WALTHAM, Mass., Dec. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- From algae to zebrafish, amazing glimpses of the unseen universe viewed through microscopes earned top prizes this week in the 2014 Olympus BioScapes Digital Imaging Competition®, the world's foremost forum for showcasing microscope images of life science subjects. William Lemon, Fernando Amat and Philipp Keller of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Janelia Research Campus in Ashburn, Va. earned First Prize for a fascinating video in which a trembling ball of cells turns into a fully developed fly larva that actually starts to crawl off screen by the movie's end. It was selected from among nearly 2,500 entries to earn $5,000 worth of Olympus equipment. The winning team is donating its prize to the Children's Science Center, a new museum that will be opening in Northern Virginia in 2015.
Art meets Science! Visit: OlympusBioScapes.com for awesome microscope images!
GEARING UP: Gears exist in nature! These are part of an insect. Planthopper nymph gears, Igor Siwanowicz, 9th prize, 2014 Olympus BioScapes Competition. To see art and science as viewed through microscopes, click on the Olympus BioScapes Winners' Gallery below right.
A RAT'S BRAIN IS A THING OF BEAUTY! Rat cerebellum, Thomas Deerinck, Second Prize, 2014 Olympus BioScapes Competition. To view more cool life science microscope images and movies, click on the Olympus BioScapes Winners' Gallery below right.
ON THE FLY: Watch a fruit fly larva develop from a ball of cells to where it starts to crawl off screen! William Lemon, Fernando Amat and Philipp Keller, First Prize, 2014 Olympus BioScapes Competition. For this movie and more, click on the Olympus BioScapes Winners' Gallery below right.
MOTH MOUTH: A vampire moth’s mouthparts showing the tearing hooks that help the moth get blood when feeding. Matthew Lehnert and Ashley Lash, Eighth Prize, 2014 Olympus BioScapes Competition. For amazing microscope photos and movies, click on the Olympus BioScapes Winners' Gallery below right.
Celebrating its 11th year, the Olympus BioScapes Competition is the world's premier platform for honoring images and movies of human, plant and animal subjects as captured through light microscopes. Images of any life science subject are eligible. Entries are judged based on the science they depict, their beauty or impact, and the technical expertise involved in capturing them. Entrants can use any brand of microscope. In addition to the Top 10 award-winning recipients, 62 Honorable Mentions and one Technical Merit Award were distributed this year. Winners come from 14 states of the U.S. and 21 other nations, and nine of the honorees were movies.
"Olympus BioScapes sheds light on the importance of research and draws attention to the amazing intersection of science and art," said Hidenao Tsuchiya, Chairman of Olympus Scientific Solutions Americas, part of Olympus Corporation. "These movies and images have spurred public interest in and support of microscopy, drawn attention to the vital work that goes on in laboratories worldwide, and inspired young people to seek careers in science."
A selection of images and movies will be displayed in museum tours traveling the U.S. next year. The 2014 winners' tour is sponsored by Olympus in cooperation with Scientific American.
About Olympus Olympus is an international precision technology leader operating in life science, industrial, medical, academic and consumer markets, specializing in optics, electronics, and precision engineering. For more information, visit www.olympusamerica.com.
Share this article