North Korean soldiers wave along the Yalu River, near the North Korean town of Sinuiju, opposite to the Chinese border city of Dandong October 7, 2014. (Photo by Jacky Chen/Reuters)

Beautiful, strange and occasionally alarming pictures from the shortlist for this year’s Wellcome image awards – which celebrate the very best in science photography and imaging – from an x-ray of a bat to a micrograph of a kidney stone. The exhibition opens on 12 March at three science centres and the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. Photo: Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of an Arabidopsis thaliana flower, also commonly known as thale cress. Some of the anthers are open, revealing pollen grains ready for dispersal. Arabidopsis was the first plant to have its entire genome sequenced and is widely used as a model organism in molecular and plant biology. Horizontal width of image is 1200 microns. Magnification 100x. (Photo by Stefan Eberhard/Wellcome Images)

Fearless daredevils clamber up the worlds highest man-made climbing wall – running up the face of a 540ft dam. The Diga di Luzzone in Switzerland is considered by climbers as the Everest of wall climbing. (Photo by Ilana Marcus/Caters News)

Members of an American landing party assist troops whose landing craft was sunk by enemy fire off Omaha beach, near Colleville sur Mer, France, June 6, 1944. REUTERS/Weintraub/US National Archives

An art installation called “Double Ducks” by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman is seen at Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong, Friday, June 9, 2023. Two giant inflatable ducks made a splash in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor on Friday, marking the return of a pop-art project that sparked a frenzy in the city a decade ago. (Photo by Louise Delmotte/AP Photo)

A villager stretches as the Mayon volcano spews ashes and lava in Legaspi city, Albay province, Philippines, 12 June 2023. The restive Mayon volcano has begun spewing lava and small eruptions, putting the lives of thousands of people at risk from possible violent explosion. (Photo by Francis R. Malasig/EPA/EFE)

Participants take part in a high-wheel bicycle race in the Frederick county, in Maryland, United States on July 15, 2023. (Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

In this handout image provided by Red Bull, Jessica Macaulay of Canada dives from the 22 metre platform during the final competition day of the sixth stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series on September 11, 2022 at Sisikon, Switzerland. (Photo by Romina Amato/Red Bull via Getty Images)