The photography team at the scientific journal Nature has published its selection of the best science images of October 2026. Among them are striking photographs of a tardigrade shedding its skin, a mouse retina, and a grieving elephant mother.

The collection also includes videos, such as one demonstrating the mechanics of how a bee’s stinger injects venom into a model of human skin.

Link to the images of the month: See a tardigrade shed its skin — October’s best science images