Sharon Beals is a San Francisco based photographer who has photographed nest and eggs specimens collected over the last two centuries at The California Academy of Sciences, The Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, and The Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology. While few nests are collected today, these nests and eggs are used for research, providing important information about their builder’s habitats, DNA, diseases and other survival issues.

Realistic impressionist whose art, prints and posters express his love of nature and a man gifted with a rare talent. Having studied with some of the great Italian masters of fine art, he has developed a brilliant and commanding style. Born in Castelluccio, Italy, in 1954, Egidio Antonaccio graduated from the Institute of Fine Art in Castrovillari, Italy, in 1973. Then in 1978, he graduated with honors from the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy.

Pinot noir vineyards in the famed Sta. Rita Hills AVA turn a vivid red, orange, and yellow, signaling the end of the grape harvest and approach of winter as viewed on November 26, 2023, near Buellton, California. Following the notoriety from the Academy Award-winning film Sideways, this buccolic farming region north of Santa Barbara has become a popular Wine Country stop for global and domestic tourists traveling between San Francisco and Los Angeles. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)

Officer cadets at Sandhurst military academy celebrate completing the Sovereign's Parade which see's them become commissioned officers in the army on April 11, 2025. The parade marks the completion of 44 weeks of intensive training for the Officer Cadets of Commissioning Course 242, all of whom will officially hold HM the King's Commission as of the stroke of midnight on the day of the parade. In addition, there are 26 international cadets from 18 countries. (Photo by Times photographer Richard Pohle)

Sharon Beals is a San Francisco based photographer who has photographed nest and eggs specimens collected over the last two centuries at The California Academy of Sciences, The Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, and The Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology. While few nests are collected today, these nests and eggs are used for research, providing important information about their builder’s habitats, DNA, diseases and other survival issues.

On July 7, Chinese archaeologists from the Academy of Social Sciences announced that they have reconstituted a 5,300-year-old Mongolion pottery statue found at a relic site in North China, according to Xinhua news agency.

Hu Shaoming is a fantastic artist from China, who has learnt Fine Arts at Guangzhou Academy. The most complex sculpture of all his works is a mechanical seahorse, constructed from many tiny details. The whole composition consists of two complete opposites, including the top part of the seahorse`s head that looks like a golden town, and the bottom which resembles an amazing blue creature. An important problem is reflected in such an idea; it shows how a man forces the nature into submission. The contrast in the opposition of the human buildings and conquered Mother Nature suggests the thought of keeping our natural environment safe.

A girl looks at other children practicing on a boxing ring during an exercise session at a boxing school, in the Mare favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 2, 2016. For many young residents the Luta Pela Paz (Fight For Peace) academy offers a glimpse of an alternative: a chance to build discipline and self-esteem through boxing and martial arts. (Photo by Nacho Doce/Reuters)