Micro video winners deliver the dazzle

From a baby tardigrade riding a nematode, to water droplets evaporating from the wing scales of a peacock butterfly, the winners of this year’s Nikon Small World In Motion video microscopy competition let you see the unseen in astounding detail.

Now in its 14th year, Nikon’s annual competition saw 370 entries from artists and scientists from 40 different countries. The competition “recognizes proficiency and excellence in videos taken under the microscope,” says the company. Here, we bring you the top five winners for your “wow-that’s-crazy!” viewing pleasure.

First Place
Dr. Bruno Vellutini/Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics
Mitotic waves in the embryo of a fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster)

This video shows exactly what happens during fruit fly embryogenesis, the process in which a fertilized egg develops into an embryo. While the rippling waves of cell division are fascinating to watch, Vellutini’s work goes beyond pure entertainment value. Better understanding of this process in flies can help researchers gain insight into embryonic development in other species, which can aid research into cancer and birth defects.

“Fruit fly embryos are in our homes, developing in our kitchens and our trash bins, and are undergoing the same processes as shown in the video,” says Vellutini. “I believe the video is particularly impactful because it shows us how these fascinating cellular and tissue dynamics are happening every day, all around us – even in the most mundane living beings.”

Vellutini used a process called light sheet microscopy to capture the video, which offered him a gentle way to image the development of life while keeping potential damage to the embryo low.

“The biggest challenges I encountered were in mounting the embryos correctly and optimizing imaging conditions to capture clear, high-quality footage over an extended period,” Vellunitin explained. “Balancing light exposure to avoid harming the samples was crucial.”

Second Place
Jay McClellan/Saranac, Michigan, USA
Water droplets evaporating from the wing scales of a peacock butterfly (Aglais io)

In this colorful and soothing clip, you can watch tiny beads of water as they shrink away and disappear by evaporation, leaving the scales of a peacock butterfly’s wing behind. Peacock butterflies are distinguished by a series of striking eyespots on their wings, which serve to threaten or confuse potential predators. McClellan received an honorable mention in 2023’s Small World In Motion competition.

Third Place
Dr. Jiaxing Li/Portland, Oregon, USA
An oligodendrocyte precursor cell in the spinal cord of a zebrafish

The third-place video from neuroscientist Jiaxing Li lets you peer inside the spinal cord of a zebrafish to see nerve cells develop. The particular cells imaged here are precursors to oligodendrocytes, cells that produce myelin in the body, the substance that forms protective sheaths around nerve fibers.

Fourth Place
Dr. Ignasi Vélez Ceron, Dr. Francesc Sagués & Dr. Jordi Ignés-Mullol/University of Barcelona
Friction transition in a microtubule-based active liquid crystal

The hypnotic pulsing and swirling patterns in this video shows what happens in a soft material known as an active fluid. In this case, the close-up view shows how microtubules, polymers of a protein known as tubulin, organize themselves when they experience friction. The team that captured this video used fluorescence combined with 20x magnification.

Fifth Place
Quinten Geldhof/Winthrop, Massachusetts, USA
A baby tardigrade riding a nematode

Without doubt the most fun video at the top of the competition, this clip shows a tardigrade riding on the back of a nematode, or roundworm. Often known as water bears, tardigrades are super-tough microscopic animals that can survive in some of the most extreme environments on the planet. Apparently, they’ve also figured out how to hitch rides on worms, just like the Fremen in the science fiction franchise, Dune.

You can see even more small-but-mighty videos, including the runners-up, on Nikon’s YouTube channel.

Source: Nikon