People in Kathmandu joke that the face mask has now become part of the national dress – an indispensable accessory in an effort to protect themselves from the dust. Nepal has the worst air quality in the world, according to the Environmental Performance Index. (Photo by Pete Pattisson/The Guardian)

Runner-up; Hon Yen marine ecosystem. Phu Yen, Vietnam. Every year between May and August, the coral of this rich and diverse ecosystem becomes exposed at low tide. (Photo by Truong Hoai Vu/Royal Society of Biology Photography Competition)

Vinaya Vijay, right, and Vijay Parthasarathy wade through water at Badwater Basin, Thursday, February 22, 2024, in Death Valley National Park, Calif. The basin, normally a salt flat, has filled from rain over the past few months. (Photo by John Locher/AP Photo)

Lightning streaks across the skies over the coastal port city of Batroun, some 43km north of the Lebanese capital Beirut on December 6, 2023. (Photo by Ibrahim Chalhoub/AFP Photo)

People look at a collection of vintage cars during the Expo Transporte event at the Francisco de Miranda Air Base in Caracas on December 7, 2025. (Photo by Juan Barreto/AFP Photo)

On Dale A. Browne’s first trip to Yellowstone, he “got the best shot” he’d ever taken after chasing this weasel for 30 minutes. The trip for the 58-year-old from Manassas, Va., was a gift from his wife and an opportunity to improve his photography skills with the help of guide and professional photographer Tom Murphy. (Murphy did not assist in the taking of this photo). (Photo by Dale A. Browne)

A runner dressed as Spiderman poses before the annual “Sao Silvestre Run”, an international race through the streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil on December 31, 2021. (Photo by Carla Carniel/Reuters)

A woman steers her stand-up paddle board using an umbrella as a sail at Ladoga lake near the city of Olonets, 300 kilometers (186 miles) north-east of St. Petersburg, Russia, Friday, July 22, 2022. (Photo by Dmitri Lovetsky/AP Photo)