From quick hits to deep dives, this Mashable series cuts through the noise to explain what on Earth is going on and what you should know about it.

Each year, the Nikon Small World In Motion competition showcases compelling microscopic videos that reveal detailed pictures of entire worlds hidden within our own.

The winner of the 2024 edition is a captivating video showing mitotic waves in the embryo of a fruit fly (drosophila melanogaster). Captured by Dr. Bruno Vellutini of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, the video allows us to see the dynamic processes of fly embryogenesis, crucial for uncovering genetic pathways that are similar to those in humans and other mammals. This means that Vellutini's work could aid research into cancer and birth defects, and potential treatment development.

But we have a few more favourites, which you'll see in the above video. Someone make a tardigrade emoji, please.