Meerkats are weighed and measured during the ZSL London Zoo 's annual weigh-in on August 22, 2012 in London, England. The height and mass of every animal in the zoo, of which there are over 16,000, needs to be recorded. The measurements are collated in the Zoological Information Management System, from which zoologists can use the data to compare information on thousands of endangered species. (Photo by Oli Scarff)

Using acrylic paint, 19-year old Japanese student and artist Chooo-San has transformed the bodies of herself and a handful of lucky volunteers into ones that appear to be from another planet. Bored with technology, she wanted to see how far she could go with creating eye-catching illusions in the real world, rather than relying on programs like Photoshop.

SEE ALSO: «A frightening-realistic Body Art by Chooo-San»

“Rescuers were digging through mud and debris Friday to retrieve more bodies strewn across a farming valley in the southern Philippines by a powerful typhoon. The death toll from the storm has surpassed 500, with more than 400 people missing”. – Bullit Marquez via Associated Press

Photo: Children look at the a damaged road destroyed by flash floods at the height of Typhoon Bopha in the village of Andap, New Bataan town, Compostela Valley province, December 5, 2012. (Photo by Ted Aljibe)

“Anastasiya Shpagina is one of the famous women who have transformed themselves into looking like human dolls. Hailing from Ukraine, 19-year-old Anastasiya Shpagina always loved Japanese cartoon characters, and has dreamed of becoming a living doll that appears in animes. She transformed her look into something that can be seen in the pages of a manga book”.

Photo: “Human Anime Doll” Anastasiya Shpagina (R) with “Human Barbie Doll” Valeria Lukyanova. (Photo by Anastasiya Shpagina & Valeria Lukyanova)

“A British photographer has captured incredible images of Italys most beautiful derelict buildings – by sneaking into abandoned structures. The stunning shots of hospitals, churchs and deserted buildings show abandoned beds, overgrown arches and staggering staircases. Gaz Mather, 40, is a dedicated urban explorer who takes stunning photographs of deserted buildings – documenting their haunting decay. Gaz from Manchester spent a long weekend touring deserted buildings in the Northern region of Italy”. – Caters News. Photo: Abandoned Villa. (Photo by Gaz Mather/Cater News)

The bloodwood tree (Pterocarpus angolensis) is a deciduous tree with a high canopy, reaching about 15m in height and has dark bark. The red sap is used traditionally as a dye and in some areas mixed with animal fat to make a cosmetic for faces and bodies. It is also believed to have magical properties for the curing of problems concerning blood, apparently because of its close resemblance to blood. The name bloodwood for these trees stems from the dark red to brown sap that accumulates on wounds on the trunks.

Throughout the course of the long war in Afghanistan, Coalition troops have relied on thousands of military working dogs to help keep them safe, and make their jobs easier. The dogs are trained to detect explosives, to find illegal drugs, to search for missing comrades, or target enemy combatants. Not only are they active on the front lines, but behind the lines they serve as therapy dogs, service dogs, and loyal companions. They also share the same risks as the ground troops, suffering injuries and sometimes death on the battlefields. Gathered here are images of these dogs and their handlers in Afghanistan and back home, from over the past several years, part of the ongoing series here on Afghanistan.