Preserved Pony Fetus Is the Science Photo of the Year

A grotesquely ethereal snapshot of a preserved pony fetus is the overall winner of the 2015 Wellcome Image Awards, the annual science photography competition. Photographer Michael Frank captured the image while documenting a collection of preserved animal parts at the Royal Veterinary College in London. The pony is still connected to the placenta and to its mother’s uterus, offering an all-too-informative glimpse inside the equine reproductive system.

“Pregnant uterus, equine” had a lot of competition among the 20 photos selected as finalists. Other images ranged from an electron microscope’s view of a greenfly’s eye, to a picture of spiky-looking pollen grains, to a cat’s tongue. The full collection will be on view in the Wellcome Collection’s London HQ and in science institutions across the globe starting March 19. Check out some of the other finalists below:

“Pollen grains, Asteraceae, Artwork” by Maurizio De Angelis, Wellcome Images

“Boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis), SEM and LM composite” by Daniel Kariko, Wellcome Images

“Cat tongue, cross section” by David Linstead, Wellcome Images

“Mouse brain, coronal view” by Luis de la Torre-Ubieta, UCLA, Wellcome Images

“Nervous system in a fruit fly larva, serial section TEM” by Albert Cardona, HHMI Janelia Research Campus, Wellcome Images

Visit Wellcome Image Awards 2015 to see the full gallery. 

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