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)

Cottbus Aviation Museum specialists prepare a Soviet Tupolev 134 A passenger plane for dismantlement in Gruenz, Germany, 10 July 2017. The team is preparing the 29 ton plane for transport from a garden in Gruenz to the Aviation Museum in Cottbus. The plane' s owner acquired it in 1991 and transported it with nine tractors and numerous helpers to his vegetable garden where he planned to open a cafe. The plane, formerly used by the East German Stasi for anti- terror operations training, is 30 metres long. (Photo by Jens Büttner/Zentralbild/DPA)

People dance during a heavy metal concert at Omni Space in Beijing, China, August 14, 2020. China boasts a small but buoyant heavy metal scene, where bands mix genre standards with Chinese elements. Black metal is a sub-genre that creates a dark, moody atmosphere layering heavily distorted guitars and high-pitched vocals. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)

St. Senans' Aoife Allen competing in the Women's 3000m Steeplechase at Morton Stadium in Santry, Co. Dublin ob August 30, 2020 during the 2020 National Track & Field Championships. (Photo by Morgan Treacy/INPHO/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A man runs to help a woman as they attempt to shelter in a locked convenience store during heavy wind and rain as typhoon Maysak hits the Haeundae Beach area of Busan, South Korea, on September 3, 2020. Flights were grounded in South Korea and storm warnings issued on both sides of the Korean peninsula as a typhoon forecast to be one of the most powerful in years made its approach. (Photo by Ed Jones/AFP Photo)

A cat stretches on top of dried seafood in a shop in the Sheung Wan district of Hong Kong on August 7, 2020. International Cat Day, celebrated on August 8, is a day to raise awareness for cats and learn about ways to help and protect them. (Photo by Isaac Lawrence/AFP Photo)

An activist is juggling next to police officers at the Dannenrod forest, during a protest of environmentalists against the extension of the A49 motorway, near Dannenrod, Germany, November 27, 2020. (Photo by Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters)

A civil defence volunteer wearing a Covid-19 coronavirus-themed helmet holds a placard as he takes part in an awareness campaign at a market in New Delhi on November 25, 2020. (Photo by Sajjad Hussain/AFP Photo)