Science

Mini Movies: Best Microscope Videos of 2012

Microscope photography gives us incredible views of everyday objects, exotic species and even ourselves that we would never be aware of on our own. But add movement to these images, and they come alive in amazing, beautiful and sometimes creepy ways. Last year, Nikon added a video competition to its decades-old microscope photography contest. The best movies this year are even more incredible. The topics range from the sperm of two males competing to a beating heart to the growth of a brain. Here are all the winners.
  • Sensing Danger
  • Competing Sperm
  • Growing Kidney Complexity
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sensing-danger
Microscope photography gives us incredible views of everyday objects, exotic species and even ourselves that we would never be aware of on our own. But add movement to these images, and they come alive in amazing, beautiful and sometimes creepy ways. Last year, Nikon added a video competition to its decades-old microscope photography contest. The best movies this year are even more incredible. The topics range from the sperm of two males competing to a beating heart to the growth of a brain. Here are all the winners. Above:

1st Place: Sensing Danger

Olena Kamenyeva, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, Maryland Subject: Recruitment of neutrophils to the site of laser damage in mouse inguinal lymph node
Technique: 2-Photon This video shows the immune response in the lymph node of a mouse, when activated by a laser. Specifically, it shows an efficient innate immune reaction in the lymph node, which typically has been studied for the development of adaptive immune response.

All videos and captions courtesy of Nikon Small World