“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)

There are so many little, seemingly simple, yet ingenious things that make our life so much simpler. Take scotch tape for example. It’s just a roll of thin plastic film that is sticky on one side, yet how much simpler it made the packaging process of various goods! However, the removal of scotch tape, now there is a problem. Unless you have something sharp, it’s nearly impossible to tear it. To combat this, a brand new product has come out. Rip cord tape – is a regular scotch tape combined with a rip cord. The manufacturer of this product claims that it will make the removal of scotch tape much easier. However, when we look at the pictures, we realize, that yes, the rip cord will remove the middle of the scotch tape; however, the sides will remain in place! This will once again present a problem during the removal process.

Female Competitors pose onstage during the annual Mr. Korea competition on July 7, 2004 in Seoul South Korea. Mr. Korea, organized by the National Body Builder's Association, is one of the biggest bodybuilding competitions in Asia. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

The expertly colourised shots were brought to life by French bank technician, Frédéric Duriez (51). The images were provided by the Valois collection which belongs to the BDIC. “By colourising these photos, I reduce the time that separates us today from this conflict”, said Frédéric. Here: Car cannon sections in firing position, Auxi-le-Château. (Photo by Frédéric Duriez/BDIC/Mediadrumworld.com)

“Echus Chasma is a chasma in the Lunae Planum high plateau north of the Valles Marineris canyon system of Mars. Clay has been found in Echus Chasma that means that water once sat there for a time. Echus Chasma is approximately 100 km long and 10 km wide, with valleys ranging in depth from around 1 km to 4 km”. – Wikipedia

Photo: In this handout image supplied by the European Space Agency (ESA) on July 16, 2008, The Echus Chasma, one of the largest water source regions on Mars, is pictured from ESA's Mars Express. The data was acquired on September 25, 2005. The dark material shows a network of light-coloured, incised valleys that look similar to drainage networks known on Earth. It is still debated whether the valleys originate from precipitation, groundwater springs or liquid or magma flows on the surface. (Photo by ESA via Getty Images)

Sepak Takraw – ISTAF Super Series Korea 2014-15 – Gunsan City, South Korea April 26, 2015: Thailand's Fueangfa (L) in action during the final. (Photo by Jeremy Lee/Reuters)

Garbage pickers collect ride on donkey cart while looking for recyclable materials at a rubbish dump in the outskirts of Baghdad, Iraq, August 23, 2016. Despite its huge untapped oil and gas reserves and steadily rising oil output and revenue, 23 percent of the population live below the poverty line, according to the Ministry of Planning. (Photo by Khalid al Mousily/Reuters)

A U.S. army soldier exercises in front of a M270A1 multiple launch rocket system as they prepare for a live-fire training exercise of the 6-37th Field Artillery Regiment at a training area near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, in Cheorwon, South Korea, March 9, 2016. (Photo by Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters)