Nature's Best Science Images of the Year Selection Page

On December 15th, the journal Nature announced its selection of the best science images for 2025. Among them, the "tattooed tardigrade" from the research team led by Professor Min Qiu at the School of Engineering, Westlake University, was chosen as one of the year's best images.

Icy ink.

Nature described the image as follows:

The "icy ink" refers to "ice lithography." In simple terms, "ice lithography" replaces the "photoresist" used in traditional photolithography processing with "ice." This "ice" can be everyday water ice or solids formed by the low-temperature condensation of organic molecules. The electron beam hits the ice layer, directly carving out an ice template, eliminating the need for the chemical reagent washing step required in traditional photolithography to form the mold, thereby avoiding the contamination associated with resist development.

In April of this year, Professor Min Qiu's team successfully achieved the in-situ fabrication of micro/nanoscale carbonaceous patterns on living biological surfaces using ice lithography. These patterns maintained excellent adhesion even after undergoing external actions like stretching, rinsing, and soaking. The research provides a new technical pathway for fields such as microbial sensing, bio-inspired devices, and living micro-robots, showcasing the immense potential of integrating micro/nano fabrication technology with biological science. The related research paper was published in Nano Letters and was selected for the journal's supplementary cover. Zhirong Yang, a Ph.D. candidate at the School of Engineering, Westlake University, is the first author of the article, with Researcher Ding Zhao and Professor Min Qiu serving as corresponding authors.

Previously, this "star" image was also selected as Nature's "Best Science Image" for April, featured as a web headline, and reported by 48 overseas science media outlets including Science, Discover Magazine,Phys.org, and Science Daily, as well as numerous domestic media outlets such as Guangming Daily, Science and Technology Daily, China Science Daily, and Zhejiang Daily.

(Image Placeholder: Science reports on "Tattooed Tardigrade")

(Image Placeholder: Guangming Daily reports on "Tattooed Tardigrade")

News Source:Official WeChat account of the School of Engineering (SOE), Westlake University.

Related Link:https://www.nature.com/immersive/d41586-025-03935-3/index.html