Photos that stun: 23 amazing pix of our living world from Nikon’s microscopy competition

This bold jumping spider (Phidippus audax) as captured by Dr. Andrew Posselt of University of California, San Francisco, was recognized as an image of distinction in Nikon's Small World Microscopy Competition this year. (Nikon Small World/Andrew Posselt)

Whole-mounted adult mouse heart captured by Dr. Aurelia Mapps of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, was recognized as an image of distinction in Nikon's Small World Microscopy Competition. (Nikon Small World/Aurelia Mapps)

Butterfly egg as captured by Ye Fei Zhang of Jiang Yin, Jiangsu, China, was given an honorable mention in Nikon's Small World Microscopy Competition. (Nikon Small World/Ye Fei Zhang)

Alaskan sand captured by Xinpei Zhang of Yu Cheng, Ya'an, China, was recognized as an image of distinction in Nikon's Small World Microscopy Competition. (Nikon Small World/Xinpei Zhang)

Red speckled jewel beetle (Chrysochroa buqueti rugicollis) as captured by Yousef Al Habshi of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, was recognized as an image of distinction in Nikon's Small World Microscopy Competition. (Nikon Small World/Yousef Al Habshi)

Slime mold (Lamproderma) captured by Alison Pollack of San Anselmo, California, took fifth place in Nikon's Small World Microscopy Competition. (Nikon Smal World/Alison Pollack)

A close-up of an ant's face captured by Dr. Eugenijus Kavaliauskas of Taurage, Lithuania, was recognized as an image of distinction in Nikon's Small World Competition. (Nikon Small World/Eugenijus Kavaliauskas)

Murine sensory-motor cortex following mild traumatic brain injury in a transgenic mouse (expressing Thy1-GFP), as captured by Dr. Andrea Tedeschi of The Ohio State University, received an honorable mention in Nikon's Small World Microscopy Competition. (Nikon Small World/Andrea Tedeschi)

Larva of an anemone, found in marine plankton captured by Wim van Egmond of Berkel en Rodenrijs, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands, received an honorable mention in Nikon's Small World Microscopy Competition. (Nikon Small World/Wim van Egmond)

Radula (rasping tongue) of a marine snail (Turbinidae family) captured by Dr. Igor Siwanowicz of Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) in Ashburn, Virginia, received an honorable mention in Nikon's Small World Microscopy Competition. (Nikon Small World/Igor Siwanowicz)

Midge larva collected from a fresh water pond captured by Karl Gaff of Dublin, Ireland, received an honorable mention in Nikon's Small World Microscopy Competition. (Nikon Small World/Karl Gaff)

A fly under the chin of a tiger beetle captured by Murat Öztürk of Ankara, Turkey, landed in 10th place in Nikon's Small World Competition. (Nikon Small World/Murat Öztürk)

Recrystallized Vitamin C, as captured by Sebastian Sparenga of McCrone Research Institute in Chicago, received an honorable mention in Nikon's Small World Microscopy Competition. (Nikon Small World/Sebastian Sparenga)

Stinger of a small paper wasp (Vespidae Protopolybia) captured by Pablo Piedra of La Fortuna de San Carlos, Alajuela, Costa Rica, was recognized as an image of distinction in Nikon's Small World Microscopy Competition. (Nikon Small World/Pablo Piedra)

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo head 72 hours after fertilization, as captured by Layra G. Cintrón-Rivera of Brown University, was recognized as an image of distinction in Nikon's Small World Microscopy Competition. (Nikon Small World/Layra G. Cintrón-Rivera)

Embryonic hand of a Madagascar giant day gecko (Phelsuma grandis) as captured by Grigorii Timin & Dr. Michel Milinkovitch of the University of Geneva in Switzerland took first place honors in Nikon's Small World Competition. (Nikon Small World/Grigorii Timin & Dr. Michel Milinkovitch)

Hibiscus flower with pollen captured by Frank Fox of Trier University of Applied Sciences in Konz, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany, was recognized as an image of distinction in Nikon's Small World Microscopy Competition. (Nikon Small World/Frank Fox)

Long-bodied cellar/daddy long-legs spider (Pholcus phalangioides) captured by Dr. Andrew Posselt of University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), won fourth place in Nikon's Small World Competition. (Nikon Small World/Andrew Posselt)

Cross-section of a leaf of dune grass (Ammophila arenaria) captured by Anatoly Mikhaltsov of Children’s Ecological and Biological Center in Omsk, Russia, was recognized as an image of distinction in Nikon's Small World Microscopy Competition. (Nikon Small World/Anatoly Mikhaltsov)

Eyeshadow cosmetic captured by Teresa Zgoda of Arvada, Colorado, was recognized as an image of distinction in Nikon's Small World Microscopy Competition. (Nikon Small World/Teresa Zgoda)

Liquid crystal mixture (smectic Felix 015), as captured by Dr. Marek Sutkowski of Poland's Warsaw University of Technology, took ninth place in Nikon's Small World Microscopy Competition. (Nikon Small World/Marek Sutkowski)

Cross-sections of normal human colon epithelial crypts captured by Dr. Ziad El-Zaatari of Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, won 15th place in Nikon's Small World Competition. (Nikon Small World/Ziad El-Zaatari)

Dental drill bit studded with diamond chips captured by Karl E. Deckart of Eckental, Bavaria, Germany, was recognized as an image of distinction in Nikon's Small World Microscopy Competition. (Nikon Small World/Karl E. Deckart)