Olympus BioScapes 2012: Microscopic Images Depict The Alien World Of The Very Small (PICTURES)

PICS: Award Winning Microscopic Images Depict The Alien World Of The Very Small

They might look like aliens from another world - or a science fiction movie. But the winners of the Olympus BioScapes Imaging Competition are actually all images of everyday living things - including you and me.

The competition is one of the world's premier awards for microscopic pictures and video of humans, plants and animals.

The winner this year was actually a video clip taken by Ralph Grimm, a teacher from Jimboomba, Australia, which shows the "super-fast movements of tiny animals whose hair-like cilia beat constantly to sweep food into their mouths".

The clip even captures the internal organs of the rotifers found on a lily leaf in Grimm's pond.

There were 10 recipients of the award, with another 62 honourable mentions.

Take a look at the best of them, below.

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Olympus BioScapes Competition Winners 2012

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