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)

A Ukrainian mortar crew in the last decade of April 2024 fires a 120mm round at the Russian positions as soldiers defend the city situated halfway between Bakhmut and Kostyantynivka, which has become the primary target of Russian attacks. (Photo by Anadolu/Getty Images)

A Ukrainian serviceman smiles on May 21, 2024 during a moment of calm in the southeastern town of Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia, which has been heavily damaged by Russian military strikes. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

The jewelled flower mantis, commonly found in Asia, is believed to be the inspiration for many martial artists is seen in Jakarta, Indonesia on August 2, 2016. (Photo by Prabu Dennaga/Barcroft Images)

Tandem hair drying is possible with a new two-hood attachment for any electric hair dryer manufactured by Postcraft Co of Tucson, Ariz., shown in Chicago, January 27, 1965. A Y adapter permits two hoses to be attached to the dryer. (Photo by Edward Kitch/AP Photo)

A participant of the XIV International Ballet Competition prepares herself backstage before performing at the New Stage of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, June 8, 2022. (Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo)

Maharashtrian women dressed in traditional costumes attend celebrations to mark the Gudi Padwa festival in Mumbai March 21, 2015. The festival marks the beginning of the new year for Maharashtrians and is celebrated widely in Maharashtra and in the Konkan region. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)

Two people sit in an ambulance waiting to be treated after a Grad rocket slammed into a shopping mall in Donetsk's Kubishevski district, in the eastern Ukraine, on October 8, 2014. At least two people were killed, and five were injured after some six Grad rockets hit the area. (Photo by John Macdougall/AFP Photo)