Participants of the “Lady in red“ procession, marking the day of the Summer Solstice, walk on a promenade of the Yenisei River in Krasnoyarsk, Russia on June 22, 2019. (Photo by Ilya Naymushin/Reuters)

With its huge eyes, comical name and diminutive size, Mark R. Smith’s image of a baby Hawaiian bobtail squid can’t help but raise a smile. A curiously endearing creature, the cephalopod is just 1.5cm across, its mantle cavity bearing more than a passing resemblance to a rather natty shower cap. But it is also a beautiful example of symbiosis – nature’s version of “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine” – for on the underside of the squid is a light organ which houses bioluminescent bacteria. The squid offers the bacteria protection and food, while the bacteria emit a glow – a handy trait that the squid uses to offset its silhouette, helping it to evade predators in the depths below. Mark R. Smith’s entry combines several images of a Hawaiian bobtail squid with different focus lengths to create a final picture with greater depth of field than normal. (Photo by Mark R. Smith/Wellcome Images/Macroscopic Solutions)

Marina performs on stage at O2 Apollo Manchester on May 10, 2019 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Andrew Benge/Redferns)

A postman walks past an art work titled “Alphabetti Spaghett” by artist Alex Chinneck on Norborough Road in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England on September 26, 2019. (Photo by Danny Lawson/PA Images via Getty Images)

Transgender actress Aubrey Banks presents a creation from the CHULO underwear collection ahead of CHULO founder and lead designer Ricardo Muniz during the New York Fashion Week, in a show that raised money for transgender and cisgender young women victims of violence, in New York, U.S. February 7, 2019. (Photo by Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

Omar Proeza, dressed as Wolverine, proposes marriage to Victoria Nauri, dressed as Beast during a Comic Con in Caracas, Venezuela on November 17, 2024. (Photo by Gaby Oraa/Reuters)

A boat transports Pirarucu fish to a processing ship, in the San Raimundo settlement lake, in Carauari, Brazil, Tuesday, September 6, 2022, published November 3. The giant fish not so long ago nearly vanished. The illegal and unsustainable fishing left river and Indigenous communities struggling to catch their staple food. (Photo by Jorge Saenz/AP Photo)

People jump into a swimming pool seeking relief from the summer heat, in Sanaa, Yemen on August 7, 2025. (Photo by Khaled Abdullah/Reuters)