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Photography

Gallery: Astounding imagery from the 2019 Sony World Photography Awards

By Nick Lavars
February 05, 2019
Gallery: Astounding imagery from the 2019 Sony World Photography Awards
Taken during the yellow vest protest in Paris
Taken during the yellow vest protest in Paris
View 120 Images
Visually impaired people attend a movie theater in Shanghai
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Visually impaired people attend a movie theater in Shanghai
An Iranian woman demonstrates the culture of her country
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An Iranian woman demonstrates the culture of her country
Portrait of a British documentary film maker depicting birth and the "inexhaustible motif" of mother and child
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Portrait of a British documentary film maker depicting birth and the "inexhaustible motif" of mother and child
Preparations for an opera take place at the Cheok Beh Kieng Temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Preparations for an opera take place at the Cheok Beh Kieng Temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Stone peaks in the south of China
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Stone peaks in the south of China
Portrait using one light source and a double exposure in post production
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Portrait using one light source and a double exposure in post production
The man-made Alder lake in Washington runs dry
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The man-made Alder lake in Washington runs dry
Boys from a Boston high school train for track and field in the fog
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Boys from a Boston high school train for track and field in the fog
Penguin chicks brave the cold in Antarctica
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Penguin chicks brave the cold in Antarctica
Photograph entitled "Galia Melon" from the project "The Secret Lives of Fruits and Vegetables"
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Photograph entitled "Galia Melon" from the project "The Secret Lives of Fruits and Vegetables"
The mirrored entrance of Tokyu Plaza
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The mirrored entrance of Tokyu Plaza
Street scene in Berlin, Germany
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Street scene in Berlin, Germany
Image titled "Diamond Skin"
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Image titled "Diamond Skin"
Subjects react to a gust of wind at the Encore Resort in Las Vegas
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Subjects react to a gust of wind at the Encore Resort in Las Vegas
An overcrowded train takes off during Bishwa ijtema, Bangladesh's second largest Muslim congregation
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An overcrowded train takes off during Bishwa ijtema, Bangladesh's second largest Muslim congregation
Crushed pastels and plastic spoons
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Crushed pastels and plastic spoons
Family camping beneath the stars
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Family camping beneath the stars
Portrait titled "Little Present (Flowers for Julia)"
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Portrait titled "Little Present (Flowers for Julia)"
A crash at the first corner of the Belgian Grand Prix in August 2018
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A crash at the first corner of the Belgian Grand Prix in August 2018
An old Victorian Lighthouse off the coast of Essex, UK
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An old Victorian Lighthouse off the coast of Essex, UK
The wall of the Kolnbrein Dam in Austria, the country's tallest dam
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The wall of the Kolnbrein Dam in Austria, the country's tallest dam
"Seeing the Light I"
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"Seeing the Light I"
British professional swimmer Oliver Anson plies his trade in Mallorca
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British professional swimmer Oliver Anson plies his trade in Mallorca
A scooter ride alongside the Aquatics Centre in London
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A scooter ride alongside the Aquatics Centre in London
Portrait from a casting session for "Unusual Brussels"
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Portrait from a casting session for "Unusual Brussels"
A hare on the Isle of Wight, UK
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A hare on the Isle of Wight, UK
Eerie machine goes to work in the foggy forests of Dartmoor, UK
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Eerie machine goes to work in the foggy forests of Dartmoor, UK
Gannet feeding time in Shetland
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Gannet feeding time in Shetland
Image from the Appleby Horse Fair, UK, in June
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Image from the Appleby Horse Fair, UK, in June
The Xi'an city wall in China, presented in a square of nine photos stitched together
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The Xi'an city wall in China, presented in a square of nine photos stitched together
A new housing estate in Tangshan juxtaposed with an older decrepit one
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A new housing estate in Tangshan juxtaposed with an older decrepit one
Eagles tussle at the annual Eagle Watch event in Nova Scotia, Canada
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Eagles tussle at the annual Eagle Watch event in Nova Scotia, Canada
Portrait of a young homeless man
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Portrait of a young homeless man
Thousands of Buddhist women make their way up the mountains in China to practice the dharma
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Thousands of Buddhist women make their way up the mountains in China to practice the dharma
Camping in the city. Guangdong Province, China
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Camping in the city. Guangdong Province, China
Shadow puppetry in a Chinese village
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Shadow puppetry in a Chinese village
Special police training in the Hunan Province of China
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Special police training  in the Hunan Province of China
The Chordeiles minor, or common night hawk, hunts for prey in the Colombian night
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The Chordeiles minor, or common night hawk, hunts for prey in the Colombian night
From the series "Dreamers and Warriors"
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From the series "Dreamers and Warriors"
Image titled "Mathematical Landscape"
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Image titled "Mathematical Landscape"
The Kuitun Grand Canyon, China
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The Kuitun Grand Canyon, China
A worker hoses down the lawn of the 21st Century Contemporary Art Museum in Kanazawa, Japan
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A worker hoses down the lawn of the 21st Century Contemporary Art Museum in Kanazawa, Japan
Owl on a lantern
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Owl on a lantern
Abandoned house
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Abandoned house
Titled: Little Mona Lisa
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Titled: Little Mona Lisa
Public urination in India
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Public urination in India
Oyster farm in Sète, France
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Oyster farm in Sète, France
Taken during the yellow vest protest in Paris
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Taken during the yellow vest protest in Paris
Titled: Polkadot on Memory Bliss
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Titled: Polkadot on Memory Bliss
Portrait titled: Anna
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Portrait titled: Anna
Image titled: In the Locker Room
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Image titled: In the Locker Room
Street bazaar in Athens
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Street bazaar in Athens
Girl with a broom on a fake beach in Berlin
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Girl with a broom on a fake beach in Berlin
Street scene in Barcelona
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Street scene in Barcelona
Smoke and movement
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Smoke and movement
Secret beach on the Oregon coast
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Secret beach on the Oregon coast
