Pakistani truck drivers from different cities sit on the roof top of the buildings at Truck station offering Dua before breaking the fast during Holy month of Ramadan in Lahore on April 15, 2021. Ramadan is marked by daily fasting from dawn to sunset Islami's holy month of Ramadan-ul-Mubarak is celebrated by Muslims worldwide marked by fasting, abstaining from foods, sеx and smoking from dawn to dusk for soul cleansing and strengthening the spiritual bond between them and the Almighty. (Photo by Rana Sajid Hussain/Pacific Press/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Rabbits are seen in a cage, which is placed by authority as a test of the living conditions near the site of last week's blasts at Binhai new district in Tianjin, China, August 19, 2015. According to local media, the animals were alive after being placed near the blasts site for two hours. Four new fires have broken out at the site where two huge blasts last week killed 116 people, Chinese state media reported Friday soon after officials said safety hazards were found at almost 70 percent of firms handling dangerous chemicals in Beijing. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

If we were to burn NH4Cr2O7 with HgSCN in the Dark Ages in Europe and show it to anyone, it is us who would be burning next on a fiery cross of Inquisition. And it’s no wonder, since this experiment produces a truly marvelous result. At first, as you ignite the mixture of NH4Cr2O7 and HgSCN, all you can see is that it is slowly burning with a reddish flame. After a while, however, a crater is formed in the middle of the burning pile, and then, suddenly, tentacle-like appendages start sprouting from the burning mixture. And you can almost hear the scream of the mad occultist – “Come forth, Kraken! Come forth!” But of course, this is simply a chemical reaction that is called the "Pharoah's Serpent". It was also often sold in firework stores until people realized that it was toxic.

Now celebrating its 40th year, Nikon Small World is widely regarded as the leading forum to recognize proficiency and photographic excellence of photography taken under the microscope. To select the winners, competition judges analyzed entries from all over the world covering subjects ranging from chemical compounds to up-close-and-personal looks at biological specimens. The 2014 winners will be revealed on October 30th. In 2014, the competition received over 1,200 entries from more than 79 countries around the world. (Photo by Dr. Igor Robert Siwanowicz/Nikon Small World 2014)

“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)

A member of the United States Naval Academy freshman class crawls through trenches at the wet and sandy station during the annual Sea Trials training exercise at the U.S. Naval Academy on May 13, 2014 in Annapolis, Maryland. For 14 hours, the United States Naval Academy freshman class, also known as Plebes, worked as a team to complete many grueling physical and mental challenges that help prepare them for real-world experiences and reinforce leadership, bonds, trust, and teamwork. Of the challenges, they endured: a two-mile regimental run, ground fights, water tactics, aquatics challenges, and survival skills, amongst many others. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

A new LED light fixture is secured to the side of a lift as crews replace existing street lights August 1, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The new energy-efficient fixtures are expected to reduce the city's annual electricity use by eight million kilowatt hours, saving about USD 400,000. The city estimates the LEDs will last about 15 years, nine years longer than the current lights. Funding for the project comes from federal energy conservation bonds and an American Recovery & Reinvestment Act grant. The city plans to replace all of its 50,000 streetlights after more funding is secured. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)