“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 woman poses next to a giant mining truck at the entrance of the Dakar Rally camp in Calama, Chile. The truck operates in copper mines near the city. (Photo by Victor R. Caivano/Associated Press)

Amanda Carroll from Crumlin and Chloe Morgan from Finglas at the Forbidden Fruit Festival at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin, Ireland on June 3, 2023. (Photo by Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie)

A member of indigenous peoples and organizations linked to indigenous movements are holding a demonstration in the center of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, 30 May 2023. Indigenous people protested against a bill that is being processed in Congress that could make it difficult to demarcate native lands. (Photo by Raphael Alves/EPA/EFE)

Cars drive under a rainbow near Bad Langensalza, Germany, Wednesday, November 2, 2016. (Photo by Jens Meyer/AP Photo)

Alex Sun, left, Peter Simplicio and Matt Connelly jump through a hole in the ice into Lake Andrews on the Bates College campus, Friday, February 9, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. The annual Bates College Puddle jump started 50 years ago as a Winter Carnival tradition. (Photo by Andree Kehn/AP Photo)

Performers during the New Year's Day Parade in London on Monday, January 1, 2024. (Photo by Victoria Jones/PA Images via Getty Images)

A skater jumps through a ring of fire at the La Bodega Skate facilities as part of one of the Vans contests to showcase the top street skaters in Europe on September 16, 2023 in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. (Photo by Juan Carlos Toro/Getty Images)