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)

Women are reflected on silver panels of the French luxury brand Louis Vuitton flagship store at the Central Business District in Beijing, Wednesday, March 6, 2019. China will bar government authorities from demanding overseas companies hand over technology secrets in exchange for market share, a top economic official said Wednesday, addressing a key complaint at the heart of the current China-U.S. trade dispute. (Photo by Andy Wong/AP Photo)

(L-R) Gigi Hadid and Bella Hadid pose backstage prior to the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on November 30, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret)

A New Orleans Saints fan parties in the stands in the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in New Orleans, Monday, August 23, 2021. Last season the team played with a marginal number of fans in a largely empty Superdome due to the coronavirus pandemic, but this year fans are allowed with proof of vaccination. (Photo by Derick Hingle/AP Photo)

A Delhi Police officer stretches during a rehearsal for the upcoming Republic Day parade on a foggy winter morning in New Delhi, India on January 4, 2024. (Photo by Sahiba Chawdhary/Reuters)

People watch fireworks light the sky as they attend a ceremony celebrating Noruz (Nowruz), the Persian New Year, at the Iran Mall shopping centre in Iran's capital Tehran, on March 20, 2022. (Photo by AFP Photo/Stringer)

A worker collects water chestnuts from a pond on the outskirts of Ajmer on October 3, 2023. (Photo by Himanshu Sharma/AFP Photo)

Winning connections from the owners and stable staff celebrate the victory of Harry Skelton riding Langer Dan to victory in The Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle during day two of the Cheltenham Festival 2023 at Cheltenham Racecourse on March 15, 2023 in Cheltenham, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)