A morgue attendant at the Johannesburg branch of the South African funeral and burial services company Avbob keeps the curtain open from inside a refrigerated container where bodies of patients deceased with COVID-19 related illnesses are kept isolated ahead of their burials on January 22, 2021. (Photo by Marco Longari/AFP Photo)

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)

From the “Paradise Revisited” story in the November 2013 issue of National Geographic magazine, this image is a beautiful vision of father and son fishermen as they move through the multicolored coral gardens of Kembe Bay, Papua New Guinea, in a traditional outrigger canoe. (Photo by David Doubilet/National Geographic Creative)

A woman walking with a dog battles through heavy rain and blustery conditions during the morning on Wimbledon Common in London on October 2, 2020 as storm Alex brings strong 70mph gale force winds to many parts of the UK. (Photo by Amer Ghazzal/Alamy Live News)

Australian professional boxer Ebanie Bridges after her fight against Shannon Courtenay during the WBA World Bantamweight Title match at Copperbox Arena in London, Britain on April 10, 2021. (Photo by Andrew Couldridge/Action Images via Reuters)

An aerial view shows local residents visiting a river side park in Taipei during the Lunar Mew Year on February 19, 2021. (Photo by Sam Yeh/AFP Photo)

Coaches of the North-East Express passenger train that derailed late Wednesday near Raghunathpur railroad station in Buxar district of Bihar state, India, Thursday, October 12, 2023. The train was on its way to Assam state from New Delhi. (Photo by Aftab Alam Siddiqui/AP Photo)

People caress a horse during the traditional “El Tope” end-of-year parade in San Jose on December 26, 2023. Cowboy hats and boots, in the purest “wild west” style, flooded the streets of downtown San José to proudly display the horse culture in Costa Rica. (Photo by Ezequiel Becerra/AFP Photo)