Ole Bielfeldt, a 25-year-old German photographer, won the 2026 Nikon Small World photomicrography competition, beating 1,802 entries from 69 countries. His winning image captured ink droplets suspended mid-air as an inkjet printer deposited them onto paper, achieved by disassembling the printer and using a flash in a dark room to freeze the fast-moving droplets. Bielfeldt, self-taught since discovering an old microscope during COVID-19 lockdown, says he does not use AI and relies on traditional techniques and custom-built tools.
slashdot.org
· 2026-10-29
Bielfeldt, 25, won the Nikon Small World photomicrography competition with an image capturing ink droplets being deposited on paper by an inkjet printer, beating 1,802 entries from 69 countries. To freeze the fast-moving droplets, he disassembled a printer so the paper moved beneath a stationary printhead and photographed the scene in darkness using a flash as the shutter.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-10-22
A blogger shared that after their post was submitted to Hacker News, their website experienced a flood of traffic attributed to AI bots rather than human readers. The author noted the spike coincided with the HN submission but consisted largely of automated crawler activity.
sammystraus.com
· 2026-10-13
Nikon revoked the top prize in its 16th annual Small World in Motion contest after scientists flagged Dr. Ning Xu's time-lapse of cilia in a child's airway as likely AI-generated. Researchers pointed to cellular structures that appeared and vanished unnaturally, and a PhD student found what appeared to be an AI-generation watermark on the source image. Xu acknowledged using AI during post-processing to enhance grayscale images but denied generating the cilia or their motion artificially.
techspot.com
· 2026-10-12
Nikon Instruments disqualified the winning entry in its Small World in Motion microscopy competition after determining the video violated rules barring AI-generated content. The video, submitted by National University of Singapore engineer Ning Xu and depicting beating airway cilia, had won first place on 15 September before scientists flagged biologically implausible features on social media. Xu said an AI model was used only to enhance visual presentation below the cilia, not to make anatomical claims.
nature.com
· 2026-10-12
Nikon Instruments disqualified Ning Xu's winning entry in its Small World in Motion microscopy video competition after determining the submission involved generative AI. A contest spokesperson confirmed the disqualification to Gizmodo, citing the use of AI as the reason the entry was ruled ineligible.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-10-09
Nikon disqualified Ning Xu's winning Small World in Motion video of cilia after an investigation found it violated competition rules regarding AI use, following researcher complaints about anomalies and apparent AI watermarks in source files. Nguyen Nam Nhat of Vietnam, whose video shows a roundworm and a single-celled organism, has been named the new winner, with other finalists moving up one place.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-10-09
Nikon has stripped Dr Ning Xu of Tsinghua University of his Small World In Motion prize after ruling his winning video breached contest rules on generative AI. The video depicted cilia movement in a child with the respiratory condition PCD, but several scientists, including former judges, publicly questioned its authenticity. Nikon said the decision followed a re-evaluation of the footage and consultation with its judging panel, and does not reflect on Xu's professional standing.
bbc.co.uk
· 2026-10-09
Nikon has stripped Dr. Ning Xu's video of its first-place win in the Small World in Motion microscopy contest after determining it violated rules on generative AI use. The video had purported to show cilia movement in a child's airway affected by PCD, but Xu acknowledged using an AI-based post-processing method to generate the imagery. Nguyen Nam Nhat's entry now holds the top spot following the update.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-09
Several older DSLR and mirrorless cameras, including Canon's EOS 6D and Rebel T6, Nikon's D5300 and D750, and Sony's A5100, A7 II and RX100 IV, remain on manufacturer compatibility lists for webcam use. Setup typically involves installing the maker's webcam utility, connecting via USB, switching to video or remote mode, and selecting the camera within apps like Zoom, Teams or Google Meet.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-06
Researcher Dr Ning Xu's winning entry in the Nikon Small World in Motion competition, depicting lung cilia movement, is under investigation after scientists flagged inconsistencies such as structures appearing and disappearing unnaturally. A watermark check using Google Gemini reportedly detected Google's SynthID marker, suggesting AI involvement in the footage. Nikon says it is reviewing technical documentation submitted by Xu, who has acknowledged using AI for post-processing but denies violating competition rules.
science.slashdot.org
· 2026-10-03
Nikon is reviewing the winning video in its Small World In Motion microscopy contest after scientists alleged it was partly AI-generated. The clip, submitted by Dr Ning Xu of Tsinghua University, purports to show cilia moving in a child's airway, but critics flagged structures appearing and vanishing oddly and a possible AI-generation watermark on the source image. Xu has denied breaking contest rules, acknowledging AI was used only to enhance grayscale images, not to generate the cilia or their motion.
bbc.co.uk
· 2026-09-30
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