Nikon Small World

Nikon's annual competition recognizing excellence in photography through the light microscope.

Follow @NikonInst for the latest microscope news and trends.

[Nikon Small World @NikonSmallWorld]

We've collaborated with @chandraxray to compare NASA images from Chandra, Hubble, Webb and others, with images from #NikonSmallWorld to celebrate the similarities and differences between the astronomical and the microscopic. Read more about it here: https://t.co/lQjrAeGUQ8

[Nikon Small World @NikonSmallWorld]

#FungusFriday meets #FunFactFriday! Talaromyces purpureogenus, known for its red, diffused pigment, has been characterized for extrolites and antioxidant properties.

https://t.co/YSAaimQOZJ

Credit: Wim van Egmond

[Nikon Small World @NikonSmallWorld]

Anyone else see Groot from the Marvel Comics in this liquid crystal mixture?!

https://t.co/0qVGrNPiIK

Credit: Dr. Marek Sutkowski

[Nikon Small World @NikonSmallWorld]

Happy #SmallWorldInMotionMonday! Let's pull it together like these fibroblasts and have a great week. 💪

https://t.co/oMXTeDd4K4

Credit: Scott Burlingham, Dr. Soham Ghosh, Dr. Hiroshi Kimura

[Nikon Small World @NikonSmallWorld]

Finishing off the week with another #FluorescenceFriday! Check out this 600x magnified look at a section of a rat's brain. Magnificent, isn't it?

https://t.co/5B6GXq0jyr

Credit: Thomas J. Deerinck

[Nikon Small World @NikonSmallWorld]

#ThrowbackThursday -- This image took the internet by storm in 2022, even capturing the attention of Paul Rudd, who plays Ant-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

https://t.co/8fyGkRgSNq

Credit: Dr. Eugenijus Kavaliauskas

[Nikon Small World @NikonSmallWorld]

Meet the mango seed weevil, checking in to wish you a happy #WeevilWednesday!

https://t.co/1bAwXbljnn

Credit: Pia Scanlon

[Nikon Small World @NikonSmallWorld]

Here's a fun #TriviaTuesday fact: Burmese rubies are the most prized and expensive colored gemstones in the world. 💎

https://t.co/3IOo5QUkF2

Credit: Jonathan Muyal

[Nikon Small World @NikonSmallWorld]

Happy #SmallWorldInMotionMonday! We're feeling cool as a (sea) cucumber knowing how impressive the results of the 2026 #NikonSmallWorld competition are. We can't wait to share the galleries with you this fall!

https://t.co/JffzJ8akWy

Credit: Dr. Alvaro Migotto

[Nikon Small World @NikonSmallWorld]

It's day two of the #NikonSmallWorld 2026 competition judging! Staying in the spirit with another great image that originated in sunny Southern California, this one from The Scripps Research Institute!

https://t.co/fhlon8TJkz

Credit: Dr. Eric Hwang

[Nikon Small World @NikonSmallWorld]

In honor of our 2026 #NikonSmallWorld competition judging commencing today, enjoy this photo from the 1990 competition that originated right where we currently are, in La Jolla, San Diego, California! ☀️

https://t.co/GC8slfp7DC

Credit: MD Wulf Palinski

[Nikon Small World @NikonSmallWorld]

It's officially judging week, and we're headed to San Diego! Keep an eye on our IG for behind-the-scenes looks and live Q&A while the judges deliberate to determine the 2026 #NikonSmallWorld competition winners.

Judging begins this Wednesday, June 3rd. Don't miss it! 👀🦠🔬

[Nikon Small World @NikonSmallWorld]

Take a look at these fluorescent egg chambers from the ovary of a fruit fly. Isn't the geometric nature of biology incredible?! #FluorescenceFriday

https://t.co/JHbCOLLHE9

Credit: Dr. Yujun Chen

[Nikon Small World @NikonSmallWorld]

This #ThrowbackThursday we're taking it back to the '90s! This processor became a defining CPU for desktop PCs in the mid-1990s and is remembered by vintage computing enthusiasts for its iconic gold-top ceramic packaging.

https://t.co/N9gEHnXYEA

Credit: Jean-Marc Babalian

[Nikon Small World @NikonSmallWorld]

POV: what your refrigerator sees when you sneak into the kitchen to grab a midnight snack. 👀

https://t.co/lTqVWl5bKF

Credit: Geir Drange

[Nikon Small World @NikonSmallWorld]

Tippy toeing our way into Tuesday 🐁

https://t.co/ZZUpCAzf5g

Credit: Dr. Andrew J. Woolley, Himanshi Desai, Dr. Kevin Otto

[Nikon Small World @NikonSmallWorld]

Happy #SmallWorldInMotionMonday! We hope this video of a water flea giving birth inspires you to head into this week full of life. 🌟

https://t.co/MUhMdZmHMw

Credit: Jan van IJken

[Nikon Small World @NikonSmallWorld]

🎶 Butterfly fly away... into the weekend! Have a great one, everyone. 🦋✨ We'll see you back here on Monday!

https://t.co/u2o7uelYxW

Credit: Ye Fei Zhang

[Nikon Small World @NikonSmallWorld]

How it feels when that 3pm coffee enters the bloodstream and reaches the brain ⚡️

https://t.co/9JPasaLf5W

Credit: Hannah Somers

[Nikon Small World @NikonSmallWorld]

Let's get the week started with some knowledge: capillaries act as the ultimate interface between arteries and veins, delivering vital oxygen and nutrients directly to tissues while removing metabolic waste products.

https://t.co/IWiUdWrQfi

Credit: Dr. Gaylene Russell McEvoy

[Nikon Small World @NikonSmallWorld]

This week is FLYing by! Only two more weeks until our judges gather in San Diego, California to choose the winners of this year's #NikonSmallWorld competitions. What subject are you hoping to see among the finalists?

https://t.co/qBARpw9jxa

Credit: Charles Krebs