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Composite background image: a selection of finalist images from five Microscopy Today Micrograph Awards competitions. Image credits and subject identifications may be found in the July issues for 2019-2023.

Micrograph Finalist Galleries

Composite background image: a selection of finalist images from five Microscopy Today Micrograph Awards competitions. Image credits and subject identifications may be found in the July issues for 2019-2023.

2023 Finalists

To see information about an image and submitter, click on its thumbnail below.
Winners were announced at M&M 2023 and are available in the September issue of the Microscopy Today magazine.

Diving beetle

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Karl Gaff, Karl Gaff Photography, Dublin, Ireland

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Pollen

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: John-Oliver Dum, , Waldfrieden, Germany

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Butterfly wing

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Vijayasanka Ramen, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS

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Algae

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: MacKenzie Freeze, Frostburg State University, Frostburg, MD

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Liquid crystal

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Karl Gaff, Karl Gaff Photography, Dublin, Ireland

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Chloroplasts

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Håkan Kvarnström, , Bromma, Sweden

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Bubbles

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Marek Miś, Marek Miś Photography, Suwalki, Poland

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Aquatic invertebrates

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Yordan Vasilev, Medical University of Plovdiv, Pazardzhik, Bulgaria

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Cicada

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Eric Formo, University of Georgia, Athens, GA

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Rotifer

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Tommy Gunn, , New York, NY

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Chromosomes

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Akanksha Bhatnagar, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA

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Teeth

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Andrei Savitsky, , Chernasky, Ukraine

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Mite

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: L. Douglas Clark, , San Fransisco, CA

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Cupric sulfate

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: José Manuel Martínez López, Quimica Tech, Juárez, Mexico

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Chiral compound

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Tao Ma, Michigan Center for Materials, Ann Arbor, MI

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Foundry alloy

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Ondřej Ambrož, Institute of Scientific Instruments of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Borno, Czech Republic

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Diatom

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Mark Webber, , Galiano Island, Canada

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Tick

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: MacKenzie Freeze, Frostburg State University, Frostburg, MD

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Dragonfly

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: MacKenzie Freeze, Frostburg State University, Frostburg, MD

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Bell-shaped protozoan

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Samir Shaikh, Queen’n School, Parbhani, India

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Meteorite

September 14, 2023

Organic grain in the Winchcombe meteorite that fell on February 28, 2021 (X-ray enhanced SEM)

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Stomata

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Marek Miś, Marek Miś Photography, Suwalki, Poland

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Enamel

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Timothy Bromage, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY

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Jasper

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Bernardo Jasper, University of Padua, Padua, Italy

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Bacterial colony

September 13, 2023

Submitted by: Mikiko Tsudome, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science, Yokosuka, Japan

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2022 Finalists

To see information about an image and submitter, click on its thumbnail below.
Winners were announced at M&M 2022 and are available in the September issue of the Microscopy Today magazine.

Agate from Brazil

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Bernardo Cesare, University of Padova, Padova, Italy

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Fungus on butterfly wing

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Vijayasankar Raman, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS

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Hair knot

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Håkan Kvarnström, , Bromma, Sweden

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Radiolarian

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Elizabeth King, NUANCE Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

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Intestinal immune cells

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Frederic Feroq, CRUK Beatson Institute, Glasgow, UK

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Water boatman

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Karl Gaff, Karl Gaff Microscopy, Dublin, Ireland

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Dinosaur bone

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Bernardo Cesare, University of Padova, Padova, Italy

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Semiconductor chip

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Gerd Günther, , Düsseldorf, Germany

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Neuromuscular junctions

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Akanksha Bhatnagar, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA

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Crystallization

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Sameer Shaikh, Azam Colony, Parbhani, India

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Muscle fibers

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Kristen Dancel-Manning, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY

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Sphagnum moss with desmid

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Marek Mis, Marek Mis Photography, Suwalki, Poland

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Surface crystals

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Lisa Powell, Boston Scientific, Arden Hills, MN

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Tulip bud

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Andrei Savitsky, independent microscopist, Cherasky, Ukraine

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Printed circuit board

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Pouya Tavousi, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT

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Cyanobacteria colony

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Håkan Kvarnström, , Bromma, Sweden

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Silicate melt droplets

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Tobias Salge, Natural History Museum, London, UK

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Magnet microstructure

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Felix Trauter, Aalen University, Aalen, Germany

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Diptera larva

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Karl Gaff, Karl Gaff Microscopy, Dublin, Ireland

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Domain contrast

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Dominic Hohs, Aalen University, Aalen, Germany

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Snowflake

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Nathan Myhrvold, , Bellevue, WA

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Diatom 2

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Mark Webber, , Galiano Island, Canada

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Dual diatoms

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Håkan Kvarnström, , Bromma, Sweden

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Cave bear enamel

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Cayla Stifler, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI

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Two acids

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Bernardo Cesare, University of Padova, Padova, Italy

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2021 Finalists

To see information about an image and submitter, click on its thumbnail below.
Winners were announced at M&M 2021 and are available in the September issue of the Microscopy Today magazine.

