The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) has announced the winners of this year’s Scientific Image Competition, which celebrates the hidden beauty of scientific research.
The contest is divided into four categories: “Subjects of Research,” “Locations and Equipment,” “Women and Men Scientists,” and “Video Loops.”
The winning entries include an image of the transparent abdomen of a glass frog taken by Francesca Angiolani-Larrea, a doctoral student at the University of Bern, who won first place in the “Research Subject” category.
Check out the winners and standout images from this year’s contest.
Distinguishing between locations and instrument categories – organized chaos
This operating room image was taken before pig surgery began. The purpose of this surgery was to evaluate the in vivo performance of a new vascular graft for aortic replacement. This treatment has the potential to improve patients’ life expectancy and quality of life after intervention. Photo credit: Georgios Lovas
Distinguishing research target categories – maize root microbiome
This image visualizes the corn root microbiome (the collection of microorganisms that live in or on the roots) and how they process the plant’s secondary metabolites. Photo credit: Lisa Tennen
Winners in the Research Subject Category – In Search of a Good Father
This image shows Hyalinobtrachium valerioi, a type of glass frog with a transparent stomach. Although child rearing in the animal kingdom has traditionally been seen as the job of the mother, it takes on a more diverse form in amphibians. This species is a good example. The female’s role is to select the best mate and lay eggs. Males stay close to their children and take care of them. Sometimes they hold up to seven animals at once. Photo credit: Francesca Angiolani-Larrea
Differentiating between video loop categories – Smapshot
“Smapshot” is a crowdsourcing project that allows citizens to localize historical photos using a virtual globe. Participants can georeference the image by clicking on points that appear within the image and on the virtual globe. Georeferenced images are of interest to researchers and the general public because they help visualize phenomena such as climate change and urbanization. Video stills by Jens Ingensand
Video Loop Categories Distinction – Tumor Cells…
A still image from a video showing how tumor cells extracted from patient tissue grow within a three-dimensional matrix. Video stills by Michele Gallioni
Male and female science winners – more than just wearing lab coats
In this photo, a veterinarian is auscultating a mini pig’s heart to make sure it’s healthy. Photo credit: Mariafrancesca Petrucci
Winner of the Video Loop Category – Wingtip vortex…
This shows the flow pattern in a wind tunnel test section that occurs downstream of an aircraft arched wing located near a solid surface. In classic flight conditions, high above the ground, a single vortex develops at the wing tip. In this case, a complex spiral system is seen. Video stills by Cyprien de Sepibus
Distinguishing research subject categories – Cerebrospinal fluid…
This supercomputing simulation shows how cerebrospinal fluid flows around the optic nerve. Cerebrospinal fluid flows from the brain to the optic nerve, nourishing it and removing toxic metabolites. Photos by Diego Rossinelli, Jatta Berberat, Jill Forsti
Location and Equipment Winner – Bees and Chips
This photo shows a close-up of a robotic device inhabited by bees, developed within the Mobile Robot Systems Group at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL). Trials were being carried out in Austria in collaboration with biologists from the University of Graz as part of the EU-funded Hiveopolis project. Photo credit: Raphael Balmak
Scientists Women and Men by Category – Wheat Harvest
Hundreds of research wheat fields must be threshed to study crop growth using sensors and high-tech equipment. This includes manual labor such as bagging and collecting seed samples for drying and further processing. Photo credit: Andreas Hund
Distinguishing between locations and equipment categories – UV reactors…
The photo shows the UV reactor used for photopolymerization. Photopolymerization is a process in which light induces the chemical assembly of short monomer molecules to form long polymer chains. The reactor is built with a 5-meter strip containing 300 LEDs wrapped inside an aluminum cylinder. Photo credit: Deborah Toney
Distinguishing women from men in science – the big stakes in the history of medicine
This photo was taken at the historic library and museum of the Saint-Louis Hospital in Paris, France. It has a collection of books on the history of medicine and dermatology, many of which are out of print and extremely rare. Photo by Alexandre Wenger and Radu Suciu
Video loop category differentiation – tumor growth simulation
This computer simulation shows how a malignant tumor grows from a single cell to a million cells. Each cell is colored according to its relative age, from red (young) to blue (old). Video stills by Roman Vetter
Classification of research subject categories – My voice in the video…
My Voice in Images is a photo-based participatory research method that gives children and young people the opportunity to express their views on social issues and public policies that interest them. The children who created this photo emphasized the need for a solid roof over their heads. Photo by Sylvia Garcia Delahaye and Lavinia Johnson.
Distinguishing between locations and instrument categories – Wandering eye
An ophthalmic microsurgeon practices surgical techniques for artificial eyes. The development of educational materials aims to create realistic conditions for surgical training workshops before it is possible to safely operate on live patients. Photo credit: Julien Boussette
Distinguishing research object categories – thin layer chromatography plates…
Thin layer chromatography plates in fluorescent dye synthesis. Chromatography is a technique for spatially separating the components of a mixture. This example image was generated during the purification of a complex fluorochrome, or fluorescent compound. Photo credit: Salome Puntenar
