Supatra Titled As World’s Hairiest Girl

A young girl, dubbed “Wolf Girl” has gained the title of World’s Hairiest Girl, as recognized by Guinness World Record.

Supatra had been teased her whole life because of a rare genetic condition causing thick hair to grow all over her face.

Two years ago she was plagued by other children calling her 'monkey face' and 'wolf girl'. It often left her in cry because of strangers stopping in the street to point at her.

But since then ten-year old Supatra - nicknamed Nat - has been named the 'hairiest girl in the world' and astonishingly, her new-found fame has helped her become one of the most popular girls in her school.

Supatra, from Pranakom, Thailand, says: 'I'm very happy to be in the Guinness World Records. All I did was answer a few questions about myself and then they gave it to me.'

Supatra reveals that getting the award has boosted her assurance and she has taken up dancing, singing, and acting.

She loves listening to Thai pop music and makes her own dance routines to the newest hits with her friends.

Maritime Journalist Discovered World's Oldest Aircraft Carrier

The worlds' oldest aircraft carrier which was a forerunner to today's giant Navy vessels has been discovered - rusting by a river bank.

Looking like another just another rusting hull poking out of the water, for years the big dirt covered rusting wreck in the Thames was unnoticed. But a maritime journalist found the vessel was a 1918 Thorneycroft Seaplane Lighter.

Although at just 58 feet long it looks nothing like the contemporary HMS Ark Royal - which is more than ten times as long - the broken vessel was the first of the kind. The tiny craft, discarded in the river like a shopping trolley or part of litter, would have seen action during the First World War as aircraft carriers were introduced for the first time.

Now it is being restored by experts at the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Somerset after being recovered from the water. Iinitially it would have carried one plane that was launched by being towed into the wind - and then recovered after it was discarded into the sea on landing.

Jon Jefferies, from the museum, said the small vessel was a important find. 'It's only tiny but it's this ship that led to the growth of the massive modern aircraft carriers,' he said.

'It's the world's first aircraft carrier and at the time the Ark Royal is decommissioned it's fitting it's being restored to its unique state.' Several of the craft's original features have been revealed by experts as they work restore it.

Fossil Of Wormlike "Walking Cactus" Discovered

Fossils of an ancient, thorny creature dubbed a "walking cactus" have been found in China, a new study says.

The 2.4-inch-long (6-centimeter-long) Diania cactiformis had a worm-like corpse and ten pairs of armored and likely jointed legs. It would have lived about 500 million years ago during a period of fast evolution called the Cambrian explosion.

Study leader Jianni Liu discovered the animal during a 2006 excavation in southwestern China's Yunnan Province.

"I was actually surprised. I said, What's that strange guy with the soft body with very strong legs?" said Liu, an earth scientist at Northwest University in Xi'an, China.

"When I went back and observed it under the microscope, I realized it's not only hilarious, it's very important."

"Walking Cactus" a hint to Arthropod Evolution?

That's because the newfound animal does not look like other lobopodians, a primitive group of creatures that flourished in the Cambrian seas.

Although the walking cactus is part of this group, it has robust appendages like those of new arthropods—joint-limbed animals such as spiders and crustaceans.

The walking cactus's unusual limbs fortify the theory that modern arthropods evolved from lobopodians, the study authors say.

Liu, who found about 30 fossil specimens of the walking cactus, also has some hypotheses for how the being hunted.

For instance, she suspects D. cactiformis may have sucked up tiny creatures in the mud with its nose or used its bristly legs to arrest larger prey.

World's Smallest Computer To Treat Glaucoma

Scientists have created the world's smallest computer system to assist treat glaucoma patients. At just one square millimetre in size, the minute device is a pressure monitor that is implanted in a person's eye.

It may be small but it packs a heavy punch, containing an ultra low-power microprocessor, a pressure sensor, memory, a thin film battery, a solar cell and a wireless radio with an antenna that can broadcast data to an external reader device.

Developed by researchers at the University of Michigan, the unnamed unit - which is anticipated to be commercially available in several years - is already being touted as the future of the computing industry.

Its creators - Professors Dennis Sylvester, David Blaauw and David Wentzloff - assert that as the device's radio needs no tuning to find the right frequency it could link to a wireless network of computers.

The researchers' computer system is at present a pressure monitor designed to be implanted in the eye to continuously track the progress of glaucoma, a potentially blinding disease.

Smokey To Be The World's Loudest Cat

A pet cat called Smokey is claimed to have the loudest purr in the world, which emits a sound as loud as a lawnmower. Most cats purr at about 25 decibels but Smokey's averages 80 decibels.

However, when measured close-up her purrs reach 92 decibels, comparable to the noise of a lawnmower, hair dryer or, it is claimed, a Boeing 737 coming in to land.

Its owners, Ruth and Mark Adams, say Smokey's noisy purrs make it impossible for them to hear the television or radio when she is in the room and they struggle to have telephone conversations.

"She has always been very vocal and purrs at some level almost all the time," said Ruth, from Pitsford, in Northampton. "She even manages to purr while she eats. The only time she is silent is when she is asleep.

Mrs Adams, who runs an office park with her husband, adopted Smokey from the rescue centre NANNA three years ago for her 10-year-old daughter Amy. The family has two dogs and two other cats but say 12-year-old Smokey is by far the loudest cat they have ever heard.

Mrs Adams said Smokey, whose favourite leisures are eating and sleeping on the window sill, sometimes made herself cough as her purrs are so loud. "She can have sudden bursts of loud purrs and her throat gets dry so she makes herself cough," she added.

"It's not just the volume of her purr which is strange, she makes quite a unique sound as if she has a dove stuck in her throat.

Diana Johnson, of Northampton Cats Protection, who has met Smokey, said: "I have in no way heard anything like her purr in my life. It can drown out your conversation. "It is very strange and I've never found a cat with a purr that is anywhere near as loud."

The family has now submitted an application to Guinness World Records.

A spokesman for Guinness World Records said: "The Guinness World Record for the loudest shout by a human is 129dB. "If Smokey the cat is able to purr at over 80dB it would be an astonishing feat."

Smokey has become an honorary helper for Cat Protection's Northampton branch and is helping to raise awareness of the important cat welfare work they do.

Mizoram Man Has The Biggest Family In The World

Joint family an Indian concept prevalent among Hindus is not usually followed in Northeast India. In this Christian dominated part of the country, people are typically more educated and ‘westernized’. But Ziona Chana from Mizoram thinks ‘differently’.

Chana is the ‘proud’ head of a huge sized family of 39 wives, 94 children, 14-daughters-in-laws and 33 grandchildren. To lodge his huge family he has constructed a 100-room, four storey building in Baktwang village. It almost looks like a hotel.

Ziona mansion with 100 rooms is the biggest concrete structure in the hilly village of Baktawng

'I consider myself a lucky man to be the husband of 39 women and head of the world's largest family' says Chana. The family is organized with approximately military discipline, with the oldest wife Zathiangi organising her fellow partners to perform household chores such as cleaning, washing and preparing meals. One evening meal can see them pluck 30 chickens, peel 132lb of potatoes and boil up to 220lb of rice.

Chana family stuff just to make a meal

He sleeps in his own double-bedded room while his wives have to regulate in dormitories. The younger wives stay in rooms closer to his room.

He keeps the youngest women near to his bedroom with the older members of the folks sleeping further away - and there is a rotation system for who visits Mr Chana's bedroom.

Surprisingly, all the wives get along very well and there is barely any infighting among them.

Mr Chana is not finished yet. “To expand my family, I am willing to go even to the United States to marry” he proudly says.

Princess Diana's Wedding Dress On Show

Princess Diana's wedding dress, the world's most eminent wedding dress so far, will be seen on NBC-TV's “Today Show.”

The wedding gown Princess Diana wore for her 1981 wedding to Prince Charles is probable to be seen live between 7 and 8 a.m. in the broadcast from New York City.

The wedding dress's visit to the Grand Rapids Art Museum ended last week and the dress with its 25-foot train departed West Michigan last weekend for a fast trip to New York City.

“We're praying for no snow and no jackknifed trucks,” said NBC-TV reporter Peter Alexander, who was in Grand Rapids throughout the exhibition.

It'll soon be on its way to Kansas City along with the rest of the show “Diana – A Celebration,” which opens March 4 for a 14-week stay in the city's Union Station.

The dress with its 25-foot train is the world's most famous wedding dress for the instant, but only for a few more weeks. Royal watchers and bridal buffs all have their eyes peeled for their first sight of the gown Kate Middleton will wear for her marriage to Prince William on April 29.

The fashion industry continues to buzz about who Middleton will decide to create the gown for the next royal wedding of the century, which will be an instant icon the moment it's seen by worldwide spectators.

“Approaching 1 billion public saw her coming down the aisle of St. Paul's,” Alexander said.
Get custom made wristbands with desired color, message and stylish artworks.

Last, First World War Veteran Celebrates 110th Birthday

Florence Green, the world's last surviving female veteran of World War I, and one of only three people still living from that war, celebrated her 110th birthday, the Independent reports.

Hailing from King's Lynn, Norfolk, Green joined the Women's Royal Air Force to fight in the world conflict when she was 17 years old in the summer of 1918. At 110, Green will now follow that honor by joining a extremely exclusive club of "supercentenarians."

Mrs Green (circled) in 1919 with the rest of her WRAF Narborough team

"It's not much different to being 109," said Green, who was only recognized as a surviving veteran in 2008 when a researcher found her service record listed under her maiden name, Patterson.

While Green never saw action on the front line, her service in the Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF) qualifies her for veteran position. Green is also only one of two Britons still living from the war. The other, Claude Stanley Choules, a Royal Navy veteran, now lives in Australia and will be 110 in March, according to The Independent.

Scientists Discover World's Very First 'Anti-Laser'

Researchers at Yale University have unveiled the very initial anti-laser in the world, and though its different uses are yet to be defined, it has been indicated that its applications would be in computers and radiology.

The “nega-laser” or Doppelganger was developed by two Yale scientists, A. Douglas Stone and Hui Cao. It is said to do the opposite of what laser technology does, whereby lasers generally produce a constant radiating beam in a mono-direction.

The anti-laser instead picks up that constant emission of light and links with it so as to destroy the beam through absorption. Scientists are confident that this new development could be integral in fighting the cancer scourge.

Lasers have a numerous number of uses in this day, from cosmetic and eye surgery to optical disc players, scanners and even in agriculture.

Douglas Stone agrees with a number of other physicists who have termed the anti-laser as a CPA – Coherent Perfect Absorber; and with the laser having been amongst the most important inventions of the earlier century, the anti-laser may just have that much impact in the future.

It’s been speculated that the anti-laser may be employed in the making of next generation super-computers that will be based on light components as an alternative to electrons.

One of the key features of the anti-laser is that it enables wavelength adjustment to control the amount of laser light absorbed, thereby working as an Off/On light switch.

Japan To Build The World’s Fastest Train

Japan’s latest bullet train will utilize magnetic levitation to make it the fastest train in the world, reaching speeds of 310 miles per hour. Powerful magnets will float the train just above the track to decrease friction and increase speed, say its designers.

The £40billion rail link between Tokyo and Nagoya will leave the current 220 mph fastest train in China in the dust.

The Japanese are said to be shopping the new technology to possible partners in the United States, where President Obama is pushing to advance the nation’s rail networks. The Obama administration is proposing a £33billion high-speed rail system to unite some of America’s big urban areas, including Chicago to St Louis, Orlando to Miami, and Portland to Seattle.

But Japan’s Central Japan Railway has beaten the U.S. to the punch. The new line will renovate a section of track between Tokyo and Nagoya – Japan’s fourth largest city – a 160-mile journey that currently takes about 95 minutes.

The pace train will cut the journey time between the two cities by more than half to 40 minutes. It will later be extended to Osaka.

Central Japan Railway hopes the new link will help convince passengers to go by train rather than fly. Japan’s bullet trains previously carry more people than America’s United Continental, the world’s biggest airline.

‘It’s like launching a rocket into space,’ said Japanese financial analyst Masayuki Kubota. ‘The first time is luxurious and risky, but once it’s victorious, it can become a big business.’

China at present has the world’s longest and fastest high-speed rail network with about 4,618 miles of track.

Japan aims to complete the line by 2045 with top speeds of 220 miles per hour.

Westminster Dog Show 2011 Begins In New York

The Westminster Dog Show, widely known as the Super Bowl of the dog world, started off Monday at Madison Square Garden.

The annual show has over 2,500 dogs competing for Best in Show. The happening will judge 179 breeds. Icelandic sheepdogs, Leonbergers, Boykin spaniels, cane corsos redbone coonhounds and bluetick coonhounds are the six new breeds in the contest.

In order for a breed to get familiar by the American Kennel Club, a parent club must have recognized a breed standard, and there must be a adequate population and distribution of the dog.

Overall the dogs come from numerous countries and 49 of the 50 states, with North Dakota as the only state without representation. After the Kentucky Derby horse race the Westminster dog show is the second oldest US sporting event. On Monday the hound, toy, nonsporting and herding groups are judged, and the sporting, working and terriers will be judged on Tuesday. After all the groups have a winner, the Best in Show will be determined.

Oldest Wedding Cake In The World Discovered

Most wedding cakes hardly survive the big day, with maybe just one piece being popped in a box to be preserved for posterity.

This one, however, is still intact after 113 years, making it what is thought to be the world’s oldest whole wedding cake.

The ornately decorated confection was made in 1898, during Queen Victoria’s control, and is still in one piece despite a large crack in the icing caused by a Second World War bomb blast.

Once white, it has browned with age. But in spite of this, the rich fruit cake inside is said to be still moist.

Once white as a sign of purity, the ornate cake, complete with its floral display, has browned with age.

The confectionery was initially on display in the window of a family bakery, in Basingstoke, Hampshire, which closed in 1964.

It had been moved to a loft, where it remained for approximately a century, until the baker's daughter donated it to the little known Willis Museum in Basingstoke.

Museum curator Sue Tapliss said: 'It has been stored in unfavorable environmental circumstances, leading to the cake heating and causing the sugars to seep through to the icing, giving it a darker colour.

'The baker's daughter, who was unmarried, donated the cake towards the end of her life due to fears someone might find out it in her attic and think she had been jilted at the altar.'

A fragile operation involving two conservators has been carried out and the cake has now been dried using packets of silica gel to stop further deterioration.

Mrs Tapliss added: 'It underwent conservation work following concerns from museum staff who had noticed a distinct color change.

'Upon study using a syringe, the cake was found to be very moist.

'A large crack in the icing, the result of wartime bombing vibration, was in a unstable state due to the weight of the icing pulling away from the cake itself.

'Pieces of Queen Victoria's wedding cake were for sale but this is the world's oldest complete wedding cake.'

Mrs Tapliss added: 'We hope that the cake can be enjoyed for a added 113 years.'

Technology Reveals The Average Face Of Sydney

The "average" Sydneysider

A photographer named Mike acutely has compiled photos of people from cities around the world in an attempt to determine what the average human face looks like.

The South African has travelled the globe for his Face of Tomorrow project, roping in locals from Sydney to London to take pictures.

Mike creates his final "average" face by photographing the first 100 people who concur to sit for his project in each city. He then takes the last images and combines them digitally to make a new face.

Some of the Sydney faces that made up the final average image.

In Sydney, Mike snapped people from Bondi and Sydney University, meaning the concluding "Sydney face" is not completely representative of Sydney's melting pot.

Mike said while Sydney had one of the most multicultural populations in the world, with 35 percent of populace born outside Australia, he did not end up photographing a very varied mix of ethnicities when he went to Bondi.

Of all the cities Mike, 46, has captured so far, Sydney's average man and woman stand out as a little bit more good-looking. We therefore must conclude that his method is completely accurate.

So far his profiles cities counting Sydney, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, London, Cologne, Beunos Aires, Santiago, Istanbul, Rio de Janeiro and Florence.

Some of the "average" faces from around the world

He is calling for people to include their city to the project by sending him photos of 100 different people and has individuals working independently on the project in Japan, Germany, Holland and Colombia.

Deadly Fungus Disease Kills Many Bats In NC

Scientists with the North Carolina Wildlife Commission said that a disease spreading amongst bats has been revealed in western North Carolina, threatening the state’s bat population.

White-nose syndrome, which is expected caused by a newly discovered fungus called Geomyces destructans, has previously killed hundreds of thousands of bats in the eastern United States, including Virginia and Tennessee, since its discovery in 2006.

Symptoms of the disease comprise white patches of fungus on the animals’ skin, including their noses. North Carolina biologists were expecting that the disease would spread to the state. It was found last month in a cave at Grandfather Mountain.

Another discovery was made Feb. 1 in a retired mine in Avery County. “This discovery marks the arrival of one of the most shocking threats to bat conservation in our time,” Gabrielle Graeter, a biologist with the North Carolina Wildlife Commission, said.

Bats are an significant part of North Carolina’s ecosystem, because they help control the insect population. Many are able to consume hundreds of insects in one night.

North Carolina is home to numerous species of bats, including three on the list of federally endangered species.

Scientists say many type of bats, with one of which is endangered, appear to have been affected.

World’s Biggest Submarine Pipeline Plough To Be Built In Baltic Sea

The world’s biggest submarine pipeline plough, PL3, arrived in the Baltic Sea on the floor of mother ship Far Samson. The subsea plough will be used to embed the Nord Stream Pipeline in Swedish and Danish waters.

Lowering of the pipeline below seabed level using PL3 ensures that the pipeline will stay stable in its position throughout its lifetime. Ploughing of the first pipeline is scheduled to be performed at many locations along the pipeline route between early February and mid-March, 2011.

Model simulations have shown that ploughing will have no important impact on flora and fauna as sediments will settle quickly. As part of its environmental monitoring program, Nord Stream will monitor the water quality before, during and after trenching to verify that the results of the model simulation are correct and that Nord Stream is fulfilling permit requirements.

Djokovic Out Of Rotterdam Event Due To Injury

Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic has announced his departure from next week's ATP Tour event in Rotterdam because of a shoulder injury.

Djokovic, who won Andy Murray in straight sets to add the Melbourne crown to his victory in 2008, was to have been top seed for the indoor event.

The Serb's place in the draw has now been taken by Dutchman Theimo de Bakker, while Djokovic's absence means Murray and Swede Robin Soderling are now favorites to triumph the title.

Confirming the news, director Richard Krajicek told the tournament's official website: "Novak Djokovic has personally called me to declare that he will be not be present in Rotterdam.

"He is recovering from a very exhausting period and is now suffering from this injury to his shoulder," added Krajicek.

"Because of the wound he will be unable to train for a week, let alone playing high-level matches. He is apparently very disappointed that he will not attend."

Massive International Search For Swiss Twins

Police in three countries are searching for six-year-old twin sisters from Switzerland. They were abducted by their dad, who killed himself on Thursday night.

Italian, French and Swiss police are now on the pursue for the young blond girls – whose father threw himself in front of a coach in southern Italy.

The girls, who live with their mother in Saint-Sulpice near Lausanne, were visiting with their father last weekend. But rather than bringing them to school on Monday as intended, he sent his separated wife a text message saying that she should not worry.

As the Italian media reported on Sunday, the 43-year-old Canadian-born man had also sent his wife a note from Marseille, saying that he could not survive without her.

He reportedly withdrew more than €7,000 from cash points there. Police in canton Vaud said on Sunday that the man had possibly taken his children to the island of Corsica before heading for Italy.

He and his daughters were seen at a Marseille travel agency, where the man bought three tickets to Corsica.

When the man committed suicide on the train tracks in Cerignola near Foggia in Italy, he was having just €100 and there was no sign of his daughters.

However, he did leave a will in Switzerland. The mother of the twins is a 44-year-old Italian who has been living in Switzerland for three years.

According to the Italian police, the girls have been seen in northern Italy with a dark-haired woman. It is uncertain who she was or where they went.

Helicopters, dogs and rescue workers are now searching the area for traces of the girls.

McLaren Launches New Car For 2011 Season

McLaren have formally unveiled the car they hope will rocket Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button into the Formula One title reckoning in 2011.

The team's English drivers were on hand as their new MP4-26 car was assembled part-by-part with the assist of competition winners in the center of the German capital Berlin.

McLaren have won just one world championship since 1998 and lagged behind Ferrari and Red Bull last year. But they are hoping a raft of new features on their car will boost them into the drivers' championship running.

The MP4-26 is packed with pioneering features to help with its aerodynamics, with an electronically adjustable rear-wing system and an all-new electric hybrid KERS system, to comply with this season's F1 rule changes.

"We've seen it in the wind channel quite a lot, but it looks even better full-size," Hamilton said on Formula One official website.

"So my aim for this year is to make sure that everything comes together in the best probable way and that, like last year, I'm able to fight for the title right down to the final race."

Scientist Discover World’s Largest Known Bear

Scientists have unearthed what they consider are the fossils of the largest ever known bear that might have stood at 11 feet tall and lived between two million to 500,000 years ago, during the building of a hospital in La Plata City, Argentina.

Scientists who examined the remains suppose they are of a South American giant short-faced bear, called Arctotherium angustidens, the earliest and biggest member of its genus, Live Science reported.

Based on measurements of the fossil’s leg bones and equations used to estimate body mass, the researchers supposed the bear would have stood at least 11 feet (3.3 meters) tall on its hind legs and would have weighed between 3,500 and 3,855 pounds (1,588 and 1,749 kg).

In comparison, “the largest record for a living bear is a male polar bear that obtained the weight of about 2,200 pounds (1,000 kg),” said Leopoldo Soibelzon, a paleontologist at the La Plata Museum.

“During its time, this bear was the largest and most influential land predator in the world,” said study co-author Blaine Schubert, a paleontologist. Although this bear perhaps had an omnivorous diet, flesh likely dominated.

“Its large size and great power may have allowed the bear to fight for prey hunted by other Pleistocene carnivores such as the saber-toothed cat,” Schubert said.

According to the researchers, when the bears arrived in South America some 2.6 million years ago, there were few other big predators at the time.

Taking advantage of the large amount of prey, the species grew enormously and eventually became extinct after more carnivores evolved in South America, they said. The new discoveries were published in the Journal of Paleontology.

Mexicans Celebrate Candlemas Day – Presentation Of Jesus In Temple

February 2nd, exactly 40 days after Christmas, is the day when Catholics usually celebrate the “Feast of Candelaria”, or Candlemas, in which believers bring figures of the Baby Jesus dressed in finery, and exhibit them at churches.

As recorded in the Gospel of Luke, Mary and Joseph took infant Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem for the ritual sanitization of Mary owing to child birth and in order to execute the redemption of the first born, conforming to the Law Of Mosses.

As per the Bible episode, in the holy place, the couple encountered Simeon, who was not to see death before he saw Christ. Simeon thus prayed, “Now you are releasing your servant, Master, according to your word, in peace; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have organized before the face of all peoples; a light for revelation to the nations, and the glory of your people Israel”-( Luke 2:29-32).

Simeon also prophesied to Virgin Mary thus: "Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and for a symbol which is spoken against. Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed" -(Luke 2:34-35).

In some regions in Mexico, streets are decked with lanterns and people march in candle-lit processions to their churches. Families usually get together to partake of a tamales and atole feast on this day.

The date, Feb. 2, is supposed to have pagan roots, as people bid the winter farewell. It marks the middle point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox and is considered the day that marks warm weather to come, making the festival the Latino cousin of Groundhog Day.

Honda’s ASIMO Honored As World’s Most Advanced Humanoid Robot

The ASIMO humanoid is division of Honda’s R&D initiatives in robotics and human mobility fields. The robot was developed at Honda's R&D Wako Fundamental Technical Research Center ten years back.

All joints of ASIMO include 34° of Freedom, enabling the robot to efficiently respond to the natural human motions. It can recognize various objects as well as the landscape of its environment. It can understand easy verbal instructions, spot faces and evades mobile obstacles as it moves.

The company launched several applications in the iphone and smartphone (A ‘Run with Asimo’) enabling users to converse with a virtual ASIMO robot on their mobile.

The Honda engineers worked for ten years to build up the latest version. The robot can now walk and run on all unequal surfaces. It can even climb staircases and stretch to clutch objects.

The final mission of Honda’ robotics department is to allow ASIMO to help humans for performing their daily tasks and to carry out unsafe operations.