Last month, we marveled at the video winners of the Small World in Motion competition, and today the winners of the Nikon Small World Photomicrography competition have been announced for 2024. The image above, by Dr. Bruno Cisterna and Dr. Eric Vitriol of the Department of Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, won first place. It shows differentiated mouse brain tumor cells magnified 100 times. Dr. Cisterna is leading a team studying how disruptions in the brain structures known as microtubules can lead to neurodegenerative disease like Alzheimer's and ALS. He spent three months perfecting the staining process so that the images they worked with would clearly show the brain structures.
The competition began in 1975, which means this year is the 50th anniversary of the photomicrography awards. Dr. Marcel Clemens came in second for an image of an electrical arc between a pin and a wire at 10,000 volts. The third place image, shown above, was captured by Chris Romaine. It is a cannabis plant magnified 20 times, showing its trichomes and cannabinoid vesicles. You can see the top twenty winners in this gallery. Also see the honorable mentions and images of distinction. Who knew that slime molds, disease cells, pregnant fleas, pollen, and intestines could be so beautiful!
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