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)

Clash of the storms, New Mexico, US by Camelia Czuchnicki. “A clash between two storm cells in New Mexico, US, each with its own rotating updraft. The curved striations of the oldest noticeable against the new bubbling convection of the newer. It was a fantastic sight to watch and it’s the rarity of such scenes that keep drawing me back to the US Plains each year”. (Photo by Camelia Czuchnicki/Weather Photographer of the Year 2016)

Brazil's Victoria Chamorro failed to stop the ball during their women's classification 7th-8th place water polo match against China at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, August 19, 2016. (Photo by Sergei Grits/AP Photo)

A dancer performs during the Gymnastics Rio Gala on Day 12 of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games on August 17, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Kira Walkenhorst of Germany (L) signals as Doaa Elghobashy of Egypt (R) watches during the women's Beach Volleyball preliminary pool D game between Ludwig/Walkenhors of Germany and Elghobashy/Nada of Egypt the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Beach Volleyball Arena on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 07 August 2016. (Photo by Antonio Lacerda/ANSA)

Netherland's Kitty van Male is hit in the face by Argentina's Agustina Habif during the women's quarterfinal field hockey game, August 15, 2016. (Photo by Carl de Souza/AFP Photo)

An actor carries a cross as he plays the role of Jesus Christ in a re-enactment of the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) during a Holy Week procession, in preparation for Good Friday celebrations, in Luque, Paraguay, on March 27, 2013. Holy Week is celebrated in many Christian traditions during the week before Easter. (Photo by Jorge Adorno/Reuters)

Axelle Mollaret of France competes in the Women's Individual race at the ISMF Ski Mountaineering World Championships, in Morgins, Switzerland, 07 March 2025. (Photo by Maxime Schmid/EPA)