A Black movement activist covered by red paint attends a protest against racism and police violence, and against a police operation that took place at Jacarezinho slum in Rio de Janeiro, on the day that marks 133 years since the abolition of Slavery in the country, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 13, 2021. (Photo by Amanda Perobelli/Reuters)

A comedic photo of a cheetah appearing to find something hilarious by Dutton Robert for the Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2016, South Africa, April, 2012. (Photo by Dutton Robert/Barcroft Images/Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards)

Most people know Nikon as a purveyor of pro and consumer-grade digital cameras. But the company's expertise with optics bleeds over into related markets – it's one of the science community's major suppliers of microscopes. And each year the company asks the community to send it some of their favorite images of tiny objects. A panel of scientists and journalists have chosen the best of this past year's submissions, which Nikon has placed on its Small World site.

Photo: Honorable Mention. “Snow crystal, illuminated with colored lights (5x)”. (Photo by Dr. Kenneth Libbrecht, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Department of Physics, Pasadena, California, USA)

American model Emily Ratajkowski attends Game 5 of the NBA Playoffs, New York Knicks v Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden in New York, USA on June 2, 2021. (Photo by Startraks Photo/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A man holds a gun under his chin as he speaks with members of the NYPD outside the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, U.S., December 2, 2021. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

Melanie Chisholm, Emma Bunton, Melanie Brown and Geri Horner of the Spice Girls in concert at Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday, June 16, 2019. (Photo by Andrew Timms/PA Wire)

A healthcare worker dressed as Santa Claus distributes gifts to children at the Ayeyarwady Covid Centre in Mandalay, Myanmar, on December 25, 2020, Christmas Day, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, caused by the novel coronavirus. (Photo by Ye Aung Thu/AFP Photo)

People in costumes are pictured during the annual Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival on 5th Ave in New York, Sunday, April 9, 2023. (Photo by Yuki Iwamura/AP Photo)