“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 British Army Rolls Royce armoured car outside the Royal Ulster Constabulary police station on York Street in Belfast following riots after an Orange Order parade. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images). 20th June 1935

A group of Japanese schoolgirls marching in formation during a school visit to the third regiment to experience the soldier's way of life. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images). Circa 1938

Volunteers carry an idol of the Hindu elephant god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, in a pond for its immersion during the ten-day-long Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India, September 18, 2015. During the festival, the idols will be taken through the streets in a procession accompanied by dancing and singing, and will be immersed in a river or the sea in accordance with the Hindu faith. (Photo by Shailesh Andrade/Reuters)

A model presents a creation by designer Nadir Tati, as part of her Summer 2016 collection, during Lisbon Fashion Week, Portugal, October 11, 2015. (Photo by Rafael Marchante/Reuters)

A model wears a creation by Peruvian designer Jessica Butrich during Lima Fashion Week, LIF Week Summer 15-16 in Lima October 28, 2015. (Photo by Mariana Bazo/Reuters)

Pro-Russian activists attack policemen guarding the burned trade union building in the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa on May 3, 2014. More than 30 people were killed in a “criminal” blaze in Ukraine's southern city of Odessa, as violence spread across the country during the bloodiest day since Kiev's Western-backed government took power. Ukraine's interior ministry said at least 31 people had died in the fire Friday, with local media reporting that pro-Russian militants were believed to have been in the burning building at the time. (Photo by Anatolii Stepanov/AFP Photo)

Tibetan boys dressed in traditional attire take part during a function organised by the Tibetan Refugee Community in Nepal,commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize conferment to exiled Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama and the 66th International Human Rights Day in Kathmandu December 10, 2014. Nepal ceased issuing refugee papers to Tibetans in 1989 and recognizes Tibet to be a part of China. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)