Now celebrating its 40th year, Nikon Small World is widely regarded as the leading forum to recognize proficiency and photographic excellence of photography taken under the microscope. To select the winners, competition judges analyzed entries from all over the world covering subjects ranging from chemical compounds to up-close-and-personal looks at biological specimens. The 2014 winners will be revealed on October 30th. In 2014, the competition received over 1,200 entries from more than 79 countries around the world. (Photo by Dr. Igor Robert Siwanowicz/Nikon Small World 2014)

A young chimpanzee reacts on a pirogue with Rohmay Ndoulek, from the Papaye International association, during an outing in the Douala-Edea Natural Park in Marienberg on December 15, 2024. In the heart of Douala-Edea Natural Park, dedicated Cameroonian caretakers tend to and rehabilitate chimpanzees, victims of poaching and deforestation, at Papaye International, a sanctuary dubbed a “monkey paradise”. Founded in 2001, the association funded by 30 million friends and the Brigitte Bardot Foundation regularly receives eco-volunteers from all over the world. (Photo by Daniel Beloumou Olomo/AFP Photo)

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)

German car manufacturer BMW presents the “Vision Next 100” concept car during the 100th anniversary celebrations in Munich, Germany, Monday, March 7, 2016. (Photo by Matthias Schrader/AP Photo)

Miniature spring-wound 35-mm film camera in a modified cigarette pack. The Tessina’s small size and quiet operation provided more options for concealment than most commercially available models. (Photo by Central Intelligence Agency)

The Mercedes-Benz F015 Luxury in Motion autonomous concept car is shown on stage during the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada January 5, 2015. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Reuters)

Military school cadets take part in a ceremony commemorating the 56th anniversary of the death of Camilo Cienfuegos who, along with Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, was a chief commander of the Cuban revolution in Havana, Cuba on October 28, 2015. (Photo by Xinhua/REX Shutterstock)

In this Thursday, May 8, 2014 photo, guests look down from the Tilt!, a new tourist attraction that provides guests a unique view of the downtown area from the 94th floor of the John Hancock Building, after it was unveiled in Chicago. People hold onto handrails as the glass and steel facade tilts forward 30 degrees. (Photo by Ashlee Rezin/AP Photo/Sun-Times Media)