Gallery: Under a Microscope Even Familiar Things Look Beautifully Weird

  • Image may contain Plant
    Photos by Stefan Eberhard | Caption: Wellcome Images
    01

    Plant Reproductive Parts

    Scanning electron micrograph of part of a thale cress flower, showing the male and female reproductive organs.
  • Image may contain Rug
    Photos by Khuloud T Al-Jamal and Izzat Suffian | Caption: Wellcome Images
    02

    Breast Cancer Treatment

    Scanning electron micrograph of a cluster of breast cancer cells (coloured blue).
  • Image may contain Animal Reptile Snake and Nature
    Photos by Annie Cavanagh and David McCarthy | Caption: Wellcome Images
    03

    Zebrafish Embryo

    Scanning electron micrograph of a four-day-old zebrafish embryo.
  • Image may contain Sphere Sunglasses Accessories and Accessory
    Photos by Spike Walker | Caption: Wellcome Images
    04

    Miniature Marine Organism

    Light micrograph of a miniature organism found in the sea, part of a group called Foraminifera.
  • Image may contain Rug
    Photos by Spike Walker | Caption: Wellcome Images
    05

    Vitamin C Crystals

    Light micrograph of crystals of oxidised vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid).
  • Image may contain Plant Fruit Food Produce and Rug
    Photos by Spike Walker | Caption: Wellcome Images
    06

    Lily Flower Bud

    Light micrograph of a stained slice of a lily flower bud showing the male and female reproductive organs.
  • Image may contain Tick
    Photos by Ashley Prytherch | Caption: Wellcome Images
    09

    Tick Sucking Blood

    Photograph of a tick burrowing its feeding parts into the skin of the photographer's own leg.
  • Image may contain Animal Sea Life Tattoo Skin Human Person and Mammal
    Photos by Anders Persson | Caption: Wellcome Images
    10

    Seal Head

    Computed tomography (CT) scan of the head of a seal.
  • Image may contain Flower Dahlia Plant Blossom Petal Anther and Aster
    Photos by Eberhardt Josue Friedrich Kernahan and Enrique Rodriguez Canas | Caption: Wellcome Images
    11

    Agricultural Sludge

    Scanning electron micrograph of waste (sludge) from an industrial farming process, after having been burned.
  • Image may contain Art and Painting
    Photos by Anders Persson | Caption: Wellcome Images
    12

    Mechanical Heart Pump

    (Overall winner) Dual-energy computed tomography (DECT, or dual-energy CT) scan of a patient who received a mechanical heart pump (coloured blue) while waiting for a heart transplant.
  • Image may contain Plant Bird and Animal
    Photos by Kevin MacKenzie | Caption: Wellcome Images
    13

    Nit on Human Hair

    Scanning electron micrograph of a nit or head louse egg (coloured green) attached to a strand of human hair (coloured brown).
  • Image may contain Sphere
    Photos by Kevin MacKenzie | Caption: Wellcome Images
    14

    Kidney Stone

    Scanning electron micrograph of a kidney stone removed from Kevin Mackenzie, the creator of the image.
  • Image may contain Plant Moss and Algae
    Photos by Sergio Bertazzo | Caption: Wellcome Images
    15

    Hardening of Heart Tissue

    Scanning electron micrograph of the surface of human heart valve (aortic valve) tissue.
  • Bird'seye view of a microcomputed tomography scan of a medieval human lower jawbone.
    Photos by Kevin MacKenzie | Caption: Wellcome Images
    16

    Medieval Jawbone

    Bird's-eye view of a micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) scan of a medieval human lower jawbone.
  • Image may contain Ornament Pattern and Fractal
    Photos by Zeynep Saygin | Caption: Wellcome Images
    17

    Human Brain Wiring

    Bird's-eye view of nerve fibers in a normal, healthy adult human brain.
  • Image may contain Plant Flower Blossom and Pollen
    Photos by Dr. Henry Oakeley | Caption: Wellcome Images
    18

    Astrantia Flowers

    Photograph of flowers from the plant *Astrantia major*.
Read More
Is the Electric Trike the Next Big Thing in Shared Micromobility?
Veo is launching accessibility-focused electric tricycles in Denver, with plans to put its e-trikes on the streets nationwide.
Boone Ashworth
What WIRED Writers Would Actually Give Their Moms
Your mom never gets you a thoughtless gift, so you shouldn’t get her one, either. Here’s every cool gift WIRED writers would give their mothers.
Nena Farrell
Which Apple Watch Should You Buy?
Should you splurge on the new Series 11, or will the SE 3 do? Let us help you figure out which version to get (and which to avoid).
Boutayna Chokrane
12 Adventurous Gifts for Hikers, Backpackers, and Outdoorsy People
Let them pick out their own hiking boots. Instead, try gifting a useful blade or a nature journal to delight your outdoorsy friend.
Scott Gilbertson
A Two-Person Startup Has Fixed One of the Most Hated Sounds in Modern Life
Beeeep. Beeeep. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.
Jeremy White
Can the New York Times Save Journalism From Our AI Overlords?
In 2023, the Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement. They’ve since spent more than $20 million on the case, and publisher A.G. Sulzberger has no plans to stop fighting it.
Katie Drummond
Silicon Valley’s Next IPO Billionaires Are Coming. Nonprofits Are Ready for Them
Anthropic and OpenAI employees are expected to give generously after their companies go public. “It’s going to be a wild ride,” says one nonprofit leader.
Paresh Dave
The Dyson V16 Piston Animal Can Do It All
Dyson’s new stick vacuum can vacuum and mop in a single cordless device—if you’re willing to really splurge.
Nena Farrell
‘They’re Fucking a Lot of People’: 7-OH Users Brace for DEA Ban
The opioid-like compound, which is found in kratom, can cause brutal withdrawal symptoms and will soon be a controlled substance. Some users tell WIRED it has relieved their pain and anxiety.
Manisha Krishnan
An Extreme Solar Storm May Be Even More Devastating Than Previously Imagined
Scientists have long assumed that there’s an upper limit to the intensity of the solar winds that reach Earth. New research suggests there’s not—and the implications are alarming.
Javier Carbajal
Hugging Face Has a Deepfake Nudes Problem
Researchers tested top image editing models on Hugging Face and found they could easily create explicit deepfakes—and 1,000 image editing prompts show how people use the software.
Matt Burgess
Top Ulta Beauty Promo Codes: 50% Off
Shop the latest beauty trends and save big using an Ulta promo code for beauty tech, makeup, and more.
Boutayna Chokrane