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The best science and technology pictures of the week

News imageUS president Barack Obama talks with robot-maker Lindsay Lawlor in front of his robot giraffe invention at a science fair at the White House. (Getty Images)
US president Barack Obama talks with robot-maker Lindsay Lawlor in front of his robot giraffe invention at a science fair at the White House. (Getty Images)

The most impressive pictures from the worlds of science and technology this week, including a robot giraffe and a double tornado.

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Supersonic selfie and eerie rivers

News image(David Cenciotti)
(David Cenciotti)

A brooding storm and a Super Earth

News image(Center for Astrophysics/Reuters)
(Center for Astrophysics/Reuters)

Roaring rockets and an Earth selfie

News imageJapan's H-IIA rocket lifts off from a space centre on the island of Tanegashima to deploy a new mapping satellite for surveying natural disaster damage. (AFP/Getty Images)
Japan's H-IIA rocket lifts off from a space centre on the island of Tanegashima to deploy a new mapping satellite for surveying natural disaster damage. (AFP/Getty Images)

Chinese lightning and rocking robots

News imageLightning arcs across the sky during a storm in Guangzhou, Guangdong province in China. (Reuters)
Lightning arcs across the sky during a storm in Guangzhou, Guangdong province in China. (Reuters)

Fire bombing and huggy bears

News imageTwo brown bears embrace inside an enclosure at a bear park in Zarnesti, central Romania. The bears are some of many rescued from roadside stalls or restaurants. (Reuters)
Two brown bears embrace inside an enclosure at a bear park in Zarnesti, central Romania. The bears are some of many rescued from roadside stalls or restaurants. (Reuters)

Blazing skies and moody twisters

News imageClouds lit up by the setting sun at Mollymook Beach on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. (Reuters)
Clouds lit up by the setting sun at Mollymook Beach on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. (Reuters)

Amazing air displays and breathtaking nature

News imageflight
flight

Plane trails and tadpole stars

News imageContrails from jets flying overhead form a backdrop behind the National Museum of Art in Washington DC. (AP)
Contrails from jets flying overhead form a backdrop behind the National Museum of Art in Washington DC. (AP)

Volcanic plumes and home-made tanks

News imageAsh rises into the sky from Ecuador’s Tungurahua volcano near Banos, south of the capital Quito. The volcano has been classified as active since 1999. (Reuters)
Ash rises into the sky from Ecuador’s Tungurahua volcano near Banos, south of the capital Quito. The volcano has been classified as active since 1999. (Reuters)

Foggy landings and robot tackles

News imageA plane comes in to land at Heathrow Airport, west London, during heavy fog caused by pollution and dust blown up from the Sahara Desert. (PA)
A plane comes in to land at Heathrow Airport, west London, during heavy fog caused by pollution and dust blown up from the Sahara Desert. (PA)

Space suit test and peeking penguins

News imageGentoo penguins at the start of their breeding seasons at the Sea Life London Aquarium. (PA Wire)
Gentoo penguins at the start of their breeding seasons at the Sea Life London Aquarium. (PA Wire)

Ocean secrets and the dawn of the Universe

News imageFour F/A-18s of the US Navy Blue Angels display team perform a close-formation aerobatics stunt during an air show in El Centro, California. (Imperial Valley Press/AP)
Four F/A-18s of the US Navy Blue Angels display team perform a close-formation aerobatics stunt during an air show in El Centro, California. (Imperial Valley Press/AP)

Sexy robots and an eerie whale

News imageTwo robots perform a cheeky pole dance on the eve of the CeBIT Technology Trade Fair in Hanover, Germany. (AFP/Getty Images)
Two robots perform a cheeky pole dance on the eve of the CeBIT Technology Trade Fair in Hanover, Germany. (AFP/Getty Images)

Aurora mission and frozen falls

News imageA Nasa rocket is launched into an aurora over the Alaskan village of Venetie. The rocket’s mission was to investigate “curls” – patterns showing magnetic activity. (Nasa/Reuters)
A Nasa rocket is launched into an aurora over the Alaskan village of Venetie. The rocket’s mission was to investigate “curls” – patterns showing magnetic activity. (Nasa/Reuters)

Leopard escape and London time travel

News imageGeorge Davison Reid’s 1930 view of Tower Bridge is merged with a modern scene as part of an exhibit at the Museum of London. (GD Reid/Museum of London)
George Davison Reid’s 1930 view of Tower Bridge is merged with a modern scene as part of an exhibit at the Museum of London. (GD Reid/Museum of London)

Iced-up airliners and a violent Sun

News imageAn airport worker sprays de-icing liquid onto a Boeing 737m, as China shivers during snowy winter weather. (Reuters)
An airport worker sprays de-icing liquid onto a Boeing 737m, as China shivers during snowy winter weather. (Reuters)

Dancing F-16s and a view of the Universe

News imageTwo F-16s of the Singaporean Air Force display team the Black Knights, captured during a performance at the Singapore Airshow. (AP)
Two F-16s of the Singaporean Air Force display team the Black Knights, captured during a performance at the Singapore Airshow. (AP)

A rocket’s slow crawl and a spectacular volcano

News imageA Russian Soyuz-U booster carrying an unmanned cargo spacecraft Progress M-22M heads to the launchpad at Baikonur, Kazakhstan. (AFP/Getty Images)
A Russian Soyuz-U booster carrying an unmanned cargo spacecraft Progress M-22M heads to the launchpad at Baikonur, Kazakhstan. (AFP/Getty Images)

A lion's check up and a brain sculpture

News imageA Kenya Wildlife Service team take measurements of a male lion’s teeth while they prepare to fit the animal with a GPS tracking collar in Nairobi National Park. (AP)
A Kenya Wildlife Service team take measurements of a male lion’s teeth while they prepare to fit the animal with a GPS tracking collar in Nairobi National Park. (AP)

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