarded the world’s best photomicrographers who make critically important scientific contributions to life sciences, bio-research and materials science. Next year’s competition deadline is April 30, 2012.

All images via Nikon www.nikonsmallworld.com