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)

Jamaican musical artist Shenseea attends the 2022 MTV VMAs at Prudential Center on August 28, 2022 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Catherine Powell/Getty Images for MTV/Paramount Global)

“On the Li River near Xingping in China, Cormorant fishermen work the waterways before dawn amidst the spectacular limestone towers of the Karst landscape. The birds are trained to fetch fish from the inky depths but not swallow them. The fisherman accepts the fish from the birds who dive back for more. Here, still before dawn, the fisherman and his birds head for home”. (Photo and caption by Neville Jones/2014 Sony World Photography Awards)

First Place, Sports Photojournalist Of The Year. One of 24 photos by Patrick Smith, freelance for Getty Images: Sadie Bezzant is crushed by a sheep during the pre-rodeo entertainment of mutton busting during the Strawberry Days Rodeo in Pleasant Grove, Utah. (Photo by Patrick Smith)

A poster for the IMAX presentation of “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” (left), and a teaser poster for “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part I”, both created by the Los Angeles-based design firm IGNITION. Both are nominated for the 2014 Key Art Awards in the category of Theatrical Domestic One-Sheet. The Hollywood Reporter's annual competition for the best in film and TV advertising honors some of the most creative imagery used in movie posters. Here is a selection of some of this year's nominees. (Photo by Key Art Awards 2014)

Sky attends the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on August 20, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Actress Rosario Dawson (“Men in Black II”, “25th Hour”, “Sin City”, “Death Proof”, “Eagle Eye”, “Alexander”, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians”) walks the runway at the Fashion For Relief at Forville market during the 64th Annual Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2011 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images)

(2nd from R) Miss Georgia Betty Cantrell reacts to advancing, en route to victory, at the Miss America Pageant at Boardwalk Hall, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, September 13, 2015. (Photo by Mark Makela/Reuters)