Exfoliated WSe2 flake on silicon nanopillars

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Radek Dao, NenoVision, Brno, Czech Republic

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Natural diamond

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Nathan Renfro, Gemological Institute of America, Escondido, California

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Sea urchin pedicellaria

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Kenneth Bart, Hamilton College, Clinton, New York

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Sildenafil Citrate

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Bernardo Cesare, University of Padova, Padova, Italy

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Cell division in Tradescantia stamen hair cel

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Gerd Günther, independent microscopist, Düsseldorf, Germany

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Tetraselmis suecica cells

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Gerd Günther, independent microscopist, Düsseldorf, Germany

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Senecio sp. stalk tissue

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Marek Mis, Marek Mis Photography, Suwalki, Poland

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Karlsbad Sprudelstein

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Bernardo Cesare, University of Padova, Padova, Italy

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Micrasterias fimbriata

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Michael Much, independent microscopist, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

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Tube-dwelling amphipod

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Julia Van Etten, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey

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Biddulphia antediluviana cushion diatom

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Elaine Humphrey, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada

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Nanoplates of iron tetrasilicate

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Eric Formo, University of Georgia, Athens, GA

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Lichen cross section

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Patrick Jung, University of Applied Sciences, Kaiserslautern, Germany

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Midge larva

September 14, 2023

predators, feeding on small crustaceans (daphnia, cyclops) and young mosquito larvae. Dark-field and polarized light m…

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Daphnia sp. gives birth to cubs

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Andrei Savitsky, independent microscopist, Cherkasy, Ukraine

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Submitted by: Bernardo Cesare, University of Padova, Padova, Italy

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Soha Soliman, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt

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Feldspars with intergrown graphite

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Bernardo Cesare, University of Padova, Padova, Italy

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Red fossil coral

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Norm Barker, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

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Water flea (Daphnia sp.) with eggs

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Marek Mis, Marek Mis Photography, Suwalki, Poland

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SiC-SiC ceramic matrix composite

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Aly Badran, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado

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Harpacticoid copepod (possibly Tigriopus)

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Håkan Kvarnström, , Bromma, Sweden

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Campo del Cielo Meteorite

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Gaby Ketzer-Raichle, Aalen University, Aalen, Germany

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Mycelium Network

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Karl Gaff, K Gaff Microscopy, Dublin, Ireland

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Planktonic foraminifera in oil shale

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Anette von der Handt, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Taurine crystallization

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: José Martínez-Lopéz, independent microscopist, Juarez, Mexico

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2020 Finalists

To see information about an image and submitter, click on its thumbnail below.
Winners were announced at M&M 2020 and are available in the September issue of the Microscopy Today magazine.

Calcium oxalate druses inside lithocysts of a lotus leaf

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Hans Ensikat, Nees Institute, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany

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Fetal bovine muscle tissue

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Rhonda Powell, Clemson University, Clemson, SC

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Carbonaceous chondrite meteorite

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Bernardo Cesare, Geosciences, University of Padua, , Italy

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Mouthparts of a rove-beetle

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Igor Orlov, X-BIO Institute, University of Tyumen, Tyumen, Russia

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White blood cell attacks bacterium

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Andrei Savitsky, independent microscopist, Cherkasy, Urkraine

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Vanadium dendrites.

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Sarah Gain, Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis, University of Western Australia, Perth,…

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Spatter particles

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Michael Baughman, AMA/NASA, Hampton, VA

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Green alga filament with reproductive organs

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Gerd Günther, independent microscopist, Düsseldorf, Germany

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Epifluorescence imaging of rat endothelial cells

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Damon Strom, WITec GmbH, Ulm, Germany

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Soap film in motion

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Gerd Günther, independent microscopist, Düsseldorf, Germany

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Eutectic microstructure induced by flash sintering

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Yingjie Yang, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA

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Needle-shaped martensite

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Mainak Saha, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, Chennai, India

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Thin film crystals

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Karl Gaff, K Gaff Microscopy, Dublin, Ireland

