Iraq's second largest city, Mosul, is locked under the rule of extremists from the Islamic State group trying to purge it of everything they see as contradicting their stark vision of Islam. A trove of photographs now housed at the Library of Congress offers a glimpse of a different Mosul – before wars, insurgency, sectarian strife and now radicals' rule. The scenes were taken in the autumn of 1932 by staff from the American Colony Photo Department during a visit to Iraq at the end of the British mandate. (Photo by AP Photo)

Guadalajara-based artist Gonzalo Lebrija created a public art installation in the parking lot (1430 Delgany Street, Denver, CO 80202) across from the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (MCA Denver) in the summer of 2010. The installation, entitled History of Suspended Time: Monument for the Impossible, was developed as a dual collaboration with MCA Denver's museum-wide exhibition, Energy Effects: Art & Artifacts from the Landscape of Glorious Excess, as well as Denver's inaugural 2010 Biennial of the Americas, an international event that celebrated the culture, ideas and people of the Western Hemisphere.

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)

A Maori warrior prepares to challenge Prince Charles during his welcome to Takanhanga Marae in Kaikoura, New Zealand November 23, 2019. (Photo by Tracey Nearmy/Reuters)

A woman carries a 'Climate Clock' as activists mark the start of Climate Week in New York during a demonstration calling for the U.S. government to take action on climate change and reject the use of fossil fuels in New York City, New York, U.S., September 17, 2023. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

Forest guards chase away a rhino that strayed into a residential area after floods forced animals to escape the Kaziranga National park in Nagaon district, in the northeastern state of Assam, August 15, 2017. (Photo by Anuwar Hazarika/Reuters)

An activist takes a selfie during a protest ahead of the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, in Paris, Sunday, November 29, 2015. More than 140 world leaders are gathering around Paris for high-stakes climate talks that start Monday, and activists are holding marches and protests around the world to urge them to reach a strong agreement to slow global warming. (Photo by Christophe Ena/AP Photo)