Nikon Small Worlds 2015: Otherworldly microscope photos of nature

By Andy Jeffrey October 14 2015

With Nikon about to announce the winners of the 2015 Small World Competition, we thought we'd round up some of our favourite entries! The competition includes some of the best microphotography images from around the world, giving us the opportunity to marvel at things too small for the naked eye to see.

While not restricted to wildlife, there are still plenty of shots of the teeny-tiny natural world. From the hairs on a beetle’s back to a baby starfish, these images are truly something spectacular.

Mouse embryo, 10.5 days old. Image: Jace Artichoker, Rochester Institute of Technology/Nikon Small Worlds

Leaf cross section of a water lily leaf bud (Nupha lutea). Image: Dr. David Maitland, Feltwell, United Kingdom/Nikon Small Worlds.

Juvenile starfish. Image: Evan Darling, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center/Nikon Small Worlds

Tentacles of a carnivorous plant (Drosera sp.) Image: Jose Almodovar, University of Puerto Rico (UPR), Mayaguez Campus, Biology Department/Nikon Small Worlds

Water flea (Alona guttata) Image: Jacek Myslowski, Wloclawek, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Poland/Nikon Small Worlds

Ostrich fern cross section. Image: Anatoly Mikhaltsov, Omsk, Russia/Nikon Small Worlds

Sea urchin skin. Image: Skin of a sea urchin (Synapta) containing plates and anchors composed of calcareous (chalky) material. Image: Dr. Richard Howey, University of Wyoming, Department of Philosophy

Radula (rasping feeding structure) of an aquatic Limpet. Image: Michael Crutchley, Wales, United Kingdom/Nikon Small Worlds

Antenna of a male moth (Anisota sp.) Image: Dr. Igor Siwanowicz, Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Janelia Farm Research Campus, Leonardo Lab/Nikon Small Worlds

Planktonic larva of a horseshoe worm (phoronid). Image: Dr. Richard R. Kirby, Marine Biological Association Plymouth, United Kingdom/Nikon Small Worlds

Vascular bundles of the papyrus (Cyperus papyrus) plant. Image: Dr. David Maitland, Feltwell, United Kingdom/Nikon Small Worlds

Mites on insect pupa. Image: Rogelio Moreno Gill, Panama, Panama/Nikon Small Worlds

The optic fiber layer of a mouse retina. Thomas Derrick, University of California, San Diego/Nikn Small Worlds

Eye of a honey bee (Apis mellifera) covered in dandelion pollen. Image: Ralph Claus Grimm, Queensland, Australia/Nikon Small Worlds

Top header image: Dr. Joseph Parker/Nikon Small Worlds

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Andy Jeffrey

Andy Jeffrey is a nature-loving nerd with a penchant for Star Wars and fast cars. A self-proclaimed Indiana Jones wannabe (right down to the irrational fear of snakes), he can be spotted digging through anthropology books in his spare time. Find him on Twitter @andrew_jay or in Earth Touch's 2-Minute Roundup series. VIEW more from this CONTRIBUTOR

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