Green Lacewing — The delicate nature of this image clearly reflects the character of the subject – a green lacewing. Transmitted and reflected light was used to create an elegant balance and simplicity. A moment after this single shot was taken, the lacewing flew off, putting paid to any further photographic opportunities.
Towards Solar Maximum — Our sun enters a period of maximum activity every 11 years, with its chromosphere showing prominences, flares and sunspots. This high-resolution, full solar disk in hydrogen alpha light was captured by Peter Ward and shows all of these dynamics within the solar atmosphere.
Red-throat Travels — The photograph captures the release of a red-throat emperor (Lethrinus miniatus) after surgery to implant an acoustic tag (the surgery scar and external tag can be seen in the image) at Heron Island within the Great Barrier Reef. The research project aims to describe movement patterns of L. miniatus in the Heron Island region in relation to the efficacy of marine protected areas and environmental changes.
Lord Howe Island Stick Insect Hatching at Melbourne Zoo — This photograph shows a critically endangered Lord Howe Island stick insect (Dryococelus australis) emerging from its egg after 6 months of incubation. This process had never before been photographed, and the photographer, Rohan Cleave, waited patiently for many weeks to capture this image. The Lord Howe Island stick insect is part of the endangered species breeding program at Zoos Victoria.
Tracking Alzheimer’s Disease — The neuron has been treated with a beta-amyloyd peptide. The peptide creates a beta-amyloyd plaque, which is thought to be the fundamental cause of Alzheimer’s disease. The sample was platinum-coated and imaged in high vacuum, at 15.5 kV and 3200× magnification.
Another Day in the Life of Arabidopsis — The image shows a small, 6-day-old seedling of Arabidopsis thaliana under a scanning electron microscope and captures the essence of seed germination, the tiny and delicate beginnings of a plant. The image has been artificially coloured to resemble the natural colours of the living seedling and shows the sprouting root (yellow), seed leaves and embryonic stem (green), and remnants of the seed (brown). Arabidopsis seeds are germinated thousands of times a day across the world to study all aspects of plant growth and development, including processes that regulate germination – a hot area of research in plant biology.
Killer in a Cage — Cyana meyricki caterpillars are covered in a protective spiny layer of hairs. When ready to pupate, the caterpillar binds these hairs together with silk to construct an intricate protective cage around itself. The pupa inside this cage however does not belong to a caterpillar – rather, it is that of a parasitoid tachinid fly which has devoured the caterpillar from the inside out and now hangs safely out of reach of potential predators.
Fly in Amber — This dolichopodid fly is preserved in Baltic amber (some 40 million years old), the world’s most famous amber deposit. Amber is fossilised tree resin, and the often exquisite preservation of included specimens is as if they were recently caught. Like most males in the family Dolichopodidae, this one has complex genitalia at the end of its abdomen.
Mantis Shrimp — The peacock mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus), has one of the most complex vision systems in the marine world.
First Documentation of a Humpback Whale Mating — This is the first time humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) mating has ever been documented. For several hours a pod of male humpbacks competed in a battle of strength and endurance known as a heat run. Jason says he witnessed a bull rub his rostrum (nose) against the cow’s tail flukes in a tender gesture. Finally the successful male mated with the female stroking the cow’s flanks with his pectoral fins and holding her to him during copulation.