“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)

Mark Trotter and Luke Thompson of New Zealand compete in the Senior Prearranged Sparring on the final day of the 2011 ITF Taekwon-Do World Championships at TSB Bank Arena on March 13, 2011 in Wellington, New Zealand.

A performer is covered in chocolate sauce at the Notting Hill Carnival on August 28, 2011 in London, England. The annual carnival, which is the largest of it's kind in Europe and is expected to attract around 1 million revellers, has taken place every August Bank Holiday since 1966. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

Model Adriana Lima attends the 2011 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show After Party at Dream Downtown on November 9, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Getty Images)

Clown/comedian/filmmaker Pierre Etaix attends The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences' Presents “Pierre Etaix: The Laughter Returns” at AMPAS Samuel Goldwyn Theater on November 16, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Valerie Macon/Getty Images)

Harry Sprinkle eats a meal at St. John's Bread and Life, a free meal service, on December 23, 2011 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. St. John's Bread and Life serves approximately 2,200 meals per day; the organization has existed since 1982. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

Mt.Huanshan, or Mount Hua is one of the five sacred mountains in China. The other four are Taishan in Shandong, Songshan in Henan, Hengshan in Shanxi and Hengshan in Hunan.
Mt. Huashan is reputed as the most precipitous of the five.

The Hawksbill Crag, also known as Whitaker Point, is located along the northern edge of the Upper Buffalo Wilderness in the Ozark National Forest, just south of the Buffalo National River. It is easily one of the most photograped and recognizable features in Arkansas, and is often seen on publications depicting the outdoors in Arkansas. The hike to it is an easy 3.0 mile round trip, and offers scenic vistas, huge boulders, beautiful waterfalls and colorful wildflowers.