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.
Olympus BioScapes Competition Winners 2012
20121GrimmFirstPlaceLarger(01 of10)
Open Image ModalRalph Grimm, Colonial rotifers movie, 1st Prize
20122Wechezakdiatoms(02 of10)
Open Image ModalArlene Wechezak, Red algae Scagelia, 2nd Prize
20123Siwanowiczsporangiaparaphyses(03 of10)
Open Image ModalIgor Siwanowicz, Fern sporangia andparaphyses 3rd Prize
20124SardetClawcrustacean(04 of10)
Open Image ModalChristian Sardet and Sharif Mirshak, claw of crustacean Amphipode Phronima sp., 4th prize
20125MorenoGillMicrasterias(05 of10)
Open Image ModalRogelio Moreno Gill, unicellular green alga Micrasterias, 5th prize.
20126NicholsonCoral(06 of10)
Open Image ModalJames Nicholson, live mushroom coral Fungia, 6th prize
20127Klambt(07 of10)
Open Image ModalChristian Klämbt and Imke Schmidt, beta-tubulin expression of a Drosophila third instar larval brain, with attached eye imaginal discs, 7th prize
20128LeeHenbitAnthersFilaments(08 of10)
Open Image ModalEdwin Lee, Henbit stamens anthers and filaments, 8th prize
20129KhodaverdiDelphiniumseed(09 of10)
Open Image ModalSahar Khodaverdi, Delphinium seed, 9th prize
201210Krebs(10 of10)
Open Image ModalCharles Krebs, Butterfly Panacea prola wing scales, 10th Prize