Between Sky, Sea and Microscope
photograph capturing a shared flight between humans and animals has won this year’s Scientist at Work photography competition organized by the scientific journal Nature. Gunnar Hartmann’s image prevailed against 220 submissions from around the world. The competition aims to make scientific work, both in the laboratory and in the field, accessible to a broad public audience. The winners are selected by a jury of Nature staff members.
High above the fields of Jaén in southern Spain, two researchers accompanied a flock of Northern Bald Ibises in a light aircraft. The atmospheric photograph was taken by Gunnar Hartmann, a bachelor’s student of BioGeoSciences at the University of Koblenz. In 2024, he joined the Waldrapp team of an Austrian conservation organization on a 50-day journey from southeastern Germany to southwestern Spain. The ornithologists are working to reintroduce the Northern Bald Ibis to Europe. The birds are hand-reared by their human caretakers, creating a close bond that even encourages them to follow their foster parents in an aircraft.
Another award-winning image was taken by marine biologist Uli Kunz from Kiel, who photographed the installation of an incubation chamber at the “Coral Probiotics Village.”
Another award-winning image was taken by marine biologist Uli Kunz from Kiel, who photographed the installation of an incubation chamber in the “Coral Probiotics Village.” The project, located in the Red Sea off the coast of Saudi Arabia, investigates how different coral species adapt to rising water temperatures caused by climate change. “With this photograph, I wanted not only to capture the research divers in the midst of their often hectic work, but also to portray a moment of quiet reflection,” says Kunz.
Among the winners of the competition was also a striking drone photograph by Haolun “Allen” Tian.
Among the winners was also a striking drone photograph by Haolun “Allen” Tian. It shows a research team collecting water samples from a Canadian lake overgrown by a vivid green algal bloom.
Marine ecologist Robert Harcourt photographed his colleague Michael Doane as he collected a microbiome sample from a whale shark off the coast of Western Australia.
Marine ecologist Robert Harcourt was likewise successful. His image captures his colleague Michael Doane taking a microbiome sample from a whale shark off the coast of Western Australia.
Shayanta Chowdhury’s award-winning photograph depicts entomologist Lee Haines examining a yellow fever mosquito under ultraviolet light in a laboratory at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, USA.
The final winning photograph was taken by Shayanta Chowdhury. It depicts entomologist Lee Haines examining a yellow fever mosquito under ultraviolet light in a laboratory at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, USA. “The UV illumination revealed remarkable colors both in the tiny mosquito and in the condensation that had formed beneath the cold Petri dish,” explains Chowdhury.
Welcome to Photonworld – a platform for knowledge, interesting facts and science on the topic of light. Photonworld aims to provide a basic understanding of the physics of light and its countless phenomena. From medicine, to art and physics: all topics are covered.
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