Text written in Basque and translated automatically by Elia without any subsequent editing. SEE ORIGINAL

To the light of the microscope

This is the 40th edition of Nikon Small World. 40 years collecting and rewarding photomicrographs taken under the light of the microscope. 40 years of combining science, technology and art. “Our gallery is like a time capsule of progress over the past four decades,” says Nikon Instruments’ head of communications in the press release.

This year, they received nearly 2,000 photographs, of which about 80 stand out. We have listed some of them in the following pages.

Among all of them, the photo of the rotifer taken by the Panamanian Rogelio Moreno stands out. He caught the rotifer in the photo with his mouth open, and so the judge left them. They have emphasized the exemplary technique. In addition to the technique, Moreno needed patience, as he spent hours capturing this moment: the rotifer with his mouth open and looking at the camera.

Moreno is a computer scientist with a passion for looking through the microscope. In fact, observing the beauty of the micro-world today is not something that only depends on scientists.

“When you see that movement, you fall in love. I thought ‘wow, that’s wonderful. I can't believe what I'm seeing. This is very beautiful,’” says Moreno. “Now I hope that as much as it has inspired me, it will inspire others to learn more about science, to look closely, and to realize that there is something truly wonderful.”