The sun streaks through the fall foliage at sunrise along the Potomac River in Arlington, Va., Wednesday, November 4, 2015 on a warm fall day in the nation's Capitol area. (Photo by J. David Ake/AP Photo)

“Microscope images forge an extraordinary bond between science and art, said Hidenao Tsuchiya, Olympus America's Vice President and General Manager for the Scientific Equipment Group. We founded this competition to focus on the fascinating stories coming out of today's life science research laboratories. The thousands of images that people have shared with the competition over the years reflect some of the most exciting work going on in research today – work that can help shed light on the living universe and ultimately save lives. We look at BioScapes and these beautiful images as sources of education and inspiration to us and the world”. – OlympusBioScapes

Photo: Pretarsus of the third leg of a female drone fly (Eristalis tenax), ventral view, by Dr. Jan Michels, Institute of Zoology, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Germany. (Photo by Olympus BioScapes)

Rita Ora is seen filming her music video “Anywhere” in the Meat Packing District on October 5, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Splash News and Pictures)

Thailand’s Sanctuary of Truth is an all-wood building filled with sculptures based on traditional Buddhist and Hindu motifs. It is covered in intricate wood carvings, meant to depict complex ideas about ancient thought, human responsibility, and the cycle of life. (Photo by Yury Taranik/Getty Inages)

A man looks at kebabs cooking on the street side in Rawalpindi, Pakistan October 2, 2017. (Photo by Caren Firouz/Reuters)

A Sphynx cat at the 2017 Grand Prix Royal Canin international cat show at the Crocus Expo Exhibition Centre in Moscow, Russia on December 2, 2017. (Photo by Sergei Savostyanov/TASS/Barcroft Images)

School teachers and staff members take part during an active shooter training at James I. O'Neill High School in Highland Falls, New York, U.S., December 12, 2017. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

Two and a half year-old Jennifer Martin in tears during a visit to Santa at Harrods department store in London, 10th December 1949. (Photo by William Vanderson/Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)