Winners Of The Nikon Small World Video Contest

Life on a large scale and it's already overwhelming complexity, can easily distract some of us from appreciating the little things. These videos are a reminder of what takes place right under your nose, quite literally.

I'm sure you've got some funky bacteria at war on your upper lip that would make a pack of hyenas look tame. Remember, for every human gene in our body, there are 360 microbial genes.

The human body contains about 100 trillion cells, but only maybe one in 10 of those cells is actually — human. The rest are from bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms.

Human Microbiome Project

Aside from our bodies, you're about to witness Nature do what it does best,

...WORK.

The first three videos are this year's contest winners followed by similar videos that received honorable mention. If you have the time, check out these other amazing entries from years past. Enjoy!!

(descriptions are above video)


First Place

Trachelius ciliate feeding on a Campanella ciliate

Second Place

Gut contents of a termite, containing hundreds of species of single-celled parabasalid microorganisms (Trichonympha)

Third Place

A parasitoid larva (Cotesia urabae) breaking out of its host (Uraba lugens) and then spinning its cocoon to start pupation

Honorable Mentions (below)

Structural emulsions containing nutrients releasing its contents upon exposure to a simulated gastric fluid

Fluorescently labeled chromatin array (LacI-mCherry: red) and mRNA (MS2-EGFP: green) in U2OS 263 cells following Dox induction (+30′). Discrete Petals of mRNA synthesis are clearly visible moving on the surface of the transgene array

A human dermal fibroblast tissue phantom ablated by a 5 ns long laser pulse

Rotifer (Lepadella triba) feeding

Unicellular ciliates (Paramecium caudatum and Frontonia leucas)

Soap film

Thale cress plant (Arabidopsis thaliana) embryogenesis

Chitosan capsules containing platinum reacting with hydrogen peroxide under a glass slide

Cyanobacterium (Oscillatoria princeps) filaments

Intracellular calcium increase and sperm incorporation following fertilization of a starfish egg

Mouse whisker follicle development in culture

Water flea (Ilyocryptus)

Penicillium fungi growth, showing hypha, spore production and guttation droplets

Cardiovascular system of a 4 day old zebrafish

Janus colloids, micron sized particles that spontaneously move in an AC electric field

Thank you for your time and bandwidth. Don't forget, what you've just witnessed is happening in real-time all around you at every moment. To see it happen up close and in great detail is a treat that everyone should stop and appreciate. Have a nice day!

The human body contains about 100 trillion cells, but only maybe one in 10 of those cells is actually — human.

So we are Lords of our own little Universes, after all.

Edit: When I was a kid I had a decent microscope, watched drops of pond water for hours. It occurred to me these little one celled 'organisms' are as complex as we, just a lot smaller.

The one feeding, whipping its tail and swirling its mouth parts to catch even tinier microbes darting around to avoid being eaten… the protozoa in a single drop of water is in the hundreds, thousands.

Part of the soap film segment looked like stars flowing in the Galaxy, begging the question, what is the ether of space made of?

Too bad first prize is predation, no cell divisions were captured.

Marvelous life forms portrayed, thanks for bringing it to ATS. This is why I come here.

Fascinating videos.
I liked that little clumsy water flea; someone should teach the poor guy how to properly swim.

a reply to: eisegesis

marverlous. just marvelous.

every video is fascinating.

thanks for your time getting this together for us. good reminder to extend mindfulness to details around us that we can not see with our eyes

have a nice day too