51动漫

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Searching for the stars near my hometown, Pollachi, led me to the forests of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve. As I moved away from towns and their lights, the darker it got, the more I could see - fireflies, stars. I was fascinated when I saw hundreds of fireflies flashing at the edge of the forest and heard stories of trees laden with fireflies deep in the forest. Predicting the time of their peak activity, I set out to a remote area of the reserve along with forest officials. I waited for nightfall in anxiety. Flashes of green started appearing at twilight. As the place grew dark, millions of fireflies started synchronizing their flashes across several trees. Flashes started in one tree and continued across several trees in a mexican-wave like fashion. It lasted all night. I felt transported to another planet. Being under a sky full of stars, with fireflies flashing in the foreground, owls and other nocturnal creatures calling at a distance, Elephants and Leopards lurking around the corner, this was Nature as our ancestors experienced. The image, created by stacking several photographs, shows a 16 minute activity of the fireflies. ? Sriram Murali, India, 3rd Place, Professional competition, Wildlife & Nature, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

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See our pick of the entries for the Sony World Photography Awards

From a firefly panorama to a howling coyote, these are some of the finalists and shortlisted photographs for the professional competition in the 2023 Sony awards

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Distraught woman having salad for dinner while working on computer in the evening at home. ; Shutterstock ID 1581071689; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

Mind

How to stop procrastinating and start getting things done

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Tom Gauld: The infinite monkeys take a break

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Twisteddoodles: Science has found that 60% of birdsong is rap battles

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The sheep return to the stable after grazing at the "Buon Pastore" dairy in Sant'alberto, Ravenna, Italy. The dairy and sheep farm work in synergy with the "Solar Farm" energy park, a 35 MW photovoltaic field capable of producing approximately 47,000 MWh of electricity, or the equivalent consumption of 18,000 families. Sheep graze among the solar panels, helping to maintain agricultural areas and turf.

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Photos of solar sheep and an eco-winery capture Italy鈥檚 green journey

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MXMH8X colorful water drop splash

I fill a tub with water by gravity, but what happens to the gravity?

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People say 鈥榣aughter is the best medicine鈥�, but does it actually help?

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Aerial view of car driving on beautiful steep curved road (look like number 3) on the high mountain in Nan province, Thailand.; Shutterstock ID 1815816242; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

This week鈥檚 new questions

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Helluva twist: Did Dickens create the first android in literature?

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Tom Gauld: A scientist grows up

Tom Gauld's weekly cartoon

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Twisteddoodles on a strangely sticky asteroid

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Dazzlingly detailed photo of a record solar tornado ’14 Earths tall’

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Life

How to grow asparagus – and why it takes so long

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The hunt for the missing heart of Holy Roman Emperor Otto the Great

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