The new US embassy in London, a glass cube enclosed in shimmering sails of plastic
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The new US embassy in London, a glass cube enclosed in shimmering sails of plastic
On the Yamal Peninsula in Siberia
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On the Yamal Peninsula in Siberia
Camping under the stars in the Italian alps
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Camping under the stars in the Italian alps
An image constructed from negatives of different perspectives of the same building
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An image constructed from negatives of different perspectives of the same building
Father and son portrait
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Father and son portrait
"The sound of silence"
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"The sound of silence"
"Beautiful Chaos"
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"Beautiful Chaos"
Beach scene in Thailand
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Beach scene in Thailand
An Arabian red fox
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An Arabian red fox
A farmhouse in Dusseldorf, Germany
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A farmhouse in Dusseldorf, Germany
Bruno's Portrait
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Bruno's Portrait
Campfire under the Milky Way
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Campfire under the Milky Way
Break time in Goreme, Turkey
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Break time in Goreme, Turkey
Pacific squid species on the west coast of Canada
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Pacific squid species on the west coast of Canada
Creative drone photography in the backyard
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Creative drone photography in the backyard
Untitled
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Untitled
"Everyday Resignation"
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"Everyday Resignation"
Father and son goat-milking
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Father and son goat-milking
Central Station Hamburg, captured in multiple exposures
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Central Station Hamburg, captured in multiple exposures
Anchovy fishing in central Vietnam
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Anchovy fishing in central Vietnam
Vasile, a farmer, poet, writer and journalist in a Romanian village in Maraumures county
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Vasile, a farmer, poet, writer and journalist in a Romanian village in Maraumures county
Quiet mountain scene in the Dolomites, Italy
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Quiet mountain scene in the Dolomites, Italy
Portrait titled "Xibalba"
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Portrait titled "Xibalba"
Shortlisted in the Portraiture category
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Shortlisted in the Portraiture category
Outside the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul
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Outside the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul
Drone lighting and long exposures in Latvia
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Drone lighting and long exposures in Latvia
Whale shark in the the Teluk Cenderwasih National Park
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Whale shark in the the Teluk Cenderwasih National Park
Frozen pond from above in Oslo, Norway
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Frozen pond from above in Oslo, Norway
Tight-roping performance in Turin, Italy
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Tight-roping performance in Turin, Italy
Family playtime after heavy rain
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Family playtime after heavy rain
A poisoned lake in a mining area of Romania
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A poisoned lake in a mining area of Romania
Sunrise over Mount Bromo, Indonesia
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Sunrise over Mount Bromo, Indonesia
Honey harvesting from the hives of Himalayan bees
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Honey harvesting from the hives of Himalayan bees
"Everyday Constructivism"
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"Everyday Constructivism"
The Sarzhematy River in the Altai Mountains of Russia
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The Sarzhematy River in the Altai Mountains of Russia
Captured during a show by special horse units of the Polish police
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Captured during a show by special horse units of the Polish police
A male sea lion opens his mouth
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A male sea lion opens his mouth
The Arugam Bay girls surf club in Sri Lanka
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The Arugam Bay girls surf club in Sri Lanka
Taken during the Naadam national festival in Mongolia
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Taken during the Naadam national festival in Mongolia
The same common murre captured in two exposures, face to face
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The same common murre captured in two exposures, face to face
Sardins in action off the coast of South Africa
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Sardins in action off the coast of South Africa
Man overlooks the Nowruz festival in Iran
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Man overlooks the Nowruz festival in Iran
From a series examining the line between vernacular and advertising photography
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From a series examining the line between vernacular and advertising photography
A grey seal
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A grey seal
A man enters the water at a beach on Rhodes Island
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A man enters the water at a beach on Rhodes Island
Taken close to midnight at the Norwegian village of Svolvar
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Taken close to midnight at the Norwegian village of Svolvar
Picnic underway at the Kaluts desert in Iran
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Picnic underway at the Kaluts desert in Iran
The Mona Lisa and its crowds
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The Mona Lisa and its crowds
Sterling Falls at New Zealand's Milford Sound
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Sterling Falls at New Zealand's Milford Sound
Forest of Resonating Lamps at the teamLab exhibition in Tokyo
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Forest of Resonating Lamps at the teamLab exhibition in Tokyo
Balloons take flight in Cappadocia, Turkey
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Balloons take flight in Cappadocia, Turkey
Tribes go to work in Yunnan, China
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Tribes go to work in Yunnan, China
Hell Valley, Hokkaido, Japan
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Hell Valley, Hokkaido, Japan
Jellyfish at dusk in a coastal lagoon in Spain
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Jellyfish at dusk in a coastal lagoon in Spain
Untitled
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Untitled
An Ethiopian wolf, one of the rarest animals in the world
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An Ethiopian wolf, one of the rarest animals in the world
A foggy game of football
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A foggy game of football
Morning views from a Stockholm hotel
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Morning views from a Stockholm hotel
Swimming competition in Cabo de Palos, Spain
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Swimming competition in Cabo de Palos, Spain
Women wearing a traditional dress of a Shinto wedding in Tokyo
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Women wearing a traditional dress of a Shinto wedding in Tokyo
A traditional ryokan inn in Beppu
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A traditional ryokan inn in Beppu
Lights, shadows, wires and pigeons in a Portugeues river channel
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Lights, shadows, wires and pigeons in a Portugeues river channel
A women prepares food in a remote vilalge of the Hunan Province, China
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A women prepares food in a remote vilalge of the Hunan Province, China
Tokyo during the sakura blossom season
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Tokyo during the sakura blossom season
View gallery - 120 images

