“There are over 680 documented species of the sac fungus genus Ophiocordyceps, and one of the best known of these is Ophiocordyceps sinensis, colloquially known as caterpillar fungus. The fungus is known in Tibetan as yartsa gunbu or yatsa gunbu. O. sinensis is known in the West as a medicinal mushroom and its use has a long history in Traditional Chinese medicine as well as Traditional Tibetan medicine. The highly valuable fungus-caterpillar combination is hand-collected and is used as an aphrodisiac and as a treatment for a variety of ailments from fatigue to cancer”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Nomads dig for Chinese caterpillar fungus from a mountain May 25, 2007 in Guide County, Hainan Prefecture, Qinghai Province, China. Nomads can earn about 2,000 yuan to 5,000 yuan (about U.S. $260 to $653 ) through their work during the fifty-day Chinese caterpillar fungus gathering season. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)

Azat Shajbyrov reacts with a baby falcon on his head in a village of Bokonbaevo, Issyk-Kul area (270 km from Bishkek), Kyrgyzstan, 22 June 2016, as he dreams of continuing a family tradition of golden eagle hunting. Eagle and falcon hunting is an old Kyrgyz tradition. With their birds, Kyrgyz berkutchy hunt in the mountains and participate in the hunting festival “Salburun”. (Photo by Igor Kovalenko/EPA)

Model Amanda Kaspor of Highland, Michigan poses with the CT&T e-Zone Plus electric car is displayed during the press preview for the world automotive media North American International Auto Show at the Cobo Center January 12, 2010 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Bryan Mitchell/Getty Images)

A Sponge Bob Square Pants character is helped up a flight of stairs during the 2013 London Toy Fair at Olympia Exhibition Centre on January 22, 2013 in London, England. The annual fair which is organised by the British Toy and Hobby Association, brings together toy manufacturers and retailers from around the world. (Photo by Dan Kitwood)

“GoPro is a brand of the privately owned San Mateo, California company Woodman Labs that features “wearable” camera/camcorders such as helmet cameras that are targeted at adventure video/photography. Widely used by professionals and hobbyists”. – Wikipedia. Photo: “Skydiving fun in Miami by Ralph Turner. This is a shot I took yesterday at Skydive Miami during a fun jump with friend Dexter Marcelino”. (Photo by Ralph Turner)

Most people know Nikon as a purveyor of pro and consumer-grade digital cameras. But the company's expertise with optics bleeds over into related markets – it's one of the science community's major suppliers of microscopes. And each year the company asks the community to send it some of their favorite images of tiny objects. A panel of scientists and journalists have chosen the best of this past year's submissions, which Nikon has placed on its Small World site.

Photo: Honorable Mention. “Snow crystal, illuminated with colored lights (5x)”. (Photo by Dr. Kenneth Libbrecht, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Department of Physics, Pasadena, California, USA)

A silicon rug in the form of Adolph Hitler on display during an exhibition by Israeli artist Boaz Arad, at the Center for Contemporary Art February 22, 2007 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Arad is an Israeli artist who is dealing with the Holocaust in a provocative way. He uses the Holocaust to discuss human evil and contemporary Israel, which he says is torn and crumbling. (Photo by David Silverman/Getty Images)

Elephants feast on fruits and vegetables during the elephant buffet prior to the start of the 2016 King's Cup Elephant Polo event in Bangkok, Thailand, 10 March 2016. The annual charity event, now in its 14th edition, runs until 13 March and will involve 18 elephants brought from tourist trekking camps in Pattaya as well as some unemployed in Surin. A total of 10 teams encompassing over 40 players will take part in the event directed at raising funds to improve the lives of elephants and elephant conservation. (Photo by Diego Azubel/EPA)