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2nd Prize

 

Eyelash mites

Stephen Gschmeissner

 

You may think you're free from parasites but you're not! This image shows the rear ends of tiny mites feeding on the dead skin cells of an eyelash hair follicle. Eyelash mites like these form just a small proportion of the estimated millions of tiny animals and plants that live on our bodies.

JEOL field emission gun scanning electron microscope. Coloured using Adobe Photoshop.