A rainbow forms on water from a spray machine used to suppress coal dust at the Krasnogorsky open pit coal mine, operated by Mechel PJSC, in Mezhdurechensk, Russia, on Monday, July 19, 2021. Russia’s government is betting that coal consumption will continue to rise in big Asian markets like China even as it dries up elsewhere. (Photo by Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg)

Alina Serban (L) poses during a photo session for the poster of her show in Bucharest on October 20, 2021. Roma actress and playwright Alina Serban grew up watching TV and going to the theatre without any stories “with or about people like us” – something she set out to change, becoming the first to have her work on the stage of Bucharest's National Theatre. (Photo by Bogdan Dinca/AFP Photo)

Honey bees and ground bumblebees fly with thick purple pollen pouches to the flower of a corn poppy, also called poppy or corn rose, to obtain nectar in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, June 7, 2022. Bumblebees, which like bees belong to the stinging bee family, form so-called summer colonies that exist for only a few months. (Photo by Wolfgang Kumm/dpa via AP Photo)

In more “raccoons are getting more like us” news, a drunk raccoon was found in a liquor store in Virginia, US in the first decade of December 2025. The animal had got into the shop via some loose ceiling tiles, knocked bottles of spirits off the shelves, lapped up the contents and passed out in the toilets. Once it had sobered up, it was released back into the wild – no doubt with a crashing hangover. (Photo by AP Photo)

This vase is simple as a piece of cake but it’s so special at the same time – it’s Floating Ripple vase by ooDesign. It’s a piece manufactured in glass that allows any transparent vase to look like ripples in water.
Long-stemmed flowers float vertically in the water and according to the movement of the air, they change their position within the container – so, what can I say? Japanese designers continue to create genially simple and natural-looking philosophic pieces that inspire everybody.

Ace Wu searches the deep to photograph stunning underwater creatures. Against their predominantly black backdrops, Wu’s breathtaking subjects glow with sublime vibrancy. In one, a fearsome fish glares at the camera with rows of sharp teeth showing, while in another, a translucent octopus looks like an extraterrestrial. Here: Wunderpus larva. (Photo by Ace Wu/Caters News Agency)

Impressive images of these alien-like creatures were captured underwater – photographer Cai Songda is a keen diver and did not miss the chance to snap pictures of the unique “aliens”. Here: A Tremoctopus Gracilis in the waters around Anilao, Philippines. (Photo by Cai Songda/Caters News Agency)