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1. 2 Sep 16

   Coverage highlights accessibility of microscopy to amateur enthusiasts

   Reporting notes that in the past decade, digital technology and cheaper equipment have made microscopy more accessible. Pleyer noted that amateur microscopy enthusiasts play an important role in science.

   “With the digital revolution, a sensor, a camera, you can just go.”

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     The winners of this year’s Nikon Small World in Motion competition showcase the wiggly, feathery, undulating beauty of invisible life. https://www. nytimes.com/2026/09/16/science /microscopic-videos-invisble-nikon-small-world.html?unlocked_article_code=1.B1E.cHzo.45Hcdxa1zNmH&smid=url-share

     avatter@mastodon.socialMastodon6d agoview on Mastodon ↗
2. 1 Sep 16

   Competition showcases diverse microscopic subjects including fungi and phytoplankton

   Honourable mentions included videos of the Cyerce kikutarobabai sea slug, Penicillium venetum fungus growth, MSG crystal formation, and bioluminescent tropical phytoplankton. Pleyer used glycerol to fix phytoplankton in place and electric charge to trigger their glow while filming at high magnification.

   “The biggest problem with this bioluminescent reaction is how to trigger it and to at the same time get a clear shot.”

   1. 1 outlet Tiny cells and creatures dazzle in microscopic video competition

      first by ABC Australia, 7d ago

3. backgroundSep 16

   Benedikt Pleyer wins third place with jellyfish larvae videos — Microscopic photographer Benedikt Pleyer took third place for videos of jellyfish larvae. He suspended water droplets on a string over a petri dish and slid tiny larvae into the drops; most splashed too quickly to film, requiring months of work to collect usable footage.

4. backgroundSep 16

   Nguyen Nam Nhat places second with nematode-Dileptus predation footage — Vietnamese researcher Nguyen Nam Nhat won second place for a video of a roundworm (nematode) encountering and attacking a single-celled organism called Dileptus. The unexpected encounter revealed a defensive behavior: nematodes press against or immobilize other organisms to escape predators.

5. backgroundSep 16

   Ning Xu wins Nikon Small World In Motion with ciliary dyskinesia video — A researcher at Tsinghua University in China won the 2026 Nikon Small World In Motion competition with a video magnified 100 times showing cilia in the airways of a child with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). The video used complex light waves to illuminate different parts of the sample in colour, helping researchers understand how the condition affects lung clearance.