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)

In this May 8, 2015 photo, sisters Zoraida Infante, left, and Graciela Trujillo pray on Fishermen's Beach before therapeutic swimming in the Pacific Ocean in Lima, Peru. Under overcast skies, the bathers practice thalassotherapy, which derives from the Greek “thalasso”, for “sea”, and draws on the ocean's healing properties. (Photo by Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo)

A wide-angle view shows the ascent of the shuttle Challenger on January 28, 1986. In the seconds after ignition, the rocket engines' hot blast began the process of destruction. (Photo by NASA)

Workers clean empty cooking oil containers at a roadside recycling workshop in Kolkata, India, July 13, 2016. (Photo by Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters)

Revellers dance at Notting Hill Carnival on August 29, 2016 in London, England. The Notting Hill Carnival, which has taken place annually since 1964, is expected to attract over a million people. The two-day event, started by members of the Afro-Caribbean community, sees costumed performers take to the streets in a parade and dozens of sound systems set up around the Notting Hill streets. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)

This photo taken November 10, 2015 shows homeless street children sleeping in a park in Manila. The Philippines has swept 20,000 homeless from the streets, cancelled hundreds of flights and declared public holidays in Manila to ensure a safe and efficient summit of 21 world leaders next week, officials say. (Photo by Jay Directo/AFP Photo)

Attendees at the Midwest FurFest gather for a group photo in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois, United States, December 5, 2015. Over 5000 people gathered to follow the Furry Fandom based on anthropomorphic animals, animated cartoon characters with human characteristics, or “Furries”. (Photo by Jim Young/Reuters)

A man hugs a child at the Santuario de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe during a celebration on the Virgin of Guadalupe Day in Guatemala City, December 12, 2015. According to Catholic believers, December 12 marks the anniversary of the apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe at the Cerro del Tepeyac in Mexico. (Photo by Jorge Dan Lopez/Reuters)