Nature announces the best scientific photos of 2023! Solar filaments, flying geckos, printed rockets, etc. are on the list

1. Orange Apocalypse: In June, the northeastern United States was shrouded in smoke from Canada's massive wildfires, and the sky turned an unsettling orange. Climate change is making the weather increasingly hotter, drier and windier.

2. Melt warning: Meltwater pours down from the Ostfonna ice cap on the Norwegian Arctic island of Nordstrandt.

3. Ancient bends: A microfossil about 2 millimeters in diameter shows a rare example of the preservation of early animal muscle structure. The specimen was found in Shaanxi Province, China, and is about 535 million years old and belongs to the animal Trichinella.

4. Solar Filaments: Huge, serpentine solar filaments won the "Our Sun" category at the 2023 Astronomy Photographer of the Year awards. Solar filaments are made of plasma that extend from the sun's surface under the influence of magnetic fields.

5. Seed dispersers: Fruit flies have the longest sperm in nature, up to 2 mm long. Each mature sperm starts out as a stem cell and then elongates. The nucleus is white. Magenta and yellow show the expression of RNA necessary for sperm development.

6. Monet from Space: This image from the James Webb Space Telescope shows stars forming in the Rho Ophiuchi cloud cluster, the closest star formation site to Earth. Jets of hydrogen gas burst from young stars, illuminating the interstellar gas. The glowing "caves" below are formed by stellar winds from young stars.

7. Flying geckos: Scientists have discovered a new species of flying gecko, Gekko mizoramensis, that uses wing-like flaps on its legs and feet to glide through forests.

8. Lava monster: Kilauea, Hawaii's most active volcano, erupted in June this year, forming a lava pool in the Halema'u crater.

9. Yeast snowflakes: Star-shaped clusters of yeast cells are the result of an experiment to explore the evolution of multicellular organisms. The researchers selected large cells that evolved into branching clusters.

10. Swirling cyclone: ​​During its 54th orbit around Jupiter, the Juno spacecraft captured a close-up of the storm surrounding Jupiter's north pole.

11. Stick Drifting: A fascinating paper nautilus octopus (Argonauta sp.) rides on a stick in the darkness of the Pacific Ocean near the Philippines, surrounded by volcanic sediments.

12. The sharp edges of syrup: Syrup isn't always gooey. When crystallized and magnified 25 times under a polarizing microscope, its spiky, layered structure becomes apparent.

13. Printed Rockets: In March of this year, a rocket made of 3D printed parts was launched for the first time, lighting up the night sky in Florida.

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Reference Links:

https://www.nature.com/immersive/d41586-023-03872-z/index.html

Source: Official media/online news