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)

Base jumper Denis Odintsov from Russian leaps from the 300-meters Open Deck of the Malaysia's landmark Kuala Lumpur Tower during the International Tower Jump in Kuala Lumpur on September 27, 2013. Some 103 professional base jumpers from 20 countries are taking part in the annual event. (Photo by Mohd Rasfan/AFP Photo)

A woman poses on the flooded St. Mark's square during an acqua-alta (high-water) alert in Venice, on November 19, 2013. (Photo by Andrea Pattaro/AFP Photo)

P.S. All pictures, as usual, are presented in high resolution. To see Hi-Res images – just TWICE click on any picture. In other words, click small picture – opens the BIG picture. Click BIG picture – opens VERY BIG picture (if available; this principle works anywhere on the site AvaxNews).

A girl joins other novice nuns for a lunch at the Sathira-Dhammasathan Buddhist meditation centre in Bangkok April 21, 2013. A group of Thai girls are choosing to spend part of their school holidays as Buddhist nuns, down to having their heads shaven at the meditation centre. The centre, founded in 1987, is a learning community for peace and harmony that has programs open to people regardless of age and gender. (Photo by Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

A woman dressed as the Star Trek character “Leeta” (C) and man dressed as “Rom” (2R) arrive to attend the “Destination Star Trek London” convention at the ExCeL centre on October 19, 2012 in London, England. The three-day convention, which opened to the general public today, will be attended by all five actors who played captains throughout the 46-year-old series. (Photo by Oli Scarff)

A storm whips through a tented area occupied by Nepalese earthquake survivors as a mother grabs her infant child and runs to find shelter in Kathmandu, Nepal 23 May 2015. Nepalese, who lost their homes in earthquake and fear aftershocks, have been living in temporary shelter in open ground which they had to flee because of the heavy rain and powerful wind. (Photo by Narendra Shrestha/EPA)

Sally Gomez drives to rescue of friend Michele Moore in flooded parking lot at Hyannis, Mass., September 9, 1969, after torrential rains of Hurricane Gerda flooded low areas of Cape Cod. Ann Davis of Osterville stands up in roof opening to lend a hand. Sally and Michele are from Centerville on the Cape. (Photo by Frank C. Curtin/AP Photo)

Sasha Muir and Margaret Davidson sit in a car as some of the 30 barbary macaques, known as the Middle Hill Troop after living between the top of Gibraltar rock and the town, show what happens when motorists forget to lock their luggage compartments, as Scotland’s only monkey drive-through section opens at Blair Drummond safari park in Stirling, Scotland on October 8, 2015. (Photo by Andrew Milligan/PA Wire)