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#Repost///@nature_the_journal: Gut flora. It turns out that under a microscope, our colons are unexpectedly beautiful. The blue ‘flowers’ are colonic crypts — deep pockets in the colon tissue lining. This image was taken by Lucy Holland, who studies Hirschsprung’s disease at University College London. People with this genetic condition are born with some nerve cells missing in their large intestine, which leaves to severe abdominal pain and obstructions in the bowel. The photo is the winner of an image competition run by Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. “Perhaps the most exciting part of being a scientist is when the routine laboratory work leads to moments of unexpected wonder,” said Holland in a press statement.⁠⁠For more of March's sharpest science images selected by Nature’s photo team, click the link in our bio.⁠⁠📸 Lucy Holland/Great Ormond Street Hospital⁠⁠#ImagesOfTheMonth #Science #SciencePhotography #SciencePhoto #NatureMagazine #NatureImagesOfTheMonth #Microscopy #Photography