Beautiful, strange and occasionally alarming pictures from the shortlist for this year’s Wellcome image awards – which celebrate the very best in science photography and imaging – from an x-ray of a bat to a micrograph of a kidney stone. The exhibition opens on 12 March at three science centres and the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. Photo: Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of an Arabidopsis thaliana flower, also commonly known as thale cress. Some of the anthers are open, revealing pollen grains ready for dispersal. Arabidopsis was the first plant to have its entire genome sequenced and is widely used as a model organism in molecular and plant biology. Horizontal width of image is 1200 microns. Magnification 100x. (Photo by Stefan Eberhard/Wellcome Images)

A tourist train is decorated with Christmas lights in Bogotá, Colombia on December 10, 2017. (Photo by Jaime Saldarriaga/Reuters)

A participant dressed in a traditional devil costume walks from house to house during the traditional St. Nicholas parade on December 3, 2016 in village of Francova Lhota, Czech Republic. This type of parade is one of the most popular age-old traditions in a few villages in the Wallachia region of Eastern Czech Republic. St. Nicholas and company roam the streets going from house to house, for two or three days as St. Nicholas gives sweets and tiny gifts as a present to children and the devils get up to mischief. (Photo by Matej Divizna/Getty Images)

Dancers of the English National Ballet perform The Nutcracker at the Coliseum on December 14, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images)

A worker heats a glass cat-shape ornament at the Silverado manufacture of hand-blown Christmas ornaments in town of Jozefow outside Warsaw December 2, 2014. (Photo by Kacper Pempel/Reuters)

Children pose for photographs with the Dream Toys predicted Top 12 toys for Christmas during the Dream Toys 2007 Christmas predictions fair on October 10, 2007 in London, England. (Photo by Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)

Dancers Amy Hadley and Bethany Kingsley-Garner from the Scottish Ballet wait backstage during the dress rehearsal of the current production of “Sleeping Beauty” at the Theatre Royal on December 16, 2011 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

A Aldabra Tortoise receives a Christmas treat at Taronga Zoo on December 14, 2012 in Sydney, Australia. Taronga Zoo celebrated Christmas early giving Christmas-themed environmental activities to the Zoo's Giraffes, Sun Bears, Meerkats, Aldabra Tortoise and Cockatoos providing a wonderful natural display for Zoo visitors. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams)