“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 biker shows his 12-year-old cat “Chiquinho” – which always rides with him on his motorbike – in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 19, 2016. (Photo by Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP Photo)

Olivia Love-Hatlestad of Grayslake, IL., stands during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 26, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Philadelphia, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Democratic National Convention kicked off July 25. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Kylie Jenner shows off a lot of cleavage in these new photos added to her Snapchat account on Thursday, August 25, 2016. Something that a lot of the 19-year-old reality star's fans pointed out was that her breasts looked larger than normal and she took to Twitter to explain why. Kylie said that she has “never” gotten her breasts done and that they look large because “it's that time of the month”. She even offered to let a fan feel them to prove that they are real! “They will deflate soon. And it will be a sad sad day”, Kylie added. (Photo by Scope Features)

Meanwhile, over on Portobello beach, members of the Upsala circus take a stroll before their fringe debut, Ping-Pong Ball Effect in Edinburgh, England on August 1, 2017. (Photo by Murdo Macleod/The Guardian)

“Be prepared” is the motto of petite Doris Sherrell, vocalist and dancer with “Blackouts of 1942”. In the event of a bombing, the young lady had her social security number tattooed on one leg by artist Jack Julian, and address placed on the other limb for means of identification in Los Angeles, September 29, 1942. (Photo by AP Photo)

Policemen detain topless activists of women's rights group Femen, who stage a performance during a protest against Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and the government while marking the Day of Dignity and Freedom near the presidential administration headquarters in Kiev, Ukraine November 21, 2017. (Photo by Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)

Elizabeth Mills jumps in front of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) sign at National Harbor, Md., February 23, 2018. (Photo by Joshua Roberts/Reuters)