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)

Chantel Sydnor participates in the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, August 4, 2015. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the rally expected to draw hundreds of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts from around the world for events throughout the week-long festival, according to organizers. (Photo by Kristina Barker/Reuters)

Fifty years ago, as France exploded in mass protests, words scrawled on the walls of the Sorbonne summed up the revolutionary zeal of the time: “Run free, comrade, we’ve left the old world behind!”. Sexual liberation, artistic creativity and anti-capitalism were the order of the day. For those who were there, it was an unforgettable time. Here: A wounded student is transported by first-aid workers during riots on the Boulevard Saint-Michel, Paris, France on May 6, 1968. (Photo by Gökşin Sipahioğlu/SIPA Press)

English-French actress and singer-songwriter Charlotte Gainsbourg attends the red carpet of the movie “Sundown” during the 78th Venice International Film Festival on September 05, 2021 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Ernesto Ruscio/Getty Images)

Olga Gharkova enters a aromatherapy room at the British Banya bathhouse, Saturday, February 15, 2014, in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia, just a few miles away from the ski slopes where athletes are competing for Olympic medals. (Photo by Jae C. Hong/Associated Press)

A man smiles as he carries firewood he bought on a street amid ongoing fuel and cooking gas shortages in Yemen's capital Sanaa December 2, 2015. (Photo by Khaled Abdullah/Reuters)

Gus Palmer (Kiowa, at left), side gunner, and Horace Poolaw (Kiowa), aerial photographer, in front of a B-17 Flying Fortress. MacDill Field, Tampa, Florida, ca. 1944. (Photo and caption by 2014 Estate of Horace Poolaw)

Members of the London Fire Spinners group meet once a month, pictured at Gabriel's Wharf along the River Thames, UK. A collective of glow and fire performers with extensive performance experience. Dated on March 14, 2025. (Photo by Kevin Jay/Picture Exclusive)