FROM ICE bubbles to boiling lava, these photographs highlight the stunning shapes and patterns found in nature. The series of extraordinary images were taken by German software engineer Thorsten Scheuermann after he decided to examine his surroundings. A trip to the city of Kalapana in Hawaii, home to the Kilauea Volcano, provided Thorsten with the setting for his lava picture, while a visit to the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon offered him the opportunity to photograph ice bubbles up-close. The 37-year-old, now of Washington, USA, said: 'These are sights that can gain greater significance and have their beauty exposed when excluding everything else around them.'
ROLLING around in the snow, these young brown bears take a break from their play fight to share a tender hug with one another .
From a platter of finger licking chicken wings to a bowl of Chinese noodle soup, these foodie snaps are enough to make your savoury saliva glands drool .
At least three people have been killed and more than 100 injured, some seriously, in two explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon .
THIS alien-like bug would look more at home in outer-space but it can actually be found wriggling around here on Earth .
A diver attempts to control rising numbers of lionfish by feeding the venomous species to Caribbean reef sharks .
TOMORROW (Saturday) marks the 28th anniversary of the nuclear disaster that left the city of Chernobyl devastated .
An intrepid explorer hopes to be reunited with his travel partner, after his cuddly toy companion was stolen .
When couples talk about wanting a white wedding, few will be referring to getting hitched on a glacier sat on top of an active volcano .
IN THE not so MISTY MOUNTAINS of Wiltshire, there lies an abandoned hobbit house .
Like a scene from a fairytale, THOUSANDS of fireflies create an enchanting glow as they dance in a forest .
A young orangutan comes over all shy as she hides her face behind a broken bucket .
A proud gorilla mum welcomes her newborn baby western lowland gorilla, a critically endangered species .