Five winning images of scientists at work

From the sky, the algal blooms on Dog Lake in Ontario, Canada, look like abstract art, swirling as creatures and objects pass by. But from a boat, it’s a different reality. Microcystis aeruginosa and Dolichospermum flos-aquae — two algal species common to Canada — create a “toxic, vile smelling layer of rot” on the lake each summer, according to Haolun ‘Allen’ Tian, a PhD student at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. The thick green bloom kills fish and clogs water supplies. …