Nikon runs an annual competition of microscopic photography, and this year's winners were just announced, and the winners include close-ups of dinosaur bones, microchips, cells and insects.
Igor Siwanowicz, of the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, won first place with his close-up (20x) image of Chrysopa sp. (green lacewing) larva.
The rest of the winners can be seen here, but check out a few of my favorites below. These images serve as a powerful reminder that no matter how creative the minds of humankind are, nature is many, many steps ahead. I think Terence Malick would approve.
4th Place: Robin Young, with a photo of liverwort (20x)
8th Place: Dr. Bernardo Cesare with Graphite-bearing Granulite (2.5x)
12th Place: Thomas Deerinck with HeLa cancer cells (300x)
Pretty awesome stuff, eh? Like I said, make sure and check out the full roster of winners and runners-up.