The best science and technology pictures of the week

The most impressive pictures from the last seven days, from the coldest place on Earth to ancient lakes on Mars.

More stunning image galleries:

Comet fly-bys, China in space and Amazon drones

Robot companions and award-winning views of Shanghai

A storm of starlings and a Saturnine portrait

Typhoon Haiyan, Olympic spacewalk and Lady Gaga

Rare eclipse, Olympian rocket and singing mudskippers

Volcanoes, snake massages and a very unusual seahorse

New space ventures and mirrors that light up a town

Bionic men and Saturn in amazing detail

Robotic firefighters, solar car races and extreme weather

Supervolcanoes on Mars and Chinese military drones

Baby pandas and glowing robots

Northern Lights and baby turtles

Robot dragon and lightning strike

Yosemite fires and an eclipse from Mars

Augmented reality in the operating room

Worm burgers and beetle robots

Baby lobsters and the most sophisticated robot of its time

Clouds from space, illegal animal trade, and an eyeball-shaped camera

Lightning strikes and a popsicle-licking polar bear

Supersonic planes, migrating whales and hair washing in space

Space ventures, extreme Earth, and hot elephants

Flying aces, challenging swims and confused robots

Supermoon, Tesla coils and medical clowns

World’s biggest solar-powered boat and forest fires

Astronaut photography, a tiny helicopter and a hovering bike

Rocket launch, a superfast train, and a toothy shark

Fire-fighting from the skies and an animatronic King Kong

Dancing robots, a pair of MiGs and a topsy-turvy tiger

A drone at sea, a curious lemur and a dramatic landing from space

Tiny robots, printable guns and a sunken German bomber

Dramatic storms, face transplants and a pensive gorilla

Space, bionic limbs and robot protests

Rubber wastelands, a trip to a taxidermist and hurricane testing labs

Flu scares, robot surgery and the untouched planet

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