Tiny Beauties: Visions From Under the Microscope

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The folks at Olympus know a thing or two about what makes a pretty picture. One thing they appreciate is that the most striking images are often the ones that are too small to see. That’s why they sponsor the Olympus BioScapes Digital Imaging competition, soliciting photographs captured under the microscope by competitors from around the world. Of the thousands of images they received in 2012, they chose 10 winners. The first place finisher receives either an Olympus microscope or camera equipment, both valued at $5,000. The rest of us get some of the most improbably beautiful sights we’d otherwise never hope to see.

Honorable Mention: Soldier Fly
Honorable Mention: Soldier Fly Laurie Knight—Olympus Bioscapes
Honorable Mention: Mouse retina.
Honorable Mention: Mouse retina.Michael Bridge
Honorable Mention: Mahogany wood
Honorable Mention: Mahogany wood Stefan Eberhard—Olympus Bioscapes
Honorable Mention: Pollen grains in the flower shaft of a hazel plant.
Honorable Mention: Pollen grains in the flower shaft of a hazel plant.Michael Gibson—Olympus Bioscapes
Honorable Mention: The bristle-like appendage of an amphipod—or type of marine crustacean. The bristles serve as a sort of fishing net for plankton.
Honorable Mention: The bristle-like appendage of an amphipod—or type of marine crustacean. The bristles serve as a sort of fishing net for plankton.Dr. Igor Siwanowicz—Olympus Bioscapes
10th place: Scales on a butterfly wing
10th place: Scales on a butterfly wingCharles Krebs
9th place: The seed of a Delphinium plant
9th place: The seed of a Delphinium plantDr. Sahar Khodaverdi / Olympus Bioscapes
8th place: Henbit, an annual plant that is sometimes regarded as a weed.
8th place: Henbit, an annual plant that is sometimes regarded as a weed.Mr. Edwin Lee—Olympus Bioscapes
7th place: A portion of the brain of a fruit fly in the larva stage, with visual lobes included.
7th place: A portion of the brain of a fruit fly in the larva stage, with visual lobes included.Dr. Christian Klämbt and Dr. Imke Schmidt—Olympus Bioscapes
6th place: Live mushroom coral
6th place: Live mushroom coral James Nicholson—Olympus Bioscapes
5th place: A one-celled green alga photographed in a lake sample.
5th place: A one-celled green alga photographed in a lake sample.Rogelio Moreno Gill—Olympus Bioscapes
4th place: Claw of a crustacean
4th place: Claw of a crustaceanDr. Christian Sardet and Mr. Sharif Mirshak—Olympus Bioscapes
3rd place: A common east-coast U.S. fern
3rd place: A common east-coast U.S. fernDr.Igor Siwanowicz—Olympus Bioscapes
2nd place: Red algae
2nd place: Red algaeDr. Arlene Wechezak—Olympus Bioscapes
1st place: A freshwater microorganism known as a rotifer
1st place: A freshwater microorganism known as a rotiferRalph Grimm—Olympus Bioscapes

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