Close Encounter of the Insect Kind: “Check out the awesome face on this praying mantis. I can't get over the mouth, it's like something from a science fiction movie. Of all photographic styles macro is definitely my favorite. I am constantly amazed, in every photo that I take, by the intricate level of detail that exists on even the smallest of creatures. It's a stark reminder that a very complex and infinitely beautiful world exists just beyond our human-sized level of perception. Photo taken in Donnybrook, Queensland, Australia” – Andrew Young. (Photo by Andrew Young/National Geographic Photo Contest via The Atlantic)

Contestants dance during the Miss Plus Size Carioca beauty pageant on July 8, 2017 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 24 contestants, aged 18-45, competed in the contest which aims to challenge modern inclusive standards of beauty. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

At the end of rice harvesting season, the folks of the Kagawa and Niigata Prefectures in Japan hold a straw festival to celebrate the abundance of the harvest. Dried straws cover wooden frames to form larger-than-life sculptures from animals like sharks and gorillas to vessels such as ships and tanks. The family-friendly event invites visitors of all ages to engage, interact, and play on the enormous structures.

Slovenian artist Franc Grom, aged 72, makes unbelievably intricate egg sculptures using just a tiny electric drill and enormous patience. According to National Geographic, when finished, each egg contains approximately 2,500 to 3,500 holes. While Slovene artisans usually paint their eggs using a technique called drsanka by lightly scratching intricate patterns into the surfaces of colored eggs, carving them was solely Grom’s idea.

People stand under a giant Czech flag as they arrive to light candles at the base of a statue of St. Wenceslas to commemorate the death of former Czech President Vaclav Havel on December 18, 2011 in Prague, Czech Republic. Havel, who led the Velvet Revolution that forced communist rule in Czechoslovakia to crumble in 1989, died in the early morning today in his sleep at the age of 75. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Participants sit on a cable chair as they take part in the 30th edition of the Belalp Witches Ski Race on January 14, 2012 in Belalp, Switzerland. The race is inspired by a legend dating back to the middle ages, of a witch who tormented villagers in the area until she was burnt to death. (Photo by Harold Cunningham/Getty Images)

Iranian artist and designer Mehdi Ghadyanloo, with the help of the municipality, is slowly brightening up the city of Tehran one wall at a time. The 33-year old street artist has been painting murals and walls in Tehran for the last 5 years age, during which he’s reported to have painted over one hundred walls.

Due to the influence of Sci-Fi movies, many of us have an obsession with giant robots. How cool would it be to ride a gigantic robotic dinosaur or elephant? It would be even cooler to control one! Regretfully, the modern technologies are not yet sophisticated enough to fulfill this dream. Pierre Orefice and François Delarozière, however, came very close. These two artists have made it their goal to turn Nantes, France, into a hot tourist destination spot for people who love robots. In their project of Machines de l'île in Nantes, they have created a whole park of robotic monstrosities, ranging from a giant 3 story high elephant to a 2 meter long centipede crawling on a rail track.