There are many things that look amazing, mysterious or beautiful under the microscope, but there are few things that beat a close-up look at life emerging.

在显微镜的镜头之下，许多寻常事物都会变得令人叹为观止，即神秘又美丽，但与生命诞生伊始的特写镜头相比，它们还是逊色太多了。

Some of the winning images in this year's Nikon's Small World photomicrography contest capture some of the first moments inside the eggs of animals including starfish and butterflies.

在今年的尼康微观世界显微摄影（Nikon's Small World photomicrography）大赛中，有几张获奖作品拍摄的是动物卵中小生命诞生的最初形态，这些动物包括海星和蝴蝶。

I was lucky enough to be one of the judges for this year's competition, and among the most memorable of the 2,200 entries were images of the first few cells at the very beginning of an organism's life. I've gathered some of the best photomicrographs of these early moments in this gallery.

我有幸成为了今年大赛的评委之一，在入围的2200张参赛作品中，有几张展现了生命诞生最初的细胞形态，我认为这些照片才是最令人难忘的。于是，我从这些一流的显微照片中挑出了几张，奉献给读者朋友们。

Mouse Embryo Stem Cells Surrounded by Trophectoderm Cells

由滋养外胚层细胞包围的鼠胚胎干细胞

Developing Frog

发育中的蛙类

Fly Egg Chamber with Extra Cell Number

包含多个额外细胞的苍蝇卵室

Starfish Embryo, Four Cell Stage

海星胚胎，四细胞阶段

Reakirt’s Blue Butterfly Egg on Pink Powderpuff Bud

粉红朱缨花蓓蕾上的蓝凤蝶卵

Echinoderm Embryo Undergoing Second Cleavage

正在经历第二次分裂的棘皮动物卵