A wide-angle view shows the ascent of the shuttle Challenger on January 28, 1986. In the seconds after ignition, the rocket engines' hot blast began the process of destruction. (Photo by NASA)

Brazilian natives of the Pareci tribe play head football with a hand-made ball for a demonstration, during the first day of the International Games of Indigenous Peoples, in Cuiaba, state of Mato Grosso, on November 10, 2013. 1500 natives from 49 Brazilian ethnic groups and from another 17 countries are gathering in Cuiaba until November 16 to compete in some 30 athletic disciplines, many of their own. (Photo by Christophe Simon/AFP Photo)

Beautiful, strange and occasionally alarming pictures from the shortlist for this year’s Wellcome image awards – which celebrate the very best in science photography and imaging – from an x-ray of a bat to a micrograph of a kidney stone. The exhibition opens on 12 March at three science centres and the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. Photo: Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of an Arabidopsis thaliana flower, also commonly known as thale cress. Some of the anthers are open, revealing pollen grains ready for dispersal. Arabidopsis was the first plant to have its entire genome sequenced and is widely used as a model organism in molecular and plant biology. Horizontal width of image is 1200 microns. Magnification 100x. (Photo by Stefan Eberhard/Wellcome Images)

Nikki Reed is seen shopping at American Rag in Los Angeles, CA., on May 14, 2014. (Photo by Bauergriffin.com)

Durga Kami, 68, who is studying tenth grade at Shree Kala Bhairab Higher Secondary School, walks with his classmate Sagar Thapa, 14, as they head to school in Syangja, Nepal, June 5, 2016. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

Gold medallists of China perform Synchronised Swimming Free Combination routine at the Munhak Park Tae-hwan Aquatics Center during the 17th Asian Games in Incheon September 23, 2014. (Photo by Tim Wimborne/Reuters)

This undated handout image courtesy of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance shows “Pat”, a Pacific pocket mouse fondly named after actor Sir Patrick Stewart. A mouse named after “Star Trek” actor Patrick Stewart is officially the world's oldest in captivity, a US zoo has announced Pat the Pacific Pocket Mouse – the smallest species of mouse in North America – bagged the title when he hit nine years and 209 days old on February 8, 2023. (Photo by Ken Bohn/San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance via AFP Photo)

Actors perform as zombies during the “Train to Apocalypse: No Way Out” event at a Light Rail Transit (LRT) train station in Jakarta, Indonesia, 13 July 2024. The Indonesian capital's LRT operator modified train stations into zombie apocalypse settings to promote the use of public transportations and entertain the commuters. (Photo by Mast Irham/EPA/EFE)