Shoppers and commuters in Manchester wearing face masks on February 28, 2020, including plague doctor masks due to the Coronavirus crisis in the UK. (Photo by Mario Forshow/Cavendish Press)

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 United Launch Alliance Delta IV heavy rocket carrying classified spy satellite cargo for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37B at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. This is the final flight of a Delta IV heavy rocket. (Photo by John Raoux/AP Photo)

Law enforcement carry a pro-Palestinian protester at the University of Texas, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Austin, Texas on April 24, 2024. (Photo by Nuri Vallbona/Reuters)

Nora White, 6, dumps a cup of water on her sister Kennedy White, 3, at Barnett Field Splash Pad in Edmond, Okla., on Tuesday, June 25, 2024.(Photo by Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman via USA TODAY Network)

Women's Sabre Gold medalist Olga Kharlan (L) and bronze medalist in the Men's Greco-Roman Wrestling Zhan Beleniuk (R) react as they arrive at the railway station in Kyiv, Ukraine, 13 August 2024. Ukrainians meet and greet the members of National Olympic team as they return from Olympic Games 2024 in Paris amid the ongoing Russian invasion. (Photo by Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA/EFE)

A squirrel fights for its life in the bill of a great blue heron at the Mission Trails Regional Park in California in the second decade of April 2025. (Phoot by Decker Nomura/Solent News & Photo Agency)

A child stands next to sacrificial camels at the camel market ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha in the Birqash district, Giza, Egypt, 30 May 2025. Eid al-Adha is one of the holiest Muslim holidays, marking the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. (Photo by Mohamed Hossam/EPA/EFE)