“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)

Leanna Arcila, 7, is licked by Watson, a therapy dog with the Pawtucket police department, as she receives her COVID-19 vaccination from Dr. Eugenio Fernandez at Nathanael Greene Elementary School in Pawtucket, R.I., Tuesday, December 7, 2021. Even as the U.S. reaches a COVID-19 milestone of roughly 200 million fully-vaccinated people, infections and hospitalizations are spiking, including in highly-vaccinated pockets of the country like New England. (Photo by David Goldman/AP Photo)

A young Matachin dancer sits on a the side during the annual pilgrimage in honor of Mexico's patron saint the Virgin of Guadalupe in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, December 12, 2016. (Photo by Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters)

A girl dressed as the Virgin Mary poses for a photo during the Lantern Festival celebrating the eve of the nativity of the Virgin Mary in Ahuchapan, El Salvador September 7, 2016. (Photo by Jose Cabezas/Reuters)

A keeper feeds a four-week-old jaguar while presenting it to the media, at a zoo in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, October 14, 2015. (Photo by Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters)

A general view shows smoke and volcanic ashes billowing from volcano Cotopaxi in Pedregal, Ecuador, late 07 October 2015. (Photo by Jose Jacome/EPA)

An Oakland Raiders cheerleader performs during the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, October 27, 2013. (Photo by Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo)

A model presents a creation by Portuguese designer Alexandra Moura during the Portugal Fashion show in Porto, Portugal, 17 March 2019. (Photo by Jose Coelho/EPA/EFE)