A former Gurkha (special forces soldier), Nirmal Purja, takes a selfie at the start of his attempt to scale the world’s 14 highest peaks in seven months to break a 31-year-old record. Nirmal Purja, known as Nims, aims to smash the current record – which stands at seven years, 11 months and 14 days – set by Polish climber Jerzy Kukuczka. On the way, he also plans to defeat at least seven speed world records on mountains over 8,000m high. (Photo by Nirmal Purja/PA Wire Press Association)

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg gets on a custom made World Trade Center inspired motorcycle in front of the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site on October 5, 2011 in New York City. The motorcycle was designed by Paul Teutul Jr. of the television show “American Chopper” and was built to commemorate the rebuilding of the World Trade Center Site. Another motorcycle, nearly identical to the one unveiled, will also be built by Paul Jr. and raffled to raise money for the 9/11 Memorial. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

“RoboCup is an international robotics competition founded in 1997. The aim is to develop autonomous soccer robots with the intention of promoting research and education in the field of artificial intelligence. The name RoboCup is a contraction of the competition's full name, «Robot Soccer World Cup», but there are many other stages of the competition such as «Search and Rescue» and «Robot Dancing»”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Humanoid robots of the children size league compete during the RoboCup 2006 football world championships final at the Congress Centre on June 18, 2006 in Bremen, Germany. (Photo by Malte Christians/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Elise Graham takes part in the World Bog Snorkelling Championships 2017 with a rubber duck on her back on August 27, 2017 in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales. The competition draws competitors from all over the world and is now in its 32nd year. (Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)

A wrestler from the Nuba Mountains tribe is seen during a celebration of their cultural heritage, as part of ongoing events to commemorate the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, in Omdurman August 15, 2015. The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is observed on August 9 annually. (Photo by Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/Reuters)

A design studio has launched its own dogs of war – by cleverly blending iconic Second World War planes with their canine counterparts. Photo: Wellington bomber with Golden Retreiver camoflage. A design studio has launched its own dogs of war – by cleverly blending iconic Second World War planes with their canine counterparts. (Photo by BNPS)

June 21: “World War Z”. Brad Pitt battles zombie apocalypse in $170 million film by “Quantum of Solace” director Marc Forster. This publicity photo released by Paramount Pictures shows, center, Brad Pitt as Gerald Lane in a scene from the film, “World War Z”, from Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions in association with Hemisphere Media Capital and GK Films. (Photo by Jaap Buitendijk/AP Photo/Paramount Pictures)

Travel photographer Amos Chapple recently crossed into Turkmenistan on a three-day transit visa and was able to photograph many of the sights and monuments in Ashgabat, the capital and largest city. Turkmenistan is a single-party country, a former Soviet state, run by a president at the center of a cult of personality.

Photo: A young couple leave the Alem Entertainment Center in Ashgabat. The current president has a history of breaking obscure records. In 2012 the wheel atop this complex was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest enclosed Ferris wheel. The structure was built at a cost of $90m. (Photo by Amos Chapple via The Atlantic)