It turns out that zooming in on a ant face is an absolute nightmare.
A big plan photo of an ant was sent as an entry to the 48th Annual Nikon Small World Photomicrography Contest – and the results are chilling.
The close-up of the tiny insect, captured by Dr Eugenijus Kavaliauskas of Taurage, Lithuania, shows the ant’s glowing red eyes, angry expression and what appear to be long, sharp teeth.
DO SPIDERS SLEEP LIKE HUMANS? EXPERTS PONDER NEW STUDY SUGGESTING THEY COULD
Kavaliauskas captured this photo of the ant using reflected light with 5X objective magnification, according to the competition.
The picture has the internet – well, freaking out over what could replace a monster in a horror movie.
Check out some of the reactions to the image.
Yet the intricate snapshot that sparked so much conversation and shock on social media has no place in the Small World competition.
Instead, Nikon’s first-place winner Grigorii Timin and Dr Michel Milinkovitch from the University of Geneva presented a detailed photo of the embryonic hand of a giant day gecko from Madagascar – showing the internal structure complete in bright colors.
That’s what won first prize.
GOOD LUCK OMEN! WHY THE PRAYING MANTIS, BUTTERFLY AND LADYBUG ARE THOUGH TO BRING GOOD THINGS
“Masterfully blending imaging technology and artistic creativity, Timin used high-resolution microscopy and image stitching to capture this species of day gecko Phelsuma grandis,” Nikon said in a press release.
“[With] A visually stunning and meticulous technique, Timin used image stitching to fuse hundreds of images together to create the final image of his gecko.”
Timin commented, “This particular image is beautiful and informative, both as an overview and also when you magnify it to a certain region, shedding light on how structures are organized at the cellular level,” according to the release. Press.
FIRST GORGOSAURUS SKELETON SELLS AT AUCTION FOR $6.1M TO UNKNOWN BUYER – FRUSTRATED SCIENTISTS
Among the top 20 submissions were photos of an agatized dinosaur bone, a fluorescent close-up of a tiger beetle holding a fly, cross-sections of a human colon – and a daddy long-legged spider with what looks like a cute little face.
The Nikon Small World competition has featured “microscope photography” since 1974.
The judges of the contest analyzed entries from around the world.
Entries were evaluated on originality, informative content, technical proficiency and visual impact, according to Nikon.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The 2022 competition received nearly 1,300 entries from 72 different countries.
