During a jungle survival program February 20, 2013 taught by Royal Thai Special Forces in Sannapit, Thailand, U.S. Marines learned to catch cobras and drink their fresh blood, not to mention eat forest insects and pull the heads off of chicken. The training was part of Operation Cobra Gold 13, the 32nd edition of international military exercises hosted by the Thai. According to a U.S. Marines press release, Cobra Gold is the largest exercise of its kind in Asia and incorporates troops from five other nations in addition to the U.S. and Thailand. The Daily Mail reports that the Marines were invited to experience the local custom of drinking cobra blood after being taught to catch and kill cobras in the wild. As CNN notes, Cobra blood is believed to be a panacea and aphrodiasic in parts of Southeast Asia. In Jakarta, vendors can earn over $100 a night selling shots of cobra blood mixed with liquor. (Photo by Pornchai Kittiwongsakul/AFP Photo)

“Red Pepperpion. Red Pepperpions are secretive, nocturnal arachilli which can be spotted in kitchens of arid climates all around the world.

Red Pepperpions are equipped with a delicious (and depending on the quantity...deadly!) stinger at the end of its tail. If you happen to get bitten (or if you bite him!) it will produce a burning sensation on your taste nerves.

However, there is no need to worry, since the fact is that his potent stinger is usually only used when hunting or whenever the Pepperpion feels like he might become part of someones meal...

At daylight or when encountering a larger foe, such as a Saucier Chef, they retreat into burrows inside the fridge or hide beneath the oven”. (Photo and comment by Vanessa Dualib)

“A robot suit that can help the elderly or disabled get around was given its global safety certificate in Japan on February 27, 2013, paving the way for its worldwide roll-out”. Photo: Robot suit “Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL)” worn by a man developed by University of Tsukuba is seen lifting a 30kg weight during 2005 International Robot Exhibition on November 30, 2005 in Tokyo, Japan. By wearing the power suit, it makes it easier to move and lift heavy things. (Photo by Koichi Kamoshida)

Some artists want to convey some deep message through their art, while some are simply satisfied with shocking the audience. Roderique Arisiaman is the latter kind. Though his works do not play on the strings of our emotion, they can pique the interest with their flashy and sometimes humorous appearance. Many of his works have a zombie theme, and are surprisingly well done, especially the one where a man pushes his fingers through his cheek and into his eye. If given the chance, Roderique Arisiaman would probably do a great job of designing a poster for some zombie apocalypse movie. (Photo and caption by Roderique Arisiaman)

“Cassowaries are large, flightless birds related to emus and (more distantly) to ostriches, rheas, and kiwis”, writes Olivia Judson in the September issue of National Geographic magazine. How large? People-size: Adult males stand well over five foot five and top 110 pounds. Females are even taller, and can weigh more than 160 pounds. Dangerous when roused, they’re shy and peaceable when left alone. But even birds this big and tough are prey to habitat loss. The dense New Guinea and Australia rain forests where they live have dwindled. Today cassowaries might number 1,500 to 2,000. And because they help shape those same forests – by moving seeds from one place to another – “if they vanish”, Judson writes, “the structure of the forest would gradually change” too. (Photo by Christian Ziegler/National Geographic)

“Microscope images forge an extraordinary bond between science and art, said Hidenao Tsuchiya, Olympus America's Vice President and General Manager for the Scientific Equipment Group. We founded this competition to focus on the fascinating stories coming out of today's life science research laboratories. The thousands of images that people have shared with the competition over the years reflect some of the most exciting work going on in research today – work that can help shed light on the living universe and ultimately save lives. We look at BioScapes and these beautiful images as sources of education and inspiration to us and the world”. – OlympusBioScapes

Photo: Pretarsus of the third leg of a female drone fly (Eristalis tenax), ventral view, by Dr. Jan Michels, Institute of Zoology, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Germany. (Photo by Olympus BioScapes)

Have you ever tried painting with light? Yes, you’ve heard us right. It is not a figure of speech, and it is actually possible to draw with light if you have a good camera and a tripod. All you have to do is to set your camera on a tripod in a dark place (preferably at night in some park), set exposure time to the max, turn on a single bright light (the screen of your mobile phone will do), and you can start painting. Darren Pearson is a photographer who specializes in making such drawings. The level of intricacy with which he creates his paintings is astounding, considering the fact that making such a drawing is like painting with a blindfold on.