The moon rising above the Forth Rail Bridge in The Firth of Forth from North Queensferry, England on July 16, 2019. (Photo by South West News Service)

“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)

Jedi Ambassador of The Chicago Jedi, Dan McCann, 56, standing in his window in Chicago, Illinois on May 3, 2020. Normally, Dan would be preparing for The Galactic Battle For Chi-Town, a yearly mock Lightsaber battle in Chicago, which this year is being done via selfies shared over Facebook due to Illinois and Chicago's Stay At Home order. (Photo by Chris Riha/ZUMA Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

California “weed nun” Christine Meeusen, 57, (R), and India Delgado, who goes by the name Sister Eevee, smoke a joint at Sisters of the Valley near Merced, California, April 18, 2017. (Photo by Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)

Robot pianist Teo Tronico performs at the World Robot Conference (WRC) 2017 at Etrong International Exhibition & Convention Center on August 22, 2017 in Beijing, China. The World Robot Conference 2017 is held from August 23 to 27 in Beijing. (Photo by Liu Guanguan/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)

A lady is seen posing for pictures with Tom and Jerry at a Tom and Jerry Exhibition in Taipei, Taiwan on January 4, 2022, as Covid situation remains stable in Taiwan. The exhibition of Tom and Jerry, which is a traditional and world renowned American animation of the entertainment Warner Brothers, will last until 28 Feb 2022. (Photo by Daniel Ceng Shou-Yi/ZUMA Press Wire/Alamy Live News)

A woman with a large cross decorated with a Jesus figure during the use of water cannons by the police after heterogeneous groups around Corona deniers, conspiracy theorists and right-wing extremists called for blocking access to German Government Buildings in Berlin, Germany on November 18, 2020. Both the Bundestag and the Bundesrat vote on planned new regulations of the infection protection law. (Photo by Jan Scheunert/ZUMA Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Surrender by Jenkin Van Zyl, a surreal installation at Fact Liverpool on November 16, 2023 featuring film and sculptural works inside a large inflatable silver rat. (Photo by James Glossop/The Times)