See the world in close-up in these intricate images of nature

These stunning images show some of the intricate views of animals and plants captured by researchers in 29 countries. Annual Image Contest. The award recognizes the best in scientific microscopic imaging from around the world.

The prize winner (pictured above) shows a cross section of a bloom of the Mexican aster variety ‘Cosmic Orange’ (Cosmos sulphureus), with the pollen grains that ripen inside its anthers. It was taken by neurobiologist Igor Siwanowicz of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Virginia.

Siwanowicz, who picked up the flowers on a lunchtime walk around the campus pond, said in an announcement about the award that she chose to be included in the image because it “shows the beauty of an ordinary flower that most of us have. It can extend beyond what we see with the naked eye.”

“The beauty of natural form and design is at very different scales, sometimes almost fractally; as we continue to scale, the form can lose familiarity, but it can also become a new emotional experience,” he said.

The other images shown here won honorable mentions in the competition for their insight into various animals. In the background from above, Laurent Formery used vivid stains to highlight the skeleton of a young starfish (Minced meat) of the Asterinidae family.

Above is an image of a cuckoo wasp, resplendent in its iridescent colors, captured by Raghuram Annadana, the image below showing a zebrafish head, captured by Yue Rong Tan.