The world is a hub of microscopic activity that we never get to see. From the undulating movements of microscopic water creatures to killer T cells engaging with cancer cells, the winning videos in Nikon’s fourth annual Small World In Motion Competition, announced in April 2015, represent the gamut of what lies unseen. 

The award for first place went to footage of a developing zebrafish lateral line – a sensory organ akin to the inner ear in humans – that is used to detect water movement. This process may one day shed light on deafness in humans. The video was submitted by Dr Mariana Muzzopappa and Jim Swoger from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Barcelona.

The second place winner condensed 20 minutes of caffeine crystallization into a 40-second time-lapse. The video was taken by Dr Douglas Clark of the Paedia Corporation. 

Third place was awarded to Dr John Hart of the University of Colorado for a close-up of oil floating on the water’s surface. The prismatic beauty belies the purpose of the study: to investigate the longevity of oil spills.

To learn more, take a voyage into the microscopic world below. After all, it’s a small, small world out there.

_{Video Credit: Nikon / The Atlantic}