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Extremely shut - up effigy of a cannabis plant , spider heart and a mouse brain are among the winner of the fiftieth annualNikon Small World Photomicrography Competition .

A control board of judge selected 20 winner , shortlisted from around 2,100 entries , for capturing the humble particular in sinful clarity .

Leaf of a cannabis plant. The bulbous glands are trichomes. The bubbles inside are cann.

A microscopic image of a cannabis plant won third place at the Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition.

" Sometimes , we overlook the bantam item of the earthly concern around us , " Eric Flem , senior manager of CRM and communications at Nikon Instruments , said in a statement share with Live Science . " Nikon Small World swear out as a reminder to pause , apprize the power and dish of the small things , and to cultivate a deeper curiosity to explore and question . "

Bruno CisternaandEric Vitriol , both researchers at the Department of Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine at Augusta University in Georgia , won first place with their image of differentiated black eye brain tumour cells — where the cadre has recrudesce specialized functions or features . Their persona disclose how gap in the cell cytoskeleton ( which maintains the cell ’s shape and enables it to carry out crucial functions ) can direct to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer ’s .

— See a Panthera onca shatter a crocodilian ’s skull and a ' David Bowie ' spider in this prowler superlative of the 2024 Wildlife Photographer of the twelvemonth

Differentiated mouse brain tumor cells (actin, microtubules, and nuclei)

The image of differentiated mouse brain tumor cells taken by Bruno Cisterna and Eric Vitriaol won 1st place in the competition.

— Psychedelic look into a so-and-so ’s oculus wins microphotography competition

— Zany polar bears and a ' 3 - headed ' giraffe star in Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards

stargazer - turned - photographerMarcel Clemenswas award 2d position for his figure of speech of an electrical arc between a pin and a wire , while marijuana photographerChris Romainewon third place for his paradigm of a cannabis plant leaf .

Electrical arc between a pin and a wire.

This image by Marcel Clemens shows an electrical arc between a pin and a wire.

you may see all 20 get ahead images below .

Leaf of a cannabis plant. The bulbous glands are trichomes. The bubbles inside are cann.

This image, taken by Chris Romaine, shows the leaf of a cannabis plant. The bulbous glands are trichomes — a small hair or growth from the epidermis of a plant — while the purple bubbles contain cannabinoids.

Section of a small intestine of a mouse

This image, taken by Amy Engevik, shows a section of a small intestine of a mouse.

Cluster of octopus (Octopus hummelincki) eggs

A close-up of a cluster of octopus eggs taken by Thomas Barlow and Connor Gibbons.

Slime mold (Cribraria cancellata)

Henri Koskinen’s photograph of the slime moldCribraria cancellata.

Cross section of European beach grass (Ammophila arenaria) leaf

A photograph showing the cross section of a leaf from the European beach grassAmmophila arenariataken by Gerhard Vlcek.

A neuron densely covered in dendritic spines from the striatum of an adult rat brain

Stephanie Huang’s image shows a neuron from the brain of an adult rat.

Pollen in a garden spider (Araneus) web.

John-Oliver Dum’s photograph shows pollen caught in the web of a garden spider.

Spores of black truffle (Tuber melanosporum)

The spores of the black truffleTuber melanosporumtaken by Jan Martinek.

Slime mold on a rotten twig with water droplets

Ferenc Halmos' image showing water droplets on slime mold on a rotten twig.

Wing scales of a butterfly (Papilio ulysses) on a medical syringe needle

This image, taken by Daniel Knop, shows the wing scales of a butterfly on a medical syringe needle.

Eyes of green crab spider (Diaea dorsata)

Paweł Błachowicz captured the eyes of the green crab siderDiaea dorsata.

Recrystallized mixture of hydroquinone and myoinositol

Marek Miś' image shows the recrystallized mixture of hydroquinone, a compound that reduces melanin production, and myoinositol, a type of sugar found in the body but also some foods and supplements.

Isolated scales on Madagascan sunset moth wing (Chrysiridia ripheus)

Sébastien Malo’s photograph shows the scales of the Madagascan sunset moth wingChrysiridia ripheus.

Two water fleas (Daphnia sp.) with embryos (left) and eggs (right)

Marek Miś also captured an image of two water fleas with embryos and eggs.

Stonewort algae (Chara virgata) reproductive organs - oogonia (female organs) and anth

Frantisek Bednar’s image shows the reproductive organs of the stonewort algae Chara virgata.

An insect egg parasitized by a wasp

An image of an insect egg parasitized by a wasp taken by Alison Pollack.

Seed of a Silene plant

Allison Pollack also captured this image of a seed of a silene plant.

Early stage of mouse glioblastoma cell differentiation (actin, microtubules, and mitocho.

Bruno Cisterna and Eric Vitriol also entered this image of an early stage mouse glioblastoma.

a tiger looks through a large animal�s ribcage

a wispy white spiral galaxy seen in front of hundreds of background stars

Split image of Skull Hill on Mars and an artificially stimulated retina

A reconstruction of neurons in the brain in rainbow colors

A male of the peacock spider species Maratus jactatus, lifts its leg as part of a mating dance.

Split image of the world�s largest underground thermal lake on record and a �city-killer� asteroid approaching Earth.

a microscope image of bacteria that has been mirrored

A grainy black and white photo of an alleged loch ness monster sighting

A digital rendering of yellow C. auris fungi

Cracked desert soil in the Yungay Valley region of the Atacama Desert.

A microscopic image of a oblong, greenish cell with a black arrow pointing to a large circle within it

An aerial picture of the lagoon and surrounding salt plain with microbial mounds visible beneath the water surface.

Fragment of a stone with relief carving in the ground

An illustration of microbiota in the gut

an illustration of DNA

images showing auroras on Jupiter

An image of the Eagle Nebula, a cluster of young stars.

a reconstruction of an early reptile