The winners of the 42nd Nikon Small World Photomicrography awards have been announced. Since its founding in 1974, these awards have celebrated the excellence of photography taken under microscopes worldwide.
This year’s competition attracted over 2,000 entries from across the globe that were judged by a panel that incorporated a mix of scientists and educators. Among these were media representatives including National Geographic producer Rachel Link, and Joe Hanson, the creator and host of the PBS science education show It’s Okay To Be Smart. 76 entries won ranked places in the competition but we’ve got a rundown of the top five for you.
Oscar Ruiz /Nikon Small World
First place was given to Dr. Oscar Ruiz, Ph. D from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Ruiz’s image takes us up close and personal with a four-day-old zebrafish embryo which originated from his research on facial development and mutation. The transparent creatures are ideal for studying the genetic mutations that lead to cleft palate and cleft lip in humans, which he induces in the zebrafish specimens in his care.
Dr. Ruiz creates an atlas of the zebrafish’s facial development by shooting a time-lapse of images. The development of any abnormal landmarks can be put under analysis. It his goal to use this information to find ways to prevent and correct human facial deformities.
“Until now, these facial abnormalities had not been extensively studied in a live context where you can see what’s happening during development in real-time," said Ruiz. “Using a live-imaging approach means we can better understand and pinpoint exactly how and why these developmental abnormalities occur. ”
Douglas L. Moore /Nikon Small World
Second Place went to Douglas L. Moore, Emeritus Curator at the Museum of Natural History at the University of Wisconsin, with an image of a 273-million-year-old slab of marine sedimentary agate. Found in the Black Hills of western South Dakota, Teepee Canyon Agate is pretty to look at with a normal pair of eyes but simply fantastic to see under the microscope. Contrasting colours and bands of chalcedony fibers and iron oxide particles resemble a work of art. “That such beauty and detail could be locked in a 273 million year old rock amazes me,” said Moore.
Rebecca Nutbrown /Nikon Small World
Third Place went to Rebecca Nutbrown from the University of Oxford, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences with one of the first microscopic images she has ever taken, that of the human mind itself. The photograph displays a variety of different brain cell types; neurons and Schwann cells. This picture follows hours of work by Nutbrown spent many hours combining a range of technologies to capture the intricate structures they form. She said, “I am fascinated by how the microscope and fluorescence can reveal such complex beauty, completely missed by the naked eye. ”
Jochen Shroeder /Nikon Small World
Fourth place was awarded to Jochen Schroeder, a micro photographer from Chiang Mai, Thailand who shot a butterfly’s proboscis, capturing it in superb detail. Schroeder has a passion for insects and capturing their unique features. He has even designed his own stacking system to do so.
And finally, fifth place went to Dr. Igor Siwanowicz, a research scientist of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Ashburn, Virginia for an insect shot of his own. An expert on invertebrate morphology, his photograph of a male diving beetle’s foot is almost the stuff of nightmares. In the image, dozens of suction cups are visible, which Siwanowicz attributes to evolution providing the beetle with a method to stay mounted on its mates. He praises “the form and function relationship manifested in beautiful shapes of the beetle’s tarsus; the artistic prowess of evolution and its ingenuity that brought about this highly specialized appendage. ”
Igor Siwanowicz /Nikon Small World
This was an auspicious year of the contest as by the next time it is held, it will have been a century since the founding of Nikon Instruments, the Nikon offshoot that specialises in microbiological lens development. Eric Flem, Communications Manager at Nikon Instruments said “Nearly 100 years of microscopy has paved the way for the evolving technology and innovative techniques that continue to raise the bar of this competition. Congratulations to all of the winners and entrants for their incredible work. ”
If you’re wondering why so many scientific professionals would take the time out of their busy schedules to enter this contest, we believe that the answer Dr. Siwanowicz’ gave to that query sums it up best. Quoting (French polymath and philosopher of science) Jules Henri Poincare, he said, “the scientist does not study nature because it is useful; he studies it because he delights in it, and he delights in it because it is beautiful. ”
You can see more of the contest entries on the competition website and on the Nikon Instruments Instagram. Make sure that you take part in the Nikon Small World Popular Vote, to choose your favourite, as voting has been extended.
Cover Image: Wildflower /Samuel Silberman /Nikon Small World
(Images used with permission)
. digitalrev.com2016-10-27 03:00
