This 2014 series Shanghai Tian Wa saw Chinese photographer Liu Tao train his lens on two distinct districts in Shanghai. Here: “Shanghai Tian Wai №26, 2014”. (Photo by Liu Tao/The Guardian)

Renowned amphibian and reptile photographer Matthijs Kuijpers has released his first book, “Cold Instinct”. Kuijpers says the aim of the work is “for the viewer to abandon the fear and negative thoughts that often surround these animals”. What’s left is the bizarre beauty of these creatures in their simplest form – no backgrounds and no distractions. Here: Mossy frog (Theloderma corticale). (Photo by Matthijs Kuijpers/The Guardian)

New York based artist Jason Freeny slices open pop-culture characters to reveal their insides. He takes vinyl toys of annimated icons such as Stewie Griffin, Nemo and Mario, and stuffs them with Sculpey modelling clay. He then carves out bones aqnd organs using dental tools.

Solana Plains (R) escorts a distraught Elijah West, cousin of Troy Davis, out of the Towaliga County Line Baptist Church that is across from the Jackson State Prison for the planned execution of inmate Troy Davis on September 21, 2011 in Jackson, Georgia. (Photo by Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)

There is an endless bounty of eye-catching gemstones throughout the world and this spectacular boulder opal is one unique beauty that looks like a shimmering crystal encased in a tree fossil. Its opalescent sheen seeps through the cracks of the seemingly wooden rings in lustrous hues of emerald green and aqua blue. Like something out of a fairy tale, the triangular piece radiates through an organic pattern mimicking the growth rings of tree.

Art and science collide in photographer Tim Tadder’s series “Water Wigs” and “Water Wigs Women”. In these perfectly timed photographs, Tadder captures his models wearing hair that’s made out of water. He achieves the process with water balloons, tacks, a creative vision that defies ordinary poses, and, no doubt, extreme patience. (Photo by Tim Tadder)

Artist Elizabeth Thompson poses next to her Blu-tack Spider sculpture at London Zoo on October 25, 2007 in London, England. The sculpture, known as “Blu-ey”, is a model of a common house spider and is completely made out of blu-tack. It is on show at BUGS! at ZSL London Zoo. The sculpture is made from around four thousand packets of Blu-tack and weighs over 200kg. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)