Life As You've Never Seen It: 2011's Best Microscope Photos of the Human Body

Giant liposomes: these artificially prepared structures can be filled with drugs and are used for cancer treatment and other diseases. (Dr. Jorge Bernardino de la Serna, Odense, Denmark)

Embryonic ear tissue: the cochlea is the auditory portion of the inner ear and is key to further understanding hearing loss. (Dr. Vidhya Munnamalai/University of Washington)

Mouse nerves: used to study brain interactions with the human eye. (Gabriel Luna/UC Santa Barbara, Neuroscience Research Institute)

Mast cells: found in several types of tissues, mast cells are best known for their roles in allergies, wound healing and defense. These, extracted from collagen fibers were used to study conjunctivitis -- more commonly known as pink eye. (Donald Pottle/The Schlepens Eye Research Institute )

Cultured cells: grown on a bio-polymer scaffold to research joint replacement therapies. (Dr. Christopher Guerin/VIB (Flanders Institute of Biotechnology))

Cancer cells: HeLa cells are a type of immortal cell commonly used in cancer research. (Thomas Deerinck/National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research)

Breast cancer: a 3D culture of breast cancer cells used for research. (Dr. Jonatas Bussador do Amaral/Dr. Gláucia Maria Machado Santelli/University of São Paulo)

Mouse intenstine: stem cells extracted from the small intestine of a mouse used for colon and rectal cancer research. (Dr. Paul Appleton/University of Dundee)

For more stunning photos of life through microscope, and the chance to vote on your favorite, check out <a href="http://www.nikonsmallworld.com/vote">Nikon Small World</a>! (Nikon Small World)