Children sit under a crocodile based table, as they pose for photographers during a press preview of a themed auction that features the animal as artistic inspiration, entitled “Creatures Great and Small”, in London, Monday, December 15, 2014. The sale scheduled for December 17, 2014, explores animals across a diverse range of mediums and styles, from intricate carving details in 19th century furniture through to contemporary sculpture, according to Christie’s auction house. (Photo by Lefteris Pitarakis/AP Photo)

Each year Nikon Small World recognizes the excellence of photography taken under the microscope. The contest showcases the beauty and complexity of life. Anyone interested in microscopy and photography can enter the contest and in its 42nd year, Nikon Small World received 2,000 entries from 70 countries. Here: 11th Place; Scales of a butterfly wing underside (Vanessa atalanta). (Photo by Francis Sneyers/Nikon's Small World 2016)

14th Place. Leaf roller weevil (Byctiscus betulae) lateral view. Image Stacking, Reflected Light 3.7X (objective lens magnification). (Photo by Özgür Kerem Bulur/Nikon Small World Photomicrography 2020)

When Ed Templeton was a young skateboarder in California, he took Polaroids of his friends smoking at their local park. Those pictures in 1994 were the start of a lifelong habit – Templeton has been capturing youngsters all over the world experimenting with cigarettes ever since. Here: Santiago, Chile, 2002. (Photo by Ed Templeton/Robert & Tilton Gallery, Culver City)

Third place: the rear leg, claw and respiratory trachea of a louse (Haematopinus suis). (Photo by Frank Reiser/Nassau Community College/Nikon Small World Photomicrography 2021)

Young contortionists practice at a training school in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, July 4, 2016. (Photo by Natalie Thomas/Reuters)

Milena Pino, 15, puts on makeup prior to taking part in a speed competition with horses at the International Livestock Fair Show in Havana March 21, 2015. (Photo by Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters)

Young migrants gesture during a day of solidarity organised by local organizations and resdients for asylum seekers at a makeshift camp outside the foreign office in Brussels, Belgium September 6, 2015. Over 150,000 people seeking to enter Europe have reached Hungary this year, most coming through the southern border with Serbia, and many apply for asylum but quickly try to leave for wealthier EU countries. (Photo by Yves Herman/Reuters)