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 wear traditional Hanbok dresses as they walk past fallen autumn leaves in Seoul on November 21, 2022. (Photo by Anthony Wallace/AFP Photo)

No. 10: Sphynx. A suede-like coat is the sphynx's most unmistakable feature, but he's also curious, smart and a clown who craves applause for his antics. In fact, he loves attention so much that you may want to consider getting him a fellow sphynx playmate. (Photo by Quentin Descotte)

A child dressed as a Roman centurion poses during a parade to mark the anniversary of the foundation of Rome in 753 BC, on April 23, 2017 in Rome. (Photo by Alberto Pizzoli/AFP Photo)

Photographer Mihaela Noroc travelled the world from Ethiopia to the US and from Guatemala to France in search of natural and authentic beauty. She introduces some of the inspiring women she met on her journey. Here: Ecuador. “More and more tribes of Amazonia are starting to adopt modern clothes for everyday life. But they are still keeping their traditional clothes for important events. I photographed this young woman in her wedding outfit”. (Photo by Mihaela Noroc/The Guardian)

Children's author and charity fundraiser Chris Green, of Embsay, near Skipton, has been dubbed “Rhino Boy” as he has pledged to run 40 marathons and other events dressed as a Rhino to raise money for Save the Rhino on January 2020. (Photo by South West News Service/Yorkshire Post)

Satrio smokes at a kiosk after elementary school on March 3, 2017 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Satrio has smoked up to one pack a day and began when he was six years old. (Photo by Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)

Canadian singer Avril Lavigne leaves little to the imagination wearing a see-through top as she and boyfriend Mod Sun arrive at a friend's house in Calabasas, CA. with Avril's dog on July 14, 2021. (Photo by Backgrid USA)