The Sony World Photography Awards are in full swing for another year, and yet again the early signs are nothing short of amazing. The jury has just finalized the shortlist for the Open category of the 2019 edition, with those to make the cut putting all cultures and corners of the globe under the spotlight in breathtaking fashion.

Last year's Sony World Photography Awards drew more than 300,000 submissions and the 2019 event has again attracted huge numbers, with judges sifting through 327,000 photos sent in from 195 different countries, the largest haul in the competitions's 12-year history.

This means that just like last year, the shortlisted images are not only visually striking works of art, they offer fascinating insights into cultural peculiarities from all over the world. Take, for example, this snapshot captured during Bishwa Ijtema, the second largest Muslim congregation in Bangladesh.

An overcrowded train takes off during Bishwa ijtema, Bangladesh's second largest Muslim congregation
An overcrowded train takes off during Bishwa ijtema, Bangladesh's second largest Muslim congregation

Then there's this image from a show by a special horse unit of the Polish police.

Captured during a show by special horse units of the Polish police
Captured during a show by special horse units of the Polish police

Also in the mix are artful portraits and opportunistic snaps of endangered wildlife like the Arabian red fox (below) and the Ethiopian wolf.

An Arabian red fox
An Arabian red fox

The images are sorted into 10 different categories, including Architecture, Landscape, Motion, Culture, Portraiture, Natural World and Wildlife and Travel. In addition to battling it out to top those individual categories, contestants are also in the running to be crowned the Open category best overall image, which will be announced on April 17, 2019.

Alongside this competition, the Sony World Photography Awards also hold a contest for professionals and students, with those shortlisted images to be revealed on March 26.

Only 10 finalists for the Open category will be revealed later this month on February 26, but there's plenty on the shortlist to marvel at right now. Jump on into the gallery to see for yourself.

Source: Sony World Photography Awards

View gallery - 120 images

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PhotographySonyAwardsGallerySony World Photography Awards
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Nick Lavars
Nick Lavars
Nick has been writing and editing at New Atlas for over six years, where he has covered everything from distant space probes to self-driving cars to oddball animal science. He previously spent time at The Conversation, Mashable and The Santiago Times, earning a Masters degree in communications from Melbourne’s RMIT University along the way.

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