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)

Current England long jump champion and London 2012 hopeful J. J. Jegede attempts an exhibition jump over three Limited edition 2012 MINIs on September 28, 2011 in London, England. This world first is taking place to celebrate the launch of the MINI London 2012 Edition models, of which only 2,012 will be produced. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images for BMW)

The new curvy Barbie doll body shape (L) is seen next to the traditional Barbie in a combination of photos released by Mattel on January 28, 2016. Barbie, the world's most famous doll, has a new body. In fact, she has three new bodies – petite, tall and curvy. Some 57 years after the impossibly busty and narrow-waisted blue-eyed Barbie doll was first introduced, California-based toy maker Mattel on Thursday released the new models, which it says better reflect a changing world. (Photo by Reuters/Mattel)

New autopilot features are demonstrated in a Tesla Model S during a Tesla event in Palo Alto, California, 2015. Federal officials say the driver of a Tesla S sports car using the vehicle’s “autopilot” automated driving system has been killed in a collision with a truck, the first U.S. self-driving car fatality. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said preliminary reports indicate the crash occurred when a tractor-trailer made a left turn in front of the Tesla at a highway intersection. Joshua D. Brown, of Canton, Ohio, died in the accident May 7 in Williston, Florida, when his car's cameras failed to distinguish the white side of a turning tractor-trailer from a brightly lit sky and didn't automatically activate its brakes, according to government records obtained Thursday. (Photo by Beck Diefenbach/Reuters)

“Harisu (하리수 or 河莉秀) is the stage name of Lee Kyung-eun originally Lee Kyung-yeop (born February 17, 1975), a transsexual pop singer, model and actress from South Korea. Born biologically male, Harisu identified as female from early childhood, and underwent s*x reassignment surgery in the 1990s. She is noted for being South Korea's first transgender entertainer, and in 2002 became only the second person in Korea to legally change their gender. Her stage name is an adaptation of the English phrase «hot issue»”.

Photo: South Korean transsexual singer and actress Harisu (R) poses for pictures with a fan who played the role of groom during a simulated Chinese wedding at a fan club activity on August 5, 2006 in Changchun of Jilin Province, China. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)

Number 10. BELL H-13 SIOUX was a two-bladed, single engine, light helicopter built by Bell Helicopter. Westland Aircraft manufactured the Sioux under license for the British military as the Sioux AH.1 and HT. In 1947, the United States Air Force ordered the improved Bell Model 47A. Most were designated YR-13 and three winterized versions were designated YR-13A. The United States Army first ordered Bell 47s in 1948 under the designation H-13. These would later receive the name Sioux. The Bell-built H-13 B is seen airborne in this April 29, 1951 photo. The helicopter is equipped with a 173 horsepower engine, cruises at 85 miles per hour, climbs 900 feet in a minute and has a service ceiling of 11,500 feet. (Photo by AP Photo)

“Lorenzo Quinn (born May 7, 1966) is an Italian artist and sculptor and the fifth son of the actor Anthony Quinn. By the age of 21 he gained the respect of the New York art community when he was commissioned to make an art work for the United Nations of which a stamp was later made. Quinn was later selected to head the Absolut Vodka ad campaign for which only top international artists are chosen”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Lorenzo Quinn's Vroom Vroom sculpture is installed in its new setting on Park Lane on January 23, 2011 in London, England. The four-metre high sculpture, consists of a vintage Fiat 500, the first car that the sculptor ever bought, grasped by an oversized aluminium child's hand modelled from Quinn's son. The exhibition has previously been displayed in Valencia and Abu Dhabi. (Photo by Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images for Halcyon Gallery)

MS Tûranor PlanetSolar, known under the project name PlanetSolar, is the largest solar-powered boat in the world The vessel was designed by LOMOcean Design, built by Knierim Yachtbau in Kiel, Germany, and launched on 31 March 2010. In May 2012, it became the first ever solar electric vehicle to circumnavigate the globe. The 31-meter boat is covered in over 500 square meters of solar panels rated 93 kW, which in turn connect to one of the two electric motors in each hull. There are 8.5 tons of lithium-ion batteries in the ship's two hulls. The boat's shape allows it to reach speeds of up to 14 knots. The hull was model tested in wind tunnels and was tank tested to determine its hydrodynamics and aerodynamics. The boat has been designed to be used as a luxury yacht after the record attempt is finished.