Photography is truly a wonderful thing, isn't it? It allows us to capture some of the best moments of our lives, while also ensuring wonderful moments are remembered for years to come.
And while them adorable family photos your mom frames are the memorable ones, photos of science are equally as remarkable.
The best of photography in science was revealed at the Nikon Small World contest - an annual competition that recently had its 49th event.
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As per an explainer on its website: "Nikon’s Small World is regarded as the leading forum for showcasing the beauty and complexity of life as seen through the light microscope.
"The Photomicrography Competition is open to anyone with an interest in microscopy and photography.
"The video competition, entitled Small World In Motion encompasses any movie or digital time-lapse photography taken through the microscope."
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As part of the event, the top 20 photomicrography were ranked, and the results are quite frankly mind-blowing.
Some of the photos were reposted to the popular Pubity Instagram account, with one person so shocked by the results they claimed it must have been made through the power of AI.
While we're not going to go through all of the photos that made the top 20, there are some highlights that a lot of people are talking about.
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First of all, eight place in the competition saw a rather impressive image of caffeine crystals, which was magnified 25X by an objective lens magnification, according to the competition's website.
Meanwhile, the second best scientific photo of the year belongs to a photographer known as Ole Bielfeldt, who will surely be gutted he has just missed out on the top spot.
The picture shows a matchstick igniting by the friction surface of the box, making for a truly highly detailed image.
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Another notable photo that has a lot of people talking is the third best picture of the year, which is of breast cancer cells.
While the photo is very detailed, a lot of people are pointing out how there are love hearts displayed, with one user on Instagram penning: "Breast cancer really tryna make itself look good with that heart."
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As for the best, well that belongs to a rodent optic nerve head showing astrocytes, contractile proteins and retinal vasculature, according to the Nikon Small World contest.
While this one is perhaps the most scientific photo out of the lot, there is no questioning it is rather impressive.
You can check out the top 20 list here.
Topics: Science, Photography
Callum Jones