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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)

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)
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08 Mar 2017 00:05:00
People ride a bus as they travel in Yangon, Myanmar January 14, 2017. Picture taken January 14, 2017. (Photo by Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters)

People ride a bus as they travel in Yangon, Myanmar January 14, 2017. Picture taken January 14, 2017. (Photo by Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters)
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11 Apr 2017 09:46:00
Nepalese Hindu priests perform rituals during Janai Purnima festival at Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, August 18, 2016. During this festival Hindus take holy baths and perform annual change of the Janai, a sacred cotton string worn around their chest or tied on the wrist, in the belief that it will protect and purify them. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)

Nepalese Hindu priests perform rituals during Janai Purnima festival at Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, August 18, 2016. During this festival Hindus take holy baths and perform annual change of the Janai, a sacred cotton string worn around their chest or tied on the wrist, in the belief that it will protect and purify them. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)
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19 Aug 2016 11:48:00
A fishmonger carries a shark on his motorcycle in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia August 25, 2016. (Photo by Iggoy el Fitra/Reuters/Antara Foto)

A fishmonger carries a shark on his motorcycle in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia August 25, 2016. (Photo by Iggoy el Fitra/Reuters/Antara Foto)
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10 Sep 2016 09:10:00
A woman smokes a cigarette next to man wearing a mask during lunch hour at the central business district in Singapore September 29, 2015. (Photo by Edgar Su/Reuters)

A woman smokes a cigarette next to man wearing a mask during lunch hour at the central business district in Singapore September 29, 2015. The 3-hour haze Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) reached a high of 173 at 8am on Tuesday, according to the National Environment Agency. Slash-and-burn agriculture in neighboring Indonesia has blanketed Singapore in a choking haze for weeks. (Photo by Edgar Su/Reuters)
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02 Oct 2015 08:00:00
A flood-affected couple sits along a flooded roadside under a picture of Jayalalithaa Jayaram, chief minister of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, in Chennai, India, December 6, 2015. (Photo by Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters)

A flood-affected couple sits along a flooded roadside under a picture of Jayalalithaa Jayaram, chief minister of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, in Chennai, India, December 6, 2015. (Photo by Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters)
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08 Dec 2015 08:04:00
Noriko Takatory of Japan shares a moment with her groom Moon Byung-nam of South Korea during an opening ceremony for upcoming mass wedding ceremony of the Unification Church at Cheongshim Peace World Centre in Gapyeong, South Korea, February 19, 2016. (Photo by Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters)

Noriko Takatory of Japan shares a moment with her groom Moon Byung-nam of South Korea during an opening ceremony for upcoming mass wedding ceremony of the Unification Church at Cheongshim Peace World Centre in Gapyeong, South Korea, February 19, 2016. (Photo by Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters)
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20 Feb 2016 10:50:00
An Indian resident assists a dog as he wades through floodwaters in Ahmedabad on July 30, 2014. Rains lashed Ahmedabad and many regions of India's western Gujarat state, wth the Indian Metrological Department warning of heavy rains for the next 48 hours. (Photo by Sam Panthaky/AFP Photo)

An Indian resident assists a dog as he wades through floodwaters in Ahmedabad on July 30, 2014. Rains lashed Ahmedabad and many regions of India's western Gujarat state, wth the Indian Metrological Department warning of heavy rains for the next 48 hours. (Photo by Sam Panthaky/AFP Photo)
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31 Jul 2014 09:58:00