Comments on: Small Wonders: Finalists From the Nikon Small World Competition

Small Wonders: Finalists From the Nikon Small World Competition

geoff. — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:23:49 -0800

"Here we present ten of the finalists from Nikon's 35th Annual Small World Photomicrography Competition, which recognizes photographs shot through a microscope."

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:31:34 -0800

That Atherix ibis larva looks like something I should be bowing before and presenting gifts of blood and souls. Seriously cool find geoff!

By: NoMich

NoMich — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:33:34 -0800

This is you at Metafilter.

By: Nanukthedog

Nanukthedog — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:34:17 -0800

Good news: The Whelk... it won't take much blood and you can probably re-use the same soul several times to satisfy any sacrificial needs your new (tiny) diety may have...

By: Think_Long

Think_Long — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:34:22 -0800

that snowflake looks nothing like the ones I make out of construction paper. I assume it was a mistaken label on the part of the photographer, what a fool. awesome find, anyone got a link to the types of apparatus these people use?

By: mr_roboto

mr_roboto — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:46:29 -0800

that snowflake looks nothing like the ones I make out of construction paper. I assume it was a mistaken label on the part of the photographer, what a fool. Ice crystals can grow into the dendritic shapes that you're familiar with from construction paper; they can also form hexagonal prisms like the one shown here. Here's a useful primer. Here's the relevant phase diagram. awesome find, anyone got a link to the types of apparatus these people use? The technique used is listed with each image; there should be an informative wikipedia article for every technique. For example: differential interference contrast and confocal fluorescent microscopy.

By: Artw

Artw — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:57:04 -0800

I am a standardized snowflake which tessellates.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:57:56 -0800

Amazing how human-looking a Zebrafish embryo looks. Or, rather, amazing how Zebrafish-looking a human embryo looks.

By: the aloha

the aloha — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:59:39 -0800

picture this; i'm here for the small talk.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:03:16 -0800

I, however, look like a guppy embryo, all sparkly and shiney and with one massive eyeball peering out at you.

By: rocket88

rocket88 — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:10:55 -0800

The dinosaur bone pic would make a good abstract painting

By: Lipstick Thespian

Lipstick Thespian — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:11:39 -0800

are we the only beings who yearn?

By: Artw

Artw — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:13:51 -0800

You could tell me that the dinosaur bone pic was some kind of salt marsh or volcanic springs from high altitude and I'd probably buy it.

By: nowonmai

nowonmai — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:21:56 -0800

Interesting how only one of these is a fluorescence image; a few years ago it seemed that this competition was dominated by confocal microscopy, but these are mostly transmitted or reflected light. I especially like the cunning combinations of both - that's a kind of technique I've never played with. All of them are gorgeous but that fly larva is one of the most splendid images ever.

By: cjorgensen

cjorgensen — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:33:06 -0800

This one time I saw a video of a really big snail egg. The thing had to be the size of a BB! These two people were going to break into it and see why it was so big. You wouldn't believe what was inside it...another snail egg! Fine, you're only not impressed because the damn thing is transparent and you knew where the story was going. It would have been cooler if it was something like a chicken egg, but you'll never see that.

By: stormpooper

stormpooper — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:37:09 -0800

Very cool! The aquatic larve looks like the next Lady GaGa outfit.

By: kid ichorous

kid ichorous — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:38:49 -0800

That Atherix ibis larva looks like something I should be bowing before and presenting gifts of blood and souls. He's clearly a salesman larva, peddling his suitcase of junk across microspace. Note the bags under his fourteen eyes, the row upon row of bleached teeth, and his hundred appendages frilled into a miniature Alamo of "air guns." It goes: dump a trillion square angstroms of timeshares, get promoted to chrysalis, and then, maybe, your wings. WELL HEY THERE. DUST MOTE GLENGARRY-Z43 IS A SLAM DUNK, AM I RIGHT. HOLD ON I HAVE TO TAKE THIS.

By: CunningLinguist

CunningLinguist — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:17:32 -0800

Lovely. Thanks.

By: bukvich

bukvich — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:01:06 -0800

From the gnarly details of mr_roboto's extremely cool link: And thus it's unlikely that any two complex snow crystals, out of all those made over the entire history of the planet, have ever looked completely alike.

By: smartypantz

smartypantz — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:38:44 -0800

It's nice to see artistic scientific photos. Beautiful!

By: Durn Bronzefist

Durn Bronzefist — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:19:24 -0800

Much more impressive than I was expecting. Even images that didn't grab me on first glance (spiny southistle) weren't quite scrolled away before I had to go back for a closer look. Fantastic.

By: mrgrimm

mrgrimm — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:26:51 -0800

Amazing how human-looking a Zebrafish embryo looks. ... Or, rather, amazing how Zebrafish-looking a human embryo looks. That's one of the tricks ol' Herant Katchadourian used to pull in his (overrated) Intro to Human Sexuality class. He'd start with a picture of a 36-week-old fetus and ask "Is this a human baby? With all the legal rights we have?" and students would vote yes/no. He'd then move the time back and show the fetus at 25 weeks, 20 weeks, etc. At some point, he'd switch the pictures to a mouse fetus (or embryo, not sure at what age he switched) and laugh at all the people who still voted yes. I thought it was a pretty cheap trick. TRUE STORY. Anyway, cool photos!