Watch mesmerizing video of weird waves that 'shape life itself' inside a fly embryo

Mesmerizing microscopic footage showing "waves" inside a developing fly embryo has won the 14th annual Nikon Small World in Motion comPetition.

These "mitotic waves" occur during cell division as tissue forms and moves in the embryo of a fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster). Understanding this biological process in flies could help reveal the forces that build embryos across the animal kingdom. Many of these fundamental processes can go awry in humans, leading to neurological disorders, congenital defects and cancer.

"The beauty of basic research in biology is that what we learn in one organism is often applicable to others and has the potential to contribute to the understanding of human diseases," Bruno Vellutini, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany, who filmed the fly embryo, said in a statement.

Vellutini's video was chosen from among 370 entries as overall winner of the competition on Tuesday (Sept. 17).

He captured the film using light sheet microscopy, a technique in which a focused "sheet" of laser light illuminates a sample to produce high-resolution 3D images of living cells, tissues and organisms.

Vellutini's video shows cell division occurring in waves during fly embryogenesis — the process where a single-celled fertilized egg develops into a multicellular organism.

"Fruit fly embryos [that] are in our homes, developing in our kitchens and our trash bins, are undergoing the same processes as shown in the video. I believe the video is particularly impactful because it shows us how these fascinating cellular and tissue dynamics are happening every day, all around us — even in the most mundane living beings," Vellutini said.