Shoes worn by cosplayer dressed as Elizabeth Goddess during the Otamatsuri Anime x Manga convention held in Nairobi, Kenya on August 24, 2023. (Photo by Sarah Waiswa/The Guardian)

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)

A hippopotamus performs during a show at the circus in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Russia, July 7, 2016. (Photo by Ilya Naymushin/Reuters)

A Muslim dervish whirls during celebrations for Mawlid al-Nabi that marks the birthday of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Sunday, October 9, 2022. Thousands of Muslims take part in religious processions, ceremonies and distribute free meals among the poor to mark the holiday. (Photo by Muhammad Sajjad/AP Photo)

Monty, (C) the Wadworth brewery shire horse gets given a pint of beer outside the Raven Inn in Poulshot as he starts his two-week annual holiday on August 3, 2012 near Devizes, England. (Photo by Matt Cardy)

A model is filmed backstage before the Jeremy Scott Fall/Winter 2015 collection presentation at New York Fashion Week February 18, 2015. (Photo by Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

A selection of winning images from the Pink Lady food photographer of the year awards. Here: On the phone – Fishes of Hilsa by Azim Khan Ronnie. (Photo by Azim Khan Ronnie/Pink Lady Food Photographer Award 2020)

A bench engraved with the name of the grounded Costa Concordia cruise ship (seen at rear) is seen washed up on the shore of Giglio island, in this January 20, 2012 file photo. The trial of Francesco Schettino, accused of causing the deaths of 32 people in the 2012 Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster, nears its climax with a verdict expected over the coming days. The prosecution has demanded that he be jailed for 26 years but the captain denies all the charges against him. Schettino was the commander of the vessel when it came too close to shore and hit rocks off the Tuscan holiday island of Giglio. (Photo by Paul Hanna/Reuters)