It’s a wild and wonderful world out there, not all of which can be seen with the naked eye.

Microscopy lets us view things that we wouldn’t normally see, and thanks to a couple of multi-talented scientists, we can see them captured in stunning images.

Microscopy photography is pretty niche, but this year’s Nikon Small World Competition still managed to attract 2 000 entries from more than 100 countries.

All of the entries were incredible, but a few really stood out.

Mashable with more:

From a tiny turtle embryo that looks like a Tamagotchi to the most stunning image of an ovary we’ve ever seen, images have been selected as the winners of the 45th Nikon Small World competition, which recognises excellence in photography taken under the microscope.

The images are fascinating, so let’s dive in.

The top prize went to microscopy technician Teresa Zgoda and university graduate Teresa Kugler with their incredible image of a turtle embryo:

This pic took second place. Dr Igor Siwanowicz used confocal microscopy to shoot a composite image of three single-cell freshwater protozoans, sometimes called “trumpet animalcules”.

In third place we have Daniel Smith Paredes, with an image of a developing American alligator embryo:

Andrei Savitsky with a cross section of a tulip bud:

Dr Yujun Chen and Dr Jocelyn McDonald’s pic of a pair of ovaries from a female drosphilia (a fly).

A pregnant plankton by Marek Misa:

This is what you’d see if you came face to face with a small white hair spider, courtesy of Javier Ruperez:

Look hard enough and you’ll find beauty in just about everything nature has to offer.

[source:mashable]