A woman reacts after performing Otonamaki, which translates as “adult wrapping”, a new form of therapy where people are wrapped in large swaddling cloth to alleviate posture problems and stiffness, at a session in Asaka, Saitama prefecture, Japan, February 4, 2017. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)

Malian workers haul out a boat they use to carry sand collected from the river bed during a routine maintenance on October 7, 2018, in the port of Bamako. Increasing construction in the Malian capital has boosted the demand for bricks made out of high-quality Niger River sand. (Photo by Michele Cattani/AFP Photo)

Miners pulling up lazy tourists to the rim of Kawah Ijen (Ijen Volcano), East Java, Indonesia on September 21, 2017. They will earn as much as they would bring down a load of sulfur. Nomadic Explorer, Cultural Lifestyle Photographer Claudio Sieber captured striking images of miners working at Ijen volcanic range in East Java, Indonesia. The sulphur miners risk their lives daily as they climb the active volcano carrying heavy loads, which they sell to sugar refineries. (Photo by Claudio Sieber/Barcroft Images)

An oversized, prehistoric praying mantis wreaks havoc in a freeway underpass as it overturns cars and trucks, in a film still from “The Deadly Mantis”, directed by Nathan Juran, 1957. (Photo by Universal Pictures/Courtesy of Getty Images)

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)

Hanging bird cages are displayed on poles during a bird-singing contest in the Rueso district in Thailand's southern province of Narathiwat on March 23, 2014. Hundreds of bird owners from Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore took part in the traditional contest held every year. (Photo by Madaree Tohlala/AFP Photo)

Circus artists perform at the International Circus Show started in Avenue Habib Bourguiba in Tunis, Tunisia on June 23, 2022. (Photo by Yassine Gaidi/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)