Soap Bubble Structures by Kym Cox. Bubbles optimise space and minimise their surface area for a given volume of air. This phenomenon makes them a useful tool in many areas of research, in particular, materials science and “packing” – how things fit together. Bubble walls drain under gravity, thin at the top, thick at the bottom, which interferes with travelling lightwaves to create bands of colour. Black spots show the wall is too thin for interference colours, indicating the bubble is about to burst. (Photo by Kym Cox/2019 Science Photographer of the Year/RPS)

A Nepalese mother applies make up to her daughter dressed as the living goddess Kumari as they wait for Kumari puja to start at Hanuman Dhoka temple, in Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, September 14, 2016. Girls under the age of nine gathered for the Kumari puja, a tradition of worshiping young prepubescent girls as manifestations of the divine female energy. The ritual holds a strong religious significance in the Newar community that seeks divine blessings to save small girls from diseases and bad luck in the years to come. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)

A man arrested for protesting over human rights abuses makes a court appearance in leg irons at the magistrates courts in Harare, Monday, September 14, 2020. Human rights defenders say it appears the government is using restrictions imposed to combat COVID-19 to suppress political criticism. Opposition officials, human rights groups and some analysts accuse Mnangagwa of abusing the rights of critics, using tactics as harsh as his predecessor, the late Robert Mugabe. (Photo by Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP Photo)

Villagers riding a rickshaw maneuver along an overflowing dam at the border between Cavite province and Las Pinas city, in Las Pinas, Philippines, 25 October 2020. According to Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Typhoon Molave will make landfall in the evening of 25 October in southern Luzon island. An alert was issued to residents for possible floods and landslides. (Photo by Francis R Malasig/EPA/EFE)

A baby turtle's perilous first moments are captured as it takes to the sea for the first time on Heron Island in Queensland, Australia in July 2022. Predators such as sharks, birds, and pollution mean that approximately only one out of every 1000 turtles that hatch make it to adulthood, with some not even reaching open ocean. Amateur photographer (Photo by Hannah Mitchell/Solent News & Photo Agency)

British sculptor Laurence Edwards' striking bronze figures, Walking Men, at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, UK on April 9, 2024. The 8ft tall figures are seen to be anti-heroic and seem to have come from the earth itself. Branches, leaves and clods of clay are woven through them, making it unclear where human and ground begin and end. (Photo by Pete Seaward/South West News Service)

Participants take part in the so-called “Bearded Men” parade in the streets of Slawatycze village, eastern Poland, 29 December 2023. “Bearded Men” is an old local tradition, passed from generation to generation. In last three days of December, costumed citizens of Slawatycze say goodbye to the old year and make wishes for the New Year. (Photo by Wojtek Jargilo/EPA/EFE)

Children playing their smart phone during Lunar New Year's Eve celebrations at Fuk Ling Miau temple on January 28, 2025 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, will begin on January 29, 2025, marking the Year of the Snake. The celebrations, which last for approximately 15 days, are filled with traditional activities such as family gatherings, lion dances, and the exchange of red envelopes, making it a vibrant cultural event observed by Chinese communities worldwide. (Photo by Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)