12 piercing photos with a story that touch the depths of the soul (13 photos)

Some photos speak for themselves, while others need context to reveal their depth.





At first glance, these photos may seem ordinary or even strange. But once you learn their story, a new, touching meaning will open up before you.

1. Farewell to an entire species



A photograph of the last male northern white rhinoceros named Sudan has become a symbol of the extinction of an entire subspecies. He was euthanized in March 2018 due to a serious illness.

2. This is what a sunset looks like from space





3. "Wine windows" of Italy



These small windows, known as "buchetti" (buchetti del vino), were used by winemakers in Florence and Tuscany as early as the 17th century to sell wine during plague epidemics. Their design allowed for minimal contact: the customer knocked on the window, received a bottle of wine, and left money on a special shelf. In 2020-2021, some bars and wineries in Italy (especially in Tuscany) began using them again for contactless sales of food and drinks due to COVID-19.

4. The first flower grown in space



In 2016, the first ever space flower, a bright orange zinnia, bloomed on board the International Space Station (ISS). This NASA experiment, called VEG-01, proved that plants can not only grow, but also bloom in microgravity.

5. One of the few surviving pyramidions of Ancient Egypt



The photograph shows a rare artifact - a pyramidion (the top stone of a pyramid), found in the Dahshur region. This is one of only four known surviving examples, dating back to the era of Pharaoh Amenemhat III (19th century BC).

6. Biological twin sisters with different skin colors



The photo shows Lucy and Maria Aylmer, genetically identical twins born from a mixed marriage. Their father is white, and their mother is of Jamaican descent. Despite the fact that the sisters are monochorionic twins (developed from a single egg), their appearance is radically different. Lucy has light skin and red hair, and Maria has dark skin and black curls.

7. Fish Skin as an Innovative Material for Treating Burns and Wounds



This amazing medical method uses treated tilapia (freshwater fish) skin to graft onto burns and diabetic ulcers. The technology, developed by Brazilian scientists, allows the fish skin to act as a biological scaffold, stimulating the regeneration of human tissue.

8. A Rare View from the Statue of Liberty's Torch



A view from the balcony of the Statue of Liberty's torch, a place that tourists couldn't get to for over 100 years. Access to the torch's observation deck was finally closed in 1916.

9. Bonsai with a full-size apple



A miniature bonsai apple tree that managed to grow a regular full-size apple. The tree, only 30-40 centimeters high, produced fruit comparable in size to those that grow on standard apple trees.

10. HD image of the waning moon



This high-resolution photo captures the waning moon, that delicate phase when the moon loses its roundness, turning into a silvery crescent. The image shows not only the beauty, but also the stunning details of the lunar surface: craters, seas, and mountain ranges illuminated at an acute angle.

11. A wolf and a bear who became companions



The photo shows an unusual union between a wolf and a brown bear, which were observed together in the forests of Finland. The predators, which in nature usually compete for prey, traveled side by side for 10 days, hunted and even shared food.

12. Macro shot of an ant lifting a branch



This close-up photo shows a common ant performing an incredible biomechanical feat. The little insect is carrying a piece of wood that weighs 50 times more than itself. The image reveals the epic struggle for survival that ants wage on a daily basis.