Frank Swain is a science writer and blogger. He is based in the UK.
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PDN Photo of the Day website says:
Here we present ten of the finalists from Nikon's 35th Annual Small World Photomicrography Competition, which recognizes photographs shot through a microscope. Contest winners will be announced on October 8. Until October 2, the public can select their favorites in the "Popular Vote" section of the Nikon Small World web site.
Above image: © Shamuel Silberman, Ramat-Gan, Israel
Embryo of guppy fish (40X)
Reflected light by fiber-optics
Comments
Amazing photos. But I wonder, guppies are livebearing fish so wonder if it was misidentified (could a killfish for example) or if they were cultured somehow outside the womb.
Posted by: John | October 8, 2009 1:52 PM
Hi John (first commenter), in answer to your comment, both eggs and sperm can be extracted from sexually mature fish, and fertilization can then take place in a petri dish. The fish embryos can then develop - and be photographed - outside of the female fish. This is likely what happened to obtain the above photo, though of course I cannot be certain without contacting the person who took the pic.
Posted by: ctenotrish | October 9, 2009 10:01 PM