Axel, a research prototype rover for exploring the Moon, Mars and other planets, is remotely driven over rocks as engineers from Jet Propulsion (JPL) and grad students from Caltech (California Institute of Technology) demonstrate its mobile over the steep and rocky grounds of the JPL Mars Yard on January 14, 2009 in Pasadena, California. The rover is capable of descending cliffs or into craters and returning by a cable tethered to its starting point. Development of the Axel rover is a point effort funded by NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) and lead by Principal Investigator Issa Newnas and Co-Investigator and Caltech professor of mechanical engineering bio engineering Joel Burdick. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

There is something strangely appealing about the set of pictures created by Sandro Giordano in a series “In Extremis (Bodies With No Regret)”. Could it be the absurdity of the situation? Or the fact that our brain tries to make up some bizarre story to justify what is happening in the pictures? Of course it is impossible to explain why a pair of tennis players ended up lying flat on the ground with a pack of bananas hanging on the net, even if we forget about the tennis racket lodged in the neck of one of the players. Nevertheless, it is fun to recreate these scenes in your mind just seconds before the tragedy took place. (Photo by Sandro Giordano)

The long and intriguing story of the origine of the indigenous Maori people can be traced back to the 13th century, the mythical homeland Hawaiki, Eastern Polynesia. Due to centuries of isolation, the Maori established a distinct society with characteristic art, a separate language and unique mythology. Defining aspects of Maori traditional culture include art, dance, legends, tattoos and community. While the arrival of European colonists in the 18th centure had a profound impact on the Maori way of life, many aspects of traditional society have survived into the 21th century.

Bangladeshi Muslims travel on the roof of an overcrowded train as they head to their hometowns ahead of Eid al-Adha in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Friday, September 1, 2017. The festival commemorates the story of Abraham and his readiness to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God, who provided a lamb to be used instead. (Photo by Bernat Armangue/AP Photo)

This is the mesmerising image of a colourful Milky Way shining down on Mount Fuji. Steve Lance Lee, 37, captured the sky above the iconic mountain whilst on his honey moon in Lake Kawaguchiko, Japan. Mount Fuji is illuminated underneath the galaxy of stars, creating an impressive landscape. Here: The beautiful image captured by Steve Lance Lee of the Milky Way seemingly errupting from Mt. Fuji in Japan. (Photo by Steve Lance Lee/Caters News)

Tip turkey, dumpster chook, rubbish raptor – the Australian white ibis goes by many unflattering names. But it is a true urban success story, scavenging to survive in cities across Australia as wetlands have been lost. Wildlife photographer Rick Stevens captured them in Sydney. Here: Of all the species affected by river regulation in Australia, the ibis is one of the few that has changed its behaviour and moved to coastal cities. (Photo by Rick Stevens/The Guardian)

Kourtney Roy makes eerie self-portraits in desolate yet dramatic locations – with wigs and wardrobe straight out of 1950s melodrama. In these shots, from her “Enter as Fiction – California” series, she plays characters caught in desolate, often abandoned settings. (Photo by Kourtney Roy/Galerie Catherine et André Hug/The Guardian)

For the Torajan people of Indonesia, death is part of a spiritual journey: families keep the mummified remains of their deceased relatives in their homes for years – and traditionally invite them to join for lunch on a daily basis – before they are eventually buried. Here: Todeng died in 2009. A young relative of his, Sam, lights him a cigarette and changes his glasses. (Photo by Claudio Sieber Photography/The Guardian)