A member of Sisters of the Valley, a non-religious international group founded in 2014 which has pledged to spread the gospel of the healing powers of cannabis, who uses the moniker “Sister Bernardet” online and asked not to give her name for fear of reprisal, smokes a joint at the Sisters of the Valley's farm on the outskirts of a village in central Mexico on September 3, 2023. (Photo by Raquel Cunha/Reuters)

“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 picture taken with a drones shows Kayakers make use of the current that flows over a dike in the flood plains of the Waal river, with the Waal bridge of Nijmegen in the background in Lent, the Netherlands, 04 February 2021. The heavy rainfall and snow melt in southern Germany has caused a significant rise in the water level in various places in the Netherlands. (Photo by Robin Van Lonkhuijsen/EPA/EFE)

A picture taken with a drone shows the giant landart painting entitled “Message From Future” by French artist Saype in the park “La Perle du Lac” in Geneva, Switzerland, 16 September 2018 (issued 17 September). The artwork covering 5,000 square meters was produced with biodegradable paints made from natural pigments. The artist called the little girl “Future” as a symbol of the generations from the future and the small origami boats that she drops into Lake Geneva aims to represent a message of hope sent to the world. (Photo by Valentin Flauraud/EPA/EFE)

Women Wrestlers, Bolivia. Lucha libre (Bolivian wrestling) is one of the most popular sports in the country. Women wrestlers are known as cholitas and have in the last ten years become popular in the sport. Here, Carmen Rosa and Yulia la Pacena perform in a benefit show to raise money for the bathrooms of a school in La Paz, Bolivia, 26 June 2011. (Photo by Daniele Tamagni)

The Enemy, 1944. With the outbreak of world war two, photojournalism was enlisted in defence of Mother Russia. In this photo by Anatoli Egorov, who was wounded in action, corporal Stepan Vasiljevich Ovcharenko shoots at enemy troops with a machine gun. (Photo by Anatoli Egorov/Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography)

An aerial drone photo shows a view of the Wujiangzhai scenic spot in Zunyi, southwest China's Guizhou Province, March 14, 2024. The Wujiangzhai scenic spot, with its natural landscape and local folk customs, offers a blend of sightseeing, leisure activities and exhibitions, making it a popular destination for tourists. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Incredible drone image capture colourful water lilies being harvested in An Giang Province, Vietnam, Southeast Asia on September 2020. Water lilies are an iconic symbol in the Mekong Delta and the flowers are immediately sent to market before landing on meal tables. Their stalks are edible and can be eaten raw with either fermented paste or braised sauce, or dunked into sour soup or hotpot. (Photo by Nguyen Sanh Quoc Huy/Triangle News)