The tail of a stranded whale is pictured on the beach of De Haan, Belgium on October 25, 2018. (Photo by Francois Lenoi/Reuters)

Poland's Maria Andrejczyk competes in the women's javelin throw final of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 10, 2024. (Photo by Dylan Martinez/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)

A couple poses for wedding photos in front of the Saigon Opera House in Ho Chi Minh City on December 7, 2023. (Photo by Nhac Nguyen/AFP Photo)

Pornstar Asa Akira made an appearance at the new Pornhub shop in New York, USA on Friday, November 25, 2017. Pornhub is a pornographic video sharing website and the largest pоrnography site on the Internet. The new pop-up will be open in New York's SoHo until 20 December. (Photo by Curtis Means/ACE Pictures/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson (74) gloves a loose puck beside Vegas Golden Knights right wing Keegan Kolesar (55) during the third period at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 17, 2024. (Photo by Stephen R. Sylvanie/Imagn Images via USA Today Sports)

Emily Ratajkowski sun bathes at Paradise Cove in Malibu, CA on March 9, 2017. Emily showed off her stunning figure in a white bikini and large sunhat. She sipped beer as she relaxed with her boyfriend Jeff Magid. (Photo by Splash News and Pictures)

Riot police help an injured anti-government protester after scuffles broke out with women police officers on a road leading to the parliament building, during a protest in Beirut on November 19, 2019. Thousands of protesters rallying against the Lebanese political elite blocked roads in central Beirut on Tuesday, preventing lawmakers from reaching the parliament and forcing the postponement of a legislative session. (Photo by Bilal Hussein/AP Photo)