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Additively manufactured Fe-Nd-B permanent magnet

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Felix Trauter, Institut für Materialforschung, Aalen University, Aalen, Germany

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Damselfly larva eats ceriodaphnia

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Andrei Savitsky, independent microscopist, Cherkasy, Urkraine

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Triangular diatom from an antique prepared slide

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Larry Gouliard, Jr., independent microscopist, Pekin, IL

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Aloe vera leaf

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Jose Martinez-Lopez, Química Tech Microscopy and Microanalysis, Juarez, Mexico

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Freshwater amphipod

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Michael Much, independent microscopist, Bethlehem, PA

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Portuguese Man O'War nematocyst capsule

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Connon Thomas, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL

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Ciliate dying

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Julia Van Etten, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

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Submitted by: Andrea Brothers, A.B. Brothers Microscopy, Manassas, VA

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Vasile-Dan Hondoroaba, Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Berlin, Germany

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Cyrtos ultrastructure in Zosterograptus sp

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Andrea Brothers, A.B. Brothers Microscopy, Manassas, VA

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Mite cuticle

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Zbigniew Adamski, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland

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Micrometeorite

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Anette von der Handt, Earth Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

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Hydra trying and failing to eat a water flea

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Julia Van Etten, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

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2019 Finalists

To see information about an image and submitter, click on its thumbnail below.
Winners were announced at M&M 2019 and are available in the September issue of the Microscopy Today magazine.

Austenitic stainless steel 316L

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Gaby Ketzer-Raichle, Materials Research Institute, Aalen University , Aalen, Germany

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Image shows the diversity of Desmids in fresh pond water

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Michael Much, independent microscopist, Bethlehem, PA

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Cross section of paint layers from an interior staircase of the 1726 Robert Carter house

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Kirsten Moffitt, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Williamsburg, VA

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Rhododendron pollen grains with emerging pollen tubes from each aperture of a pollen tetrad

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Changbin Chen, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN

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Tomographic volume and 3D rendering of the neuronal polyGA aggregate inside a cell

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Qiang Guo, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Planegg, Germany

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Macromolecules in a rat neuron harboring poly-GA aggregate

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Qiang Guo, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry , Planegg, Germany

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Image shows COS-7, a fibroblast-like cell line derived from monkey kidney tissue, with mitochondria in green and cytoskeletal protein tubulin in magenta

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Daniela Malide, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD

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Gearwheel of AlSi10Mg made by additive manufacturing (selective laser melting, laser bed fusion)

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Gaby Ketzer-Raichle, Materials Research Institute, Aalen University, Aalen, Germany

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Young okra seeds showing some brown colored seed skin

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Changbin Chen, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN

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Colonies of rotifers (Conochilus hippocrepis) rotating

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Julia Van Etten, Couch Microscopy, Scotch Plains, NJ

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Artemia franciscana (brine shrimp) at 35 days of growth

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Timm Piper, Laboratory for Applied Microscopy Research, Embrach, Switzerland

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Solid electrolyte composed of two polymers for a lithium-metal battery

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Alexander Mueller, National Center for Electron Microscopy, Berkeley, CA

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Rotifer Polyarthra sp. 150 µm long showing heart-shaped ovary with nuclei and yolk.

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Håkan Kvarnström, , Bromma, Sweden

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Mold (likely Aspergillus sp.) on a plum seed

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Sergii Dymchenko, SDym Photography, Bellevue, WA

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False-colored transmission electron micrograph of an aortic smooth muscle cell from a mouse with progeria

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Thomas Weston, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

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Anisotropic crystals of potassium ferricyanide

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Joerg Piper, Laboratory for Applied Microscopy Research, Bullay, Germany

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Desmid green alga Cosmarium sp. 68 µm wide

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Håkan Kvarnström, , Bromma, Sweden

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Head of wasp (Vespula sp.)

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Sergii Dymchenko, SDym Photography, Bellevue, WA

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Paramecium caudatum ciliates

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Gerd Günther, independent microscopist, Düsseldorf, Germany

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Copepod with epibiontic growth of microalgae living in symbiosis

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Håkan Kvarnström, , Bromma, Sweden

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Branched structure of precipitated creatine particle aggregates

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Karl Gaff, independent microscopist, Lucan, County Dublin, Ireland

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Cross-section of an urban micrometeorite

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Anette von der Handt, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

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Carbon-free martensite

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Felix Trauter, Materials Research Institute, Aalen University, Aalen, Germany

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Oscillatoria sp

September 14, 2023

Submitted by: Gerd Günther, independent microscopist, Düsseldorf, Germany

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