A new science exhibit opening tomorrow in Germany promises to show you in vivid detail what you cannot get from any anatomy textbook.

A collection of 20 animals and sundry organs of elephant, giraffe, and ostrich, to name a few, have settled into their new home at the Cologne Zoo. German anatomist Gunther von Hagens composed the exhibit with curator Angelina Whalley.

Frank Augstein / AP

A preserved brown bear stands on its haunches at the opening of "Koerperwelten der Tiere" (Body Worlds of Animals), an exhibition of polymer preserved animals at the Cologne zoo in Germany on Thursday, April 14.

The animals have been preserved through a process called plastination.

For those unfamiliar with this term, The International Society for Plastination refers to it as a process that creates specimens that can be touched, don't smell or decay and retain most of their original properties. Plastination is achieved by replacing water and fat with plastics, preserving the sample.

Frank Augstein / AP

Preserved camels are shown during the opening of the exhibition. German anatomist Gunther von Hagens composed the exhibit, which opens on April 15 and runs until September 30.

Frank Augstein / AP

A preserved gorilla is shown during the opening of the exhibition.

Wolfgang Rattay / Reuters

A man looks at a plastinated bull during an exhibition preview.

Wolfgang Rattay / Reuters

Angelina Walley, wife of German anatomist Gunther von Hagens looks at a plastinate shark during the exhibition preview.

The exhibit is open from April 15 through the end of September 2011.

Related Content:
Korperwelten exhibit website
Pictures of animals great and small

Certain photographs can have an uncanny ability to influence their viewers.

For Brandon Liljenquist, a tintype photograph of an American Civil War drummer boy turned out to be such an image.

Liljenquist tells the Library of Congress that a portrait of a young Civil War drummer boy "reached across time to challenge his beliefs about what makes an army great, leading him on a journey of discovery."

Library of Congress

Young George W. Weeks of Company D, 8th Maine Infantry Regiment with a drum in front of painted backdrop showing shoreline with house and lighthouse. In a letter dated October 12, 1865, Weeks wrote to his mother, "I am coming home at last. I have served three years in the greatest army that was ever known." Weeks died from malaria at the age of 21.

Liljenquist recounts of his journey, "Over time, as my brother Jason and I learned more about the Civil War, we came to understand the meaning of Weeks' words. We came to learn the ideals an army embraces are what make it great, not its military prowess." 

Library Of Congress

Five soldiers, four unidentified, in Union uniforms of the 6th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Militia outfitted with Enfield muskets in front of encampment.

Facts discovered and sentiments expressed by soldiers caused the Liljenquist family to dig deeper and broaden their collection.

Library of Congress

Unidentified young soldier in Confederate shell jacket, Hardee hat with Mounted Rifles insignia and plume with canteen and cup.

In just over 15 years, the Liljenquist family amassed over 700 images, the majority now on display at the Library of Congress. Read more about the Liljenquist family collection here.

Library of Congress

Unidentified young soldier in Union uniform and forage cap with revolver

"The photographs were acquired from a myriad of sources: shops specializing in historical memorabilia, civil war shows, photography shows, antique centers, estate auctions, eBay, and other collectors like us. Assembling this collection has been a labor of love for our entire family," Lindquist said.

Library of Congress

Unidentified African American soldier in Union uniform with wife and two daughters.

"The biggest surprise for everyone was seeing images of African American soldiers. Our classmates were unaware of the significant contribution these soldiers made to the Union victory."

In the end, Liljenquist hopes the photographs illustrate the magnitude of our nation's loss of 620,000 lives in a way never before shown in the history books.

Related content:
Civil War stereographs on Flickr
Library of Congress' 1600+ stereographs
150 years on, 3-D Civil War photos unveiled
How Civil War photography changed war

**editor's note (4/12/2011) When this post was initially published, the photos were reported to be on display at the National Archives, which is incorrect. The photos are on display at the Library of Congress.

The Library of Congress announced a fascinating glimpse of Civil War images to be viewed in 3-D.

Library of Congress Photography Curator Carol Johnson said on their blog that stereo photography first became popular around the time of the Civil War. In fact, many Civil War photographs were made specifically to be viewed in 3-D.

U.S. Corps of Topographical Engineers via Library of Congress

A group of nine men pose in front of a tent with a surveying instrument at left. The two men seated center and right are most likely Frederick W. Door and John W. Donn. The officer seated to the left is William H. Paine who invented the steel tape reel worn by the man standing on the right. Standing second from right appears to be Allan Pinkerton. Photograph from the main eastern theater of war, the Peninsular Campaign, May-August 1862.

The Library of Congress is featuring images of original Civil War stereographs on Flickr along with recently acquired digital anaglyphs made from several of the stereo views. Anaglyphs are the blue and red tinted images you need those funny 3-D glasses for.

