A tiny structure on the leaf of a cannabis plant appears as a fairy-tale tree adorned with purple bubbles for leaves. A green crab spider, which could comfortably sit on a kernel of corn, seems to train four of its eight eyes directly on you. Brain tumor cells, colored in vivid green and purple on a black background, look like a moody floral abstract. Capturing the smallest elements of our world in dazzling detail—and celebrating the science behind them—has been a hallmark of the Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition for…
