The 2016 Nikon Small World Photography winners have been announced and there is no shortage of spectacular pictures for you to see. The top prize went to Dr. Oscar Ruiz.

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Below you will find the top twenty photographs as voted on by the judges. You can only wonder how some of these shots were taken. Some of what you are about to see will blow your mind.

1. 1st Place Winner

Four-day-old zebrafish embryo (10x)

2. 2nd Place Finisher

Polished slab of Teepee Canyon agate (90x)

3. 3rd Place Finisher

Brain cells from skin cells : Specifically, this is a culture of neurons (stained green) derived from human skin cells, and Schwann cells, a second type of brain cell (stained red), which have started to cover the neuron in the same way these cells interact in the brain. (20x)

4. A Butterfly

Butterfly proboscis (6.3x)

5. The Front Foot Of A Male Diving Beetle

Front foot (tarsus) of a Male Diving Beetle (100x)

6. These Are Air Bubbles

Air bubbles formed from melted ascorbic acid (vitamin C) crystals (50x)

7. Primordial Brain Cells

Human neural rosette Primordial Brain Cells, differentiated from embryonic stem cells in the culture dish (used to study brain development and Huntington’s disease) (10x)

8. Leaves Of Selaginella

Leaves of Selaginella (lesser club moss) (40x)

9. Wildflower Stamens

Wildflower stamens (40x)

10. Espresso Coffee Crystals

Espresso coffee crystals

11. Frontonia

Frontonia (showing ingested food, cilia, mouth and trichocysts) (200x)

12. Scales Of A Butterfly Wing

Scales of a butterfly wing underside (Vanessa atalanta) (10x)

13. Human Hela Cell

Human HeLa cell undergoing cell division (cytokinesis). DNA (yellow), myosin II (blue) and actin filaments (red) (60x)

14. Centipede Fangs

Poison fangs of a centipede (Lithobius erythrocephalus) (16x)

15. Mouse Cells

Mouse retinal ganglion cells (40x)

16. Orange Ladybird Head

Head section of an orange ladybird (Halyzia sedecimguttata) (10x)

17. 65 Radiolarians

65 fossil Radiolarians (zooplankton) carefully arranged by hand in Victorian style (100x)

Watch Microscopic World

Video Source: youtube.com

Source: lifebuzz.com

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