Library of Congress

General Ulysses S. Grant leans over a bench to examine a map held by General George G. Meade at a council of war in 1864.

Many stereograph cards like the one above are being digitized and made available online. There are already over 350 on display here.

Library of Congress

Stone church in Centreville, Va. during the Civil War.

Library of Congress

Anaglyph stereograph made from digital images of a pair of stereograph negatives (above) by George N. Barnard in March 1862.

In addition to anaglyphs, the Flickr set features rare stereographs printed on cards and some of the Library’s unique original glass negative stereo plates.

Library of Congress

Library of Congress

Anaglyph stereograph made from digital images of a pair of stereograph negatives (above) of the Petersburg railroad depot in Richmond, Va., during the Civil War.

Related content:
Civil War stereographs on Flickr
Library of Congress' 1600+ stereographs
Nightly News video: Faces of the Civil War
How Civil War photography changed war

Photographer Nate Bolt got a bleary-eyed surprise when he checked the back of his camera while shooting a time lapse of his 11-hour flight from San Francisco to Paris.

What started off as a casual art project has garnered hundreds of thousands of astonished viewers - for something Bolt couldn't even see with his own eyes.

"I was as surprised as anybody else," he told msnbc.com.

Nate Bolt

The aurora borealis light up the night sky on a flight from San Francisco to Paris.

During the overnight flight, the half-asleep Bolt leaned over to check his camera and saw the aurora borealis lighting up the skies on its viewfinder screen.

Although he couldn't see the northern lights with his naked eyes, which he attributes to light inside the cabin, Bolt kept shooting. Over the course of the flight, the camera took more than 2,400 images.

Nate Bolt's camera and tripod on a flight from

See his pictures in motion and hear his remarks in our interview:

Update (4/11/2011 8:27pm EST): Many commenters have noted that the window Bolt was shooting out of would be facing south, and therefore question the veracity of the video. The likely flight path from San Francisco International to Charles de Gaulle follows a trajectory that typically crosses Thunder Bay and clips the southern tip of Greenland, far enough north that a moderate display of aurora borealis could be visible to the south. 

Related content:
Watch the original, full-length video
Northern lights, like never seen before
The aurora borealis over Norway
Must-see space pictures

(msnbc.com news services)-- After a week of heavy fighting, forces backing Ivory Coast's internationally recognized leader on Monday arrested strongman Laurent Gbagbo who had refused to leave the presidency despite losing elections more than four months earlier. Read more...

TCI / AFP - Getty Images

Laurent Gbagbo, surrounded by soldiers loyal to Alassane Ouattara, appears in an image from Ivorian television shortly after his capture on Monday, April 11. Troops loyal to Ivory Coast leader Alassane Ouattara captured former strongman Laurent Gbagbo and his wife Simone and brought them to their base, Ouattara's spokeswoman said. The former first couple was taken to Abidjan's Golf Hotel, where Ouattara's camp is based

Luc Gnago / Reuters

France's Licorne "Unicorn" forces prepare for a military operation in southern Ivory Coast April 11, 2011. U.N. and French helicopters attacked forces loyal to Ivory Coast's Laurent Gbagbo, damaging the presidential residence in Abidjan and destroying heavy weapons after U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon ordered them silenced. Gbagbo refused to step down after his rival Alassane Ouattara won last November's presidential election, according to results certified by the United Nations, reigniting a civil war that has claimed more than a thousand lives and uprooted a million people.

AP reports: Parents screamed in anguish and clung to coffins Friday as families began burying 12 children gunned down in the halls of their elementary school. A black police helicopter dropped white rose petals over mourners and a nation was left struggling for answers.

More than a thousand people gathered for the first funerals, held at a cemetery atop a hill overlooking the working-class neighborhood where the school shooting took place a day earlier.

Felipe Dana / AP

Relatives mourn the death of 14-year-old Luiza Paula da Silveira Machado during her funeral at the Jardim da Saudade cemetery in Rio de Janeiro on Friday, April 8.

Ten girls and two boys between the ages of 12 and 15 were gunned down, most shot in the head at point-blank range by 23-year-old Wellington Oliveira, who shot and killed himself after being confronted by police. At least 12 other students were injured in the Thursday shooting at the Tasso da Silveira public school. Two are in grave condition.

Felipe Dana / AP

A relative mourns over the body of 14-year-old Luiza Paula da Silveira Machado during her funeral at the Jardim da Saudade cemetery in Rio de Janeiro on Friday, April 8. Brazilian tradition stipulates that people be buried the day after their death.

Neighbors wandered past the school in a shocked daze Friday, leaving flowers along the wall of the school in western Rio's working-class Realengo neighborhood. Twelve crosses were left along a wall just outside the school, the name of each child killed written on white pieces of paper above them.

