“The Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (SDSS-III) has released the largest-ever three-dimensional map of massive galaxies and distant black holes, which will help astronomers explain the mysterious “dark matter” and “dark energy” that scientists know makes up 96 percent of the Universe”. – SDSS-III

Nestled among the cocoa plantations of western Ivory Coast is a gold mine that does not feature on any official maps. It is not run by an industrial mining company, nor does it pay taxes to the central government. The unlicensed mine is a key part of a lucrative business empire headed by the deputy commander of the West African nation's elite Republican Guard, United Nations investigators allege. Here: A gold prospector sits and eats close to a soldier at a gold mine near the village of Gamina, in western Ivory Coast, March 18, 2015. (Photo by Luc Gnago/Reuters)

Friends and family fuss over a quinceañera in preparation for her photo session at Colon square in the Zona Colonial neighborhood of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Dominicans head to the polls on Sunday, May 19th to elect a new president and members of their Congress. (Photo by Matias Delacroix/AP Photo)

A woman wears VR glasses while the projection mapping is cast on table and walls during its media preview at “TREE BY NAKED, yoyogi park” restaurant in Tokyo, Japan on July 19, 2018. This restaurant incorporates virtual reality, projection mapping, and music to enhance diners' enjoyment of their food. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

From Britain to China to Mali, new maps showing travel times to the nearest urban centre reveal huge differences between countries. Using Open Street Map and Google, a University of Oxford team have created a visual breakdown that suggests major inequalities when it comes to commuting. Here: China. The dataset used for China was unique as it relied solely on Open Street Map, due to restrictions on accessing Google data. The population is densely concentrated in the east and accessibility is increased, whereas rural provinces in the west remain remote. (Photo by Daniel Weiss/Jennifer Rozier/Malaria Atlas Project/University of Oxford)

Jensen a two-year-old False Map turtle, from the Mississippi River, gets used to his new home at Blackpool Sea Life Centre on February 13, 2012 in Blackpool, England. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Women take part in the desert trek “Rose Trip Maroc”, on November 1, 2019 in the erg Chebbi near Merzouga. The Rose Trip Maroc is a female-oriented trek where teams of three must travel through the southern Moroccan Sahara desert with a compass, a map and a topographical reporter. (Photo by Jean-Philippe Ksiazek/AFP Photo)