“Israeli horticulturists have developed a gothic crossbreed of tomato that is red on the inside, black on the out. To create the ‘Black Galaxy’ tomato, the breeders crossbred tomatoes with wild varieties. The dark color comes from a pigment similar to one found in blueberries. The pigment is photosensitive so the longer the tomato is left on the vine in the sun, the darker it gets… ‘Beside the color, these tomatoes have all the anti-oxidant advantages,’ one of the company’s farmers said.” w/ photos + video

“Volkswagen Brazil has designed a little car for little people. The Volkswagen Mini-Gol is styled just like the Gol (VW’s smallest production vehicle), although it has been decreased in every dimension by around 30 percent. The idea is that the Mini-Gol will suit drivers who are shorter than 5-feet tall, and who find driving regular-sized vehicles difficult. All of the exterior and interior proportions remain the same to ensure the Mini-Gol remains as comfortable and functional as its big brother.” w/ photos

“Bamboo Drift Racing is actually a sport in China’s Guizhou province. Competitors stand on a bamboo pole and paddle using a thin stick of bamboo. Considered an exotic minority sport in China, the rules have changed over the years. In fact, although the tradition is to use bamboo, competitors now use a similar-looking strip made from green fiberglass. This offers better buoyancy and makes the boat more durable. The fiberglass sticks also help increase speed, and can be taken apart with ease later on. Still wondering how in the world it’s possible to row while standing on a stick? The trick, apparently, lies in the waist. All the balancing is done by controlling the bamboo using your waistline.” w/ photos

“Reaching Dargavs, the City of the Dead, entails a three-hour journey through winding, narrow roads, and several hills. The foggy mountain weather certainly doesn’t help matters. Once there, you’ll find that the city is in fact another hill covered with small white buildings. It is these very buildings that cause the place to get it’s name. The white house-like structures, countless in number, are stone crypts where locals buried their loved ones. The city itself is an ancient Ossetian cemetery. Each family of the area has a crypt, and the higher the structure, the greater the number of people buried in it. The oldest of the crypts dates back to the 16th century.” w/ photos

“A British company is conducting landmark trials which could see medicines derived from or inspired by the cannabis plant itself making their way to American pharmacy shelves. GW Pharma is in advanced clinical trials for the world’s first pharmaceutical developed from raw marijuana instead of synthetic equivalents – a mouth spray it hopes to market in the US as a treatment for cancer pain. The firm hopes to receive US government approval by the end of next year. The trials come a quarter of a century after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first prescription drugs based on the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.” w/ photos

“A woman born with no arms has won a role as an official masseuse for the British Paralympics team – she will be using her feet to give the world-class athletes a rub-down. Sue Kent – who was born with short limbs after her mother took morning sickness drug, Thalidomide, when she was pregnant – has been a trained massage therapist for three years. But she has always dreamed of being part of the Paralympics. The mother-of-two said: ‘It was a personal goal I’d had as I’d wanted to see if I could be involved in sport in some way at a high level.” w/ photos

“The world’s first magnetic soap has been produced and it could dramatically improve pollution clean-ups. Scientists from the University of Bristol made the soap by dissolving iron in chloride and bromide ions, very similar to those found in everyday mouthwash or fabric conditioner. Amazingly, the soap responded to a magnetic field, which raises the possibility of producing pollution-fighting detergents that can be lifted back out of sensitive environments.” w/ photos

“With its dazzling color and intricate embroidery, this golden cape is a work of art. But look a little closer and, sewn into the cloth itself, you’ll see its rather spine-tingling secret – it is made from spider silk. In fact, the silk of more than a million spiders. The precious garment was painstakingly woven over four years with silk collected from female Golden Orb Weaver spiders, found in the mountains of Madagascar.” w/ photos

“At the beginning of last year, Neil made a promise to himself. He would watch every single movie released in Britain in 2011. From start to finish. No exceptions… Now, 12 months and more than 600 films later, he plans to do the very same thing in 2012. Yes you read that correctly. Every single movie. ‘If a film is on for three days at a cinema anywhere in the country, I’ll go and watch it,’ he smiles. Everything from The King’s Speech to Red Riding Hood to How to Stop Being a Loser. From The Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2 to Yogi Bear 3D to 7 Khoon Maaf. (You mean you missed that Bollywood classic?) Though it may sound a bizarre undertaking, perhaps there is method in his madness: yesterday a study concluded that watching films can actually make us happier. In which case, Neil, 48, should be the happiest man in the world.” w/ photos

“Disapproving noises are often made in certain circles about church brides whose strapless dresses reveal too much. But modern day Mary Whitehouses concerned about the occasional flash of cleavage will likely have a coronary when they see the latest bridal get-ups on offer. The revealing wedding outfit – one can hardly call it a dress – was shown by fashion brand Kaviar Gauche at Berlin fashion week yesterday. And judging by its risqué nature, this is one wedding outfit bound for a beach ceremony – or more likely, confined to the privacy of the wedding night. The mind-boggling garment looks to be made up of a few diminutive sections of fabric joined together with a central strip. The ensemble slips over a barely-there thong bikini brief, and the whole outfit is shrouded in a diaphanous veil.” w/ photos