Controlled fires lit by residents glow in the hills over the village of Pottenstein during the annual Epiphany celebration on January 6, 2012 in Pottenstein, Germany. The ceremony, which also includes a procession with torches through the village center, is part of a tradition going back to 1905. Pottenstein was once a pilgrimage destination. (Photo by Johannes Simon/Getty Images)

The French graphic designer and photographer uses a method he calls “digital matte painting”, layering several photos on top of each other to create an incandescent composition that seems eerily familiar yet ultimately impossible. Filled with tumbling clouds and glowing focal points, the images possess a depth that stretches the two-dimensional canvases backward as violent skies seem to undulate before the viewers' eyes.

“In the late afternoon after a rain, genji botaru fireflies (luciola cruciate) dance above the swollen creek. The rocks darkened by the rain reflecting the blue sky, and the yellow-green ribbon of the glow from the fireflies, make a beautiful contrast”. – Takehito Miyatake. (Photo by Takehito Miyatake/Steven Kasher Gallery)

The summit of one of Europe's tallest mountains glows like the flame of a candle as the sun rises on a clear morning. The Matterhorn, famous for appearing on bars of Toblerone chocolate bars, reflects the vivid orange light at 5.37am. (Photo by Margarethe Jaeger/Solent News & Photo Agency)

Members of the London Fire Spinners group meet once a month, pictured at Gabriel's Wharf along the River Thames, UK. A collective of glow and fire performers with extensive performance experience. Dated on March 14, 2025. (Photo by Kevin Jay/Picture Exclusive)

Runner-up. “The heavens opened and the streets around Shibuya, Tokyo, were suddenly drenched in even more colour and movement. I was taking photos (my friend was holding the umbrella) when I noticed this woman at the crossing. I’m pleased with the futuristic feel of the image”. (Photo by Katherine Bridgestock/The Guardian)

Nowadays, crossbreeding and gene splicing are creating things that would never have occurred in nature. Thanks to gene splicing, modern man can witness mice that glow in the dark, goats that produce milk which is then used to make bulletproof vests, and even cows that produce milk that is almost identical to human breast milk. One of the latest feats of human genius is the creation of Thompson and Morgan. By combining the genes of tomatoes and potatoes they were able to create a “TomTato”, which is essentially a plant that grows tomatoes and potatoes at the same time. With creations such as this, the world’s hunger problem may be resolved in a few decades.

A model wears a bazin dress made by designer Fadi Maiga in Bamako, Mali, October 21, 2015. Gasps of delight filled the convention hall as models, decked out in Mali's signature bazin fabric in crimson reds, indigoes and neon greens, strutted the catwalk while musicians from across the West African nation provided the soundtrack. (Photo by Joe Penney/Reuters)