A demonstrator holds up a picture depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin with make-up, during a protest by the gay community in Amsterdam April 8, 2013. Russia does not discriminate against homosexuals, Putin told reporters in Amsterdam on Monday where he was greeted by gay rights and other activists critical of Russia's track record. Putin is on one-day visit in the Netherlands for the start of the Netherlands-Russia Year. (Photo by Cris Toala Olivares/Reuters)

A girl joins other novice nuns for a lunch at the Sathira-Dhammasathan Buddhist meditation centre in Bangkok April 21, 2013. A group of Thai girls are choosing to spend part of their school holidays as Buddhist nuns, down to having their heads shaven at the meditation centre. The centre, founded in 1987, is a learning community for peace and harmony that has programs open to people regardless of age and gender. (Photo by Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

An Armatix employee holds a “smart gun” by the company at the Armatix headquarters in Munich May 14, 2014. The gun is implanted with an electronic chip that allows it to be fired only if the shooter is wearing a watch that communicates with it through a radio signal. If the gun is moved more than 10 inches (25 cm) from the watch, it will not fire. A Maryland gun shop owner has dropped his plan to be the first in the United States to sell the so-called “smart gun” after a backlash that included death threats. (Photo by Michael Dalder/Reuters)

Travellers ride their horse through the river during the Appleby Horse Fair on June 5, 2014 in Appleby, England. The Appleby Horse Fair has existed under the protection of a charter granted by James II since 1685 and is one of the key gathering points for the Romany, gypsy and traveling community. The fair is attended by about 5,000 travellers who come to buy and sell horses. The animals are washed and groomed before being ridden at high speed along the “mad mile” for the viewing of potential buyers. (Photo by Nigel Roddis/Getty Images)

Autos sit on top of each other in a washed out section of Dog Track Road in the Millview community as Gulf Coast residents continue cleaning up from damage caused by torrential rains in Pensacola, Fla., Thursday, May 1, 2014. The National Weather Service, estimated 15-20 inches of rain has fallen in the Pensacola area in the past 2 days. (Photo by G. M. Andrews/AP Photo)

Most people know Nikon as a purveyor of pro and consumer-grade digital cameras. But the company's expertise with optics bleeds over into related markets – it's one of the science community's major suppliers of microscopes. And each year the company asks the community to send it some of their favorite images of tiny objects. A panel of scientists and journalists have chosen the best of this past year's submissions, which Nikon has placed on its Small World site.

Photo: Honorable Mention. “Snow crystal, illuminated with colored lights (5x)”. (Photo by Dr. Kenneth Libbrecht, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Department of Physics, Pasadena, California, USA)

In this January 29, 2017 photo, musicians perform for dancers on the shores of Lake Titicaca, as they practice before their presentation for the Virgin of Candelaria celebrations in Puno, Peru. Dancers in colorful masks and elaborate costume celebrate the Virgin of Candelaria, patron saint of communities along the shore of Lake Titicaca, in what's considered the largest Catholic festival in the Andes. (Photo by Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo)

Anton Unitsyn, Russia. Shortlist, Professional , Daily Life. Parkour jumpers on their daily training. On the background – one of the main Solvychegodsk sights – Blagoveshchensky Cathedral. This church is among 3 churches, that survived soviet times. At the begining of 20th century there were 13 churches in Solvichegodsk. After breakdown of the communism, Solvichegodsk as many small towns in russia is stuck in it's past. Despite everything, people in Solvichegodsk still belive in their positive future, and wait for wind of change. (Photo by Anton Unitsyn/Sony World Photography Awards)