MELVILLE, N.Y., Dec. 09, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nikon Instruments Inc. today unveiled the winners of the fifth annual Nikon Small World in Motion Photomicrography Competition , awarding First Place to veteran winner Wim van Egmond of the Micropolitan Museum in The Netherlands. Judges were impressed with the thrilling video van Egmond captured of a ciliate predator devouring its prey.
A video accompanying this release is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/Attachm...f7f7cf649a
The microorganisms in this slow-moving attack were scooped out of a backyard pond, as van Egmond hoped to inspire his friend to take more interest in her microscope. Luckily he had his camera ready when he recognized the predator and prey so close together, capturing a real-time recording when the attack began.
“Wildlife is so close to us, yet most of us never look close enough to see it,” said van Egmond. “A pool in your garden is actually a miniature underwater jungle teeming with life. If you want to see the world, your backyard is a great place to start.”
Mr. van Egmond is a former first-place winner of Nikon Small World, Nikon’s long-standing sister competition awarding still photography captured under the microscope. In recent years he has put more time in moving images, thanks to advancing DSLR video capabilities that allow him to capture movement and behavior of microorganisms. “For me, microscopy is about exploring living organisms - so you should see them alive and moving,” said van Egmond.
It is this continued advancement of digital technology that led to the creation of Nikon Small World in Motion five years ago, as scientists and artists were suddenly able to show another dimension to life under the microscope.
“Wim exemplifies the evolution of Small World over the years, as technological advances push our ability to see and discover the world forward, and video takes center stage,” said Eric Flem, Communications Manager, Nikon Instruments. “Beyond still images, video has become a powerful tool for artists and scientists to show the life and movement they see under the microscope every day. This competition serves as a platform to share those discoveries with the world, and hopefully inspire others to pick up a microscope and take a closer look.”
Second Place in the 2015 Nikon Small World in Motion competition went to Danielle Parsons of Wonder Science TV in the United States. Her video provides a glimpse into the roiling gut contents of a termite, including the organisms that help break down wood for their termite hosts. The darkfield microscopy Parsons employed affords dramatic lighting effects and a bold color palate, resulting in an almost cinematic quality of the video. As a science communicator, Parsons was drawn to the unique and intricate collaboration of these species, which have formed their endosymbiotic partnership over evolutionary time.
Gonzalo Avila, a PhD candidate from The University of Auckland, claimed Third Place for his mesmerizing yet horrifying video of a parasitoid wasp larva breaking out of its host and spinning its cocoon. Grim as this parasitism process appears, these wasps play a critical role in controlling the population of the aptly named Gum-Leaf Skeletoniser moth - a pest causing serious damage to Eucalyptus in Australia and New Zealand. While the process of the larva slowly breaking out of its host body can take several hours, Avila’s video is played at 64x speed to show the escape in a matter of skin-crawling seconds.
In addition to First, Second and Third prize winners, Nikon Small World in Motion recognized an additional 15 entries as Honorable Mentions.
The 2015 judging panel includes: Dr. Tim Mitchison of Harvard Medical School, Dr. Hari Shroff of NIBIB, and Ernie Mastroianni of Discover Magazine.
For additional information, please visit www.nikonsmallworld.com , or follow the conversation on Facebook and Twitter @NikonSmallWorld .
NIKON SMALL WORLD IN MOTION WINNERS
First Place Mr. Wim van Egmond Micropolitan Museum Berkel en Rodenrijs, Netherlands Trachelius ciliate feeding on a Campanella ciliate 250x
Second Place Miss Danielle Parsons Wonder Science TV Los Angeles, United States Gut contents of a termite, containing hundreds of species of single-celled parabasalid microorganisms (Trichonympha) Darkfield 40x & 100x
Third Place Mr. Gonzalo Avila University of Auckland Auckland, New Zealand A parasitoid larva (Cotesia urabae) breaking out of its host (Uraba lugens) and then spinning its cocoon to start pupation 10x
HONORABLE MENTION
Honorable Mention Dr. Alireza Abbaspourrad Cornell University Ithaca, United States Structural emulsions containing nutrients releasing its contents upon exposure to a simulated gastric fluid 40x
Honorable Mention Dr. Paolo Annibale & Enrico Gratton University of California, Irvine Irvine, United States 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 Confocal 60x
Honorable Mention Mr. Michael Evers Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, United States A human dermal fibroblast tissue phantom ablated by a 5 ns long laser pulse 3.05x
Honorable Mention Mr. Ralph Grimm Jimboomba, Australia Rotifer (Lepadella triba) feeding 1000x
Honorable Mention Mr. Gerd-A. Günther Unicellular ciliates (Paramecium caudatum and Frontonia leucas) Differential Interference Contrast (first sequence) and Polarized Light (second sequence) 300x
Honorable Mention Dr. John Hart University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Boulder, United States Soap film 10x-50x
Honorable Mention Dr. Daisuke Kurihara Nagoya University Nagoya, Japan Thale cress plant (Arabidopsis thaliana) embryogenesis Confocal 30x
Honorable Mention Dr. Annie Lu & Dr. Srinivasa Raghavan University of Maryland College Park, United States Chitosan capsules containing platinum reacting with hydrogen peroxide under a glass slide 2x
Honorable Mention Ms. Haripriya Mukundarajan, Vivek N. Prakash, Nicolas Harmand & Manu Prakash Stanford University Stanford, United States Cyanobacterium (Oscillatoria princeps) filaments Brightfield 100x
Honorable Mention Dr. Luigia Santella, A. Puppo, JT Chun, G. Gragnaniello & E. Garante Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn Naples, Italy Intracellular calcium increase and sperm incorporation following fertilization of a starfish egg 70x60um
Honorable Mention Dr. Abigail Tucker & Dr. Marcia Gaete King's College London London, United Kingdom Mouse whisker follicle development in culture Stereomicroscopy 6.3x
Honorable Mention Mr. Wim van Egmond Micropolitan Museum Berkel en Rodenrijs, Netherlands Water flea (Ilyocryptus) 100x
Honorable Mention Mr. Wim van Egmond Micropolitan Museum Berkel en Rodenrijs, Netherlands Penicilliumfungi growth, showing hypha, spore production and guttation droplets 10x
Honorable Mention Dr. Michael Weber Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics Dresden, Germany Cardiovascular system of a 4 day old zebrafish 20x
Honorable Mention Dr. Jing Yan, Jie Zhang & Dr. Steve Granick Princeton University Princeton, United States Janus colloids, micron sized particles that spontaneously move in an AC electric field 40x
ABOUT THE NIKON SMALL WORLD PHOTOMICROGRAPHY COMPETITION
The Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition is open to anyone with an interest in photography. Participants may submit their images in traditional 35mm format, or upload digital images or videos directly at www.nikonsmallworld.com . For additional information, contact Nikon Small World, Nikon Instruments Inc., 1300 Walt Whitman Road, Melville, NY 11747, USA or phone (631) 547-4200.
ABOUT NIKON INSTRUMENTS INC.
Nikon Instruments Inc. is a world leader in the development and manufacture of optical and digital imaging technology for biomedical applications. Now in its 98th year, Nikon provides complete optical systems that offer optimal versatility, performance and productivity. Cutting-edge instruments include microscopes, digital imaging products and software. Nikon Instruments is one of the microscopy and digital imaging arms of Nikon Inc., the world leader in digital imaging, precision optics and photo imaging technology. For more information, visit www.nikoninstruments.com . Product-related inquiries may be directed to Nikon Instruments at 800-52-NIKON.
Media Contact: Trisha Bruynell Peppercomm 212-931-6129 tbruynell@peppercomm.com
