Nikon "Small World" photos

Everyone seems to be posting photos from Nikon's annual competition for the best microphotography of the past year.  This past week I've seen galleries at Wired, The Atlantic, The Big Picture.  I am doing so too, because the images are startling in their beauty.  Top to bottom (via The Big Picture):

Wim van Egmond of the Micropolitan Museum in Rotterdam, Netherlands photographed a Leptodora kindtii (giant waterflea) eye from a living specimen using the differential interference contrast method. (Wim van Egmond) 

Joan Rohl of the Institute for Biochemistry and Biology in Potsdam, Germany used differential interference contrast to capture a freshwater water flea, Daphnia magna, at 100x magnification. (Joan Rohl)

Douglas Moore of the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point used stereomicroscopy and fiber optics to photograph unpolished agatized ca. 150 million years old dinosaur bone cells magnified 42 times. (Douglas Moore)

And there's even one of a butterfly egg:

The egg of a red admiral butterfly (Vanessa atalanta) in stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) trichomes photographed by David Millard of Austin, Texas with diffuse incident illumination. (David Millard)

More at the links.