2012 FEI Image Contest 

An aphid on a leaf

The 2012 FEI Image Contest gave scientists and researchers the chance to share their exploration of the submicroscopic world. From July to October 2012, a winner was selected each month as the best in four categories: Around the House, The Natural World, The Human Body and Other Relevant Science. This aphid was the "Around the House" category winner for September/October.

 

Here are a few of the winners.

 

Geranium flower power

This image of the pollination of a geranium flower was the August/September winner in the "Natural World" category.

An itch factory

The Aedes aegypti mosquito egg. 

The insect originated in Africa but is now 

found in tropical and subtropical regions 

throughout the world.  The tiny mosquito 

is a force to be reckoned with and can transmit 

several diseases, including dengue fever. 

This image was the August/September winner 

in the "Other Relevant Science" category.

  Let there be light!

The tungsten filament of a household incandescent lamp. Tungsten is used because of its electrical and mechanical properties: strength, ductility and workability. This image was the June/July winner in the "Around the House " category.

Intestinal fortitude

The human intestine containing hundreds of different kinds of bacteria. This image was the July/August winner in "The Human Body" category.

Sea 'monster'

The head of an embryonic zebrafish. This is a model organism currently being used for studies into the genetic causes of neurodegeneration. This image was the September/October winner in "The Natural World" category.

War in the trenches

Here we see the dramatic encounter in the liver of our unsung heroes (immune cells) against an invading parasite (the trypanosome). Each side bears an impressive arsenal of chemical weapons that will define at the end the onset, or not, of Sleeping Sickness. This image was the June/July winner in "The Human Body" category.

There's a mouse about

A mouse kidney fractured to show podocytes, cells that help the kidney filter out substances in blood. This image was the August/September winner in the "Human Body" category.

Spidery close-up

This image shows the texture of spider skin. A hair root and pollen grains are adhered to the skin. This picture was the July/August winner in the "Natural World" category.