People are often fascinated by things that baffle them. For example, Livia Marin creates porcelain pottery that looks as if it has partially melted. This pottery might serve little purpose, yet it is definitely a curious thing to have in your house. This set of pictures shows off her “Nomad Patterns” series of deformed vases, pitchers, and teacups. The most appealing thing about these pieces of art is that the patterns on the “melted” parts are as beautiful as on the rest of the pottery. (Photo by Livia Marin)

Elodie Katze, co-owner of Wild Pole Studio, performs a trick on a pole as students look on during a class at the pole dancing studio Wild Pole in Paris, France, on March 26, 2024. (Photo by Benoit Tessier/Reuters)

16-year-old panda, Ye Ye, rests in an enclosure at the Wolong Nature Reserve, a conservation center that trains pandas for release into the wild. This image was published in the August 2016 National Geographic magazine as part of the “Pandas Gone Wild” story. (Photo by Ami Vitale/National Geographic Creative)

A small series by illustration Alex Solis remembering those things that used to rule the world.

UK Love Island's Maura Higgins attends the Pretty Little Thing X Molly-Mae party at Rosso on September 01, 2019 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Splash News and Pictures)

American actress and model Bella Thorne shows off her wild manicure in the second decade of November 2022. (Photo by bellathorne/Instagram)

Spanish model Eugenia Silva attends a red carpet for the movie “Poor Things” at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 01, 2023 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Yara Nardi/Reuters)

A participant of the Wild Sau Dirt Run 2015 passes a mud barrier in Obertriesting, Lower Austria, Austria, Saturday, April 4, 2015. The Wild Sau Dirt Run is a cross country and steeplechase race for men and women over the distances of 5, 10 and 20 kilometers (3.1, 6.2 and 12.4 miles). (Photo by Ronald Zak/AP Photo)