An image of a zebrafish embryo's face was the first-place winner of the 2016 Nikon Small
World microphotography contest.
Credit: Oscar Ruiz
In your face! A 4-day-old zebrafish embryo's dour mug nabbed the top prize in the annual Nikon Small World photo competition, which showcases often-unseen wonders of the natural world that can be viewed only through a microscope.
Nikon Small World revealed the first-place photo today (Oct. 19) on Instagram — a first for the contest — at @NikonInstruments. [Wee Wonders: Top 20 Nikon Small World Contest Photos]
Captured by senior research scientist Oscar Ruiz, at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the image reveals incredible detail in the embryo's face. Ruiz's research investigates zebrafish even more closely — at the cellular level — to mark the smallest changes that mutations can cause during development. Mapping every physical feature in the embryos' faces at each developmental stage is helping the scientists to identify the genetic mechanisms that form facial abnormalities in humans, such as cleft lip and cleft palate. https://www.livescience.com/56541-nikon-small-world-photo-winner.html
