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)

Sun Model students pose for a photo during a training session at the school on March 31, 2014 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Having started in August 2010 with only three models, the Sun Model Agency and School is starting to make an impact in the fashion industry in Cambodia. (Photo by Omar Havana/Getty Images)

A mob attacks a female police officer accused of shooting a protester in the Buterere neighborhood of Bujumbura, Burundi, May 12, 2015. Protesters opposed to the president's decision to run for a third term chased, beat and stoned the woman, who was later handed back to the police. (Photo by Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)

An officer wipes sweat off the face of a Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) honor guard soldier as they rehearse for a welcoming ceremony for New Zealand's Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Tuesday, July 21, 2015. (Photo by Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo)

Onati Basque dancers go airborne as they perform Basque traditional dances while making their way to the front of Saint Mark's Catholic Church, Saturday, August 1, 2015, in Boise, Idaho. The annual Mass, conducted in English and Basque, was held at the church for the first time. (Photo by Kyle Green/Idaho Statesman via AP Photo)

Demonstrators hold masks depicting Colombian citizen Mile Virginia, who was murdered along with photojournalist Ruben Espinosa and three other women, during a protest in Mexico City, August 16, 2015. Espinosa, a prominent Mexican news photographer was among five people found dead in a middle-class neighborhood of the capital on July 31, 2015. Espinosa, who worked for the weekly magazine Proceso and the photo agency Cuartoscuro, had sought shelter in Mexico City earlier this summer saying he had been followed and threatened in the eastern state of Veracruz. (Photo by Tomas Bravo/Reuters)

Drummers perform during rehearsals at the Bird's Nest National Stadium ahead of the IAAF Athletics World Championships in Beijing on August 20, 2015. The Athletics World Championships will be held at the stadium from August 22 to 30. (Photo by Greg Baker/AFP Photo)

Mercedes Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain sprays champagne at a grid girl as he celebrates his victory on the podium after the Chinese F1 Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit, April 12, 2015. (Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters)