Russian Boxing Federation lifts a portrait of late Soviet leader Joseph Stalin with a hot air balloon, close to city of Belogorsk outside Simferopol, Crimea, on May 11, 2020, to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II also called the Great Patriotic War, amid the coronavirus (COVID) pandemic. (Photo by AFP Photo/Stringer)
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)
Thomas Shelby makes a fire as he prepares to stay the night by the rubble of his home to protect from potential looters in Dawson Springs, Kentucky, on Saturday, December 11, 2021. One or more tornados tore through Dawson Springs late last night. (Photo by Austin Anthony/The Washington Post)
A falla damaged by yesterday's heavy rains is pictured during the Fallas festival in Valencia on September 2, 2021. In Valencia, yesterday's deluge of water disturbed the organization of the Fallas, the major festival in the region featuring parades of floats and giant cardboard sculptures, postponed from March to September due to the pandemic. (Photo by Jose Jordan/AFP Photo)
A snowboarder wears a protective cushion at the Thaiwoo ski resort in Zhangjiakou close to venues for the Winter Olympics Beijing 2022, Hebei province, China, November 20, 2021. China hopes hosting the Games will springboard the country towards becoming a winter sports destination and will help deliver on a target set by President Xi Jinping to get 300 million Chinese involved in winter sports, with an aim to build a 1 trillion yuan ($157 billion) industry. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)
A mountain jerboa, which is taken under protection after his mother dies, is seen at Yuzuncu Yil University Wild Animal Protection and Rehabilitation Center in Van, Turkiye on June 24, 2022. (Photo by Mesut Varol/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
An Egyptian dancer performs the Tanoura outside a coffee shop at al-Muizz street in the old Islamic quarter of Cairo on August 29, 2024. (Photo by Khaled Desouki/AFP Photo)