New Zealand's winter storm, 3d printed blood vessels and California's tule fog are just a few of our favourite images in Science this week.
1. A stunning shot
Credit: Chris Watson
An ominous winter storm appears in stark contrast to a soft sunset in a new photograph from the South Island of New Zealand.
This stunning shot was captured by photographer Chris Watson, of Invercargill, New Zealand on Saturday, May 24. It was the first major winter storm of the season, Watson wrote in an email to Live Science.
2. Shining city
The red-tile roofs of Venice stand out in a new astronaut photograph that also shows how humans and the sea interact in this long-occupied location. The image was taken by the Expedition 39 crew.
The photograph shows Venice in the Venice Lagoon, with the neighbouring city of Mestre nearby. Wetlands separate agricultural fields from the lagoon, and a barrier island divides the lagoon from the Adriatic Sea. A member of the Expedition 39 crew on the International Space Station took this photo on May 9, according to NASA's Earth Observatory.
3. Medicine and 3d printing
Using 3D-printing methods, researchers have created artificial blood vessels in a lab. The bioprinted structures could be used for transplants or for testing new drugs, scientists say.
Blood vessels are vital parts of the body's circulatory system that supply the organs with nutrients and remove waste. Scientists have developed artificial tissue from the heart, liver and lungs, but creating a synthetic network of blood vessels to support these organs has been a challenge.
4. New finding
A stick insect camouflaged in the forests of southern China got its cover blown last month by a flashlight-toting scientist who identified the critter as a new species.
Like most stick insects, the new species Sinophasma damingshanensis has a long, narrow body and a green-brown coloration that allows it to blend in perfectly among plant stems. But insect hunters have a trick for spotting the disguised creatures.
5. Remembering
In honour of this month's 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, pilots from Britain's Royal Air Force recreated the first images taken of the fateful landings on the beaches of Normandy by their counterparts during World War II.
Two Tornado jets used modern technology to recreate the images of the French beaches Gold, Juno, Utah and Sword, where the Allies landed on June 6, 1944. On that day, Air Commodore Andrew Geddes, flying a 2 (AC) Squadron Mustang, snapped the first pictures of the D-Day landings. Two other aircraft, piloted by Flight Lieutenant R. H. G. Weighill and Flying Officer H. J. Shute, were also flying overhead at the moment when the Allies first landed on the Normandy beaches, according to the U.K. Ministry of Defence.
6. 3d fossils
The first three-dimensionally preserved eggs of ancient winged reptiles that lived more than 100 million years ago have been unearthed in China.
Five intact eggs were found, along with dozens or more adult fossils, of a new type of pterosaur, a group of prehistoric winged reptiles that dominated the skies during the time of dinosaurs. These creatures included some of the largest flying animals that ever existed.
7. A vanishing fog
At first glance, this image might seem to show Central California covered in snow. But that white stuff isn't the makings of a winter wonderland. It's thick, dense fog known as tule fog.
Tule fog season in California is traditionally between November and March, when rains bring moisture to the state's Central Valley. The term "tule" comes from the plant of the same name (Schoenoplectus acutus), which dominates marshes in the region.
8. An intriguing feature
Parallel valleys called grabens stand out in a new satellite image of Canyonlands National Park in Utah.
This year is the 50th anniversary of the park, which was created in 1964. The Colorado River, seen on the left in this image, and the Green River divide the park into four districts. The region seen here is called the Needles District, which is one of the more remote areas of the park. Here, colourful sandstone spires define the landscape.
9. Feathery cuties
For all you bird lovers out there, you can watch a set of newly hatched osprey chicks ruffle their tiny feathers on a live webcam.
Nearly 5 million people have tuned in to the explore.org critter cam, located on Hog Island in Bremen, Maine, to watch some of the first chicks of the season hatch.
10. An ancient forest fire
In the badlands of southern Saskatchewan, Canada, scientists discovered evidence of a 66-million-year-old forest fire locked in stone.
Fossilized plants found on top of the layers of ancient charcoal show that forests bounced back from wildfires during the last days of the dinosaurs much like they do today, the new study found.
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