Olena Kamenyeva, of the National Institute of Health’s NIAID, won the Small World in Motion Photomicrography Competition. Kamenyeva’s video, titled “Sensing danger,” shows the immune response in the lymph node of a mouse. Kamenyeva says this video is representative of efficient innate immune reaction in the lymph node, which typically has been studied for the development of adaptive immune response.

In response to the exciting new trend in digital photomicrography of recording time-lapsed movies through the microscope, Nikon Small World in Motion was created as a sister competition under the Nikon Small World brand. Movies are judged on the merit of being visually outstanding as well as depicting the intersection of science and art.

The winning video perfectly demonstrates this delicate balance, as to capture this video, Kamenyeva needed to use some of the most advanced techniques available. The inguinal lymph node was imaged using a two-photon microscope equipped with an L25.0 x 0.95 water immersion objective. Together, this allowed for the visualization of actual events occurring in challenged lymphatic tissue.