Ricardo Moraes / Reuters

A girl studies crosses placed in front of the Tasso da Silveira school in memory of the victims of Thursday's shooting in Rio de Janeiro on Friday.

The shock of the killings reverberated across Brazil.

"This is completely outside of our reality. This gunman lived in his own sick world and unfortunately brought his ugliness into ours," said Rivaldo Silva, eyes brimming with tears as he looked at newspaper headlines at a newsstand in central Sao Paulo. "I'm certain he was sent straight to Hell."

Sergio Moraes / Reuters

Friends of a shooting victim attend a funeral at Jardim da Saudade cemetery on Friday.

Felipe Dana / AP

Two women cry in each other's arms while attending the funerals of the 12 children killed the day before in a shooting spree in Rio de Janeiro. Ten girls and two boys between the ages of 12 and 15 were killed by 23-year-old Wellington Oliveira, who shot and killed himself after being confronted by police.

Victor R. Caivano / AP

Relatives mourn after the remains of 13-year-old Laryssa Silva were placed in her tomb at a cemetery in Rio de Janeiro.

Related Content:
Full story: Brazil buries 12 school kids killed by gunman
Images from the immediate aftermath

Antonio Lacerda / EPA

Anxious parents and locals watch as events unfold outside the school after the shooting in Rio de Janeiro.

A gunman opened fire Thursday in a public elementary school in Rio de Janeiro, killing at least 10 people before taking his own life, officials said.

Victor R. Caivano / AP

A woman reacts after a shooting at a school in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Thursday, April 7. Brazilian authorities say a gunman opened fire inside the school leaving at least 13 dead.

Terrified parents rushed to the school and television images showed them crying and screaming for information about their children.

Victor R. Caivano / AP

Police guard the perimeter of a school after a shooting in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday.

The dead included nine children between the ages of 12 and 14, the O Globo news website in Rio de Janeiro reported.

The gunman, identified as Wellington Menezes de Oliveira, was a 23-year-old former student at the school. Continue reading...

Two old champions with 10 green jackets between them strolled up to the first tee to get the Masters going, then stepped aside to let the real contenders take their place in the Georgia sun.

Robyn Beck / AFP - Getty Images

Arnold Palmer hits his ceremonial first tee shot during the first round of the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on Thursday, April 7.

The Bear and The King, as they have come to be known, struck ceremonial tee shots shortly after sunrise Thursday at Augusta National, the traditional start to the tournament, now in its 77th year.

John G. Mabanglo / EPA

Arnold Palmer reacts after teeing off at the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club.

David Cannon / Getty Images

Jack Nicklaus hits his ceremonial first tee shot.

With the overnight chill still lingering, the 81-year-old Palmer hit a little fade that stayed in the fairway. The 71-year-old Nicklaus went next, ripping one right down the middle about 30 yards past his longtime rival. Read more...

John G. Mabanglo / EPA

Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Masters Chairman Billy Payne stand on the first tee at Augusta National Golf Club.

Related Content:
Live scoreboard from Agusta National Golf Club

Victor Boyko / Getty Images

Anna Chapman poses on the runway during the Shiyan & Rudkovskaya show at Moscow Fashion Week on April 4 in Moscow, Russia. While living in the United Sates, Anna Chapman was exposed as a Russian spy and arrested along with nine other Russian nationals. The group were accused of running a spy ring for the Russian intelligence agency and were deported back to Russia in July 2010.

The intersection of spy and celebrity is an intriguing one, leaving more questions than answers.

Sporting knee-high boots, a corset and leather leggings, Anna Chapman strutted down the runway for Moscow Fashion Week.

The Daily Mail described the appearance as distasteful tongue-in-cheek choreography, in which Chapman confidently held a gun to a male model's head. More photos / continue reading...

Related content:
Russian spy Anna Chapman in from cold, out on web
Russian spy Chapman launches weekly TV show
Anna Chapman on msnbc.com

This image is certain to inspire a double take. Getty Images photographer Mahmud Turkia captured a bomb plummeting into the ground in what he is reporting to be the "tightly-guarded residence of Moammar Gadhafi and other military targets."

Mahmud Turkia / AFP - Getty Images

A bomb drops on a tightly-guarded residence of leader Moammar Gadhafi and military targets in the suburb of Tajura on Tuesday, March 29. NATO-led coalition aircraft had been seen in the skies over the capital earlier in the afternoon.

These images are appearing as U.S. ships and submarines unleashed a barrage of cruise missiles at Libyan missile storage facilities in the Tripoli area late Monday and early Tuesday. Full story...

Mahmud Turkia / AFP - Getty Images

Smoke billows as several explosions were reported in the tightly-guarded residence of leader Moammar Gadhafi and military targets in the suburb of Tajura on March 29.

Related content:
US launches fresh barrage of missiles at Tripoli 
Slideshow: Latest pictures from Libya