“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)

A white whale wears a wreath at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium-amusement park complex in Yokohama, Japan, on October 3, 2012. (Photo by Associated Press)

A baby otter has its first health checkup at Chester zoo, England on May 2, 2018. It was among five pups being weighed and microchipped. (Photo by Peter Byrne/PA Wire)

A villager carries wood while a blackbuck runs on a field near Bhetnoi village in Ganjam District, in the Indian eastearn state of Odisha on May 20, 2018. Villagers of Ganjam district due to their traditional religious belief consider blackbucks as incarnations of Lord Vishnu and harbingers of rain. (Photo by Asit Kumar/AFP Photo)

Cast member Bryce Dallas Howard poses at the premiere of the movie “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 12, 2018. (Photo by Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

Undated handout photo of members of Ballet Ireland during a photocall on Edinburgh's Calton Hill before taking part in the Edinburgh Festival 2018 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Issue date: Tuesday, August 7, 2018. (Photo by Julie Howden/Culture Ireland/PA Wire)

An Egyptian boy holds a camel at the Berqash camel market northeast of Cairo, on August 17, 2018. Muslims across the world are preparing for the Eid al-Adha holiday when custom requires the faithful to make a sacrifice. (Photo by Khaled Desouki/AFP Photo)

A guest arrives before the Blumarine show during Milan Fashion Week Spring 2019 in Milan, Italy, September 21, 2018. (Photo by Stefano Rellandini/Reuters)