Orthodox Christian pilgrims from Abkhazia walk along the Via Dolorosa (Way of Suffering), during the Good Friday procession in Jerusalem's old city on April 29, 2016. Thousands of pilgrims took part in processions along the route where, according to tradition, Jesus carried the cross during his last days. (Photo by Gali Tibbon/AFP Photo)

An idol of Hindu goddess Durga floats in water as devotees immerse the same in the River Kuakhai after the Durga Puja festival in Bhubaneswar, India, Saturday, October 24, 2015. The immersion of idols marks the end of the festival that commemorates the slaying of a demon king by lion-riding, 10-armed goddess Durga, marking the triumph of good over evil. (Photo by Biswaranjan Rout/AP Photo)

People decorate a street with candles inside oranges during the Epitaph ceremony during Good Friday's “Apokathelosis”, the Descent of Christ's dead body from the Cross, which forms a key part of Orthodox Easter, in the southern city of Leonidio, at the Peloponnese peninsula on April 26, 2019. Millions of Greeks flock to churches around the country this week to celebrate Easter, the country's foremost religious celebration. (Photo by Aris Messinis/AFP Photo)

People and Nature category winner: Why did the sloth cross the road? by Andrew Whitworth (Osa Conservation and University of Glasgow), taken in Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. “I was driving out from the Osa Peninsula, located on the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica on a dark, stormy day. This female three-toed sloth (Bradypus variegatus) had luckily just about made it across the road, and the drivers of the Toyota on this occasion had spotted her in good time”. (Photo by Andrew Whitworth/2019 British Ecological Society Photography Competition)

If we were to burn NH4Cr2O7 with HgSCN in the Dark Ages in Europe and show it to anyone, it is us who would be burning next on a fiery cross of Inquisition. And it’s no wonder, since this experiment produces a truly marvelous result. At first, as you ignite the mixture of NH4Cr2O7 and HgSCN, all you can see is that it is slowly burning with a reddish flame. After a while, however, a crater is formed in the middle of the burning pile, and then, suddenly, tentacle-like appendages start sprouting from the burning mixture. And you can almost hear the scream of the mad occultist – “Come forth, Kraken! Come forth!” But of course, this is simply a chemical reaction that is called the "Pharoah's Serpent". It was also often sold in firework stores until people realized that it was toxic.

Looking for a reason to visit the Philippines? This mermaid school should do the trick. No, seriously, there’s an actual school that will teach you how to be a mermaid. It’s called the Philippines Mermaid Swimming Academy. (Photo by Philippine Mermaid Swimming Academy/Exclusivepix Media)