 The first place image for the 45th Nikon Small World competition, by Teresa Zgoda and Teresa Kugler, shows a fluorescent turtle embryo magnified 5x. (Courtesy of NikonSmallWorld) | | | This summer, at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass., I joined a panel of science journalists and microscopy experts to judge entries for the 45th annual Nikon Small World microscopy competition. Photographers from nearly 100 countries submitted images from across the breadth of science, including geology and chemistry. The world looks different under a microscopic lens. We spent a day-and-a-half going through thousands of images. The best submissions combined art and science to magnify beauty, like a tiny lump of crystallized copper oxide that loomed like a supervillain's fortress, all harsh facades and jutting angles. Historically, the physical sciences were the best represented fields in the competition. But in the last decade or so, that's changed, as technology has improved to showcase tiniest parts of life. This year, blown-up biology ruled the day, with images of embryos, cells, plants, vasculature, organs and animals. Teresa Zgoda and Teresa Kugler, the team behind the winning photograph combined fluorescence and stereo microscopy to stitch together an image of turtle embryo, above, in a rainbow palette. You can see more of the winning images and photos of distinction at @NikonInstruments on Instagram. |
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