“It can only hold two teaspoons of water, it can sit in the palm of your hands, and there’s only room for the smallest of fish in it – it’s the world’s smallest aquarium. It might not be the most spacious environment – it’s a far cry from, you know, the Amazon or the Atlantic Ocean – but the baby fish still have all the regular aquarium home comforts of multi-coloured stones, sand and seaweed. Measuring just 30 x 24 x14mm, the 10ml glass tank was created by Russian artist and designer Anatoly Konenko – who still found space for a water filter.” w/ photos

“Resting on a deserted beach the last thing sea captain Jerome Poncet expected was a huge blubbery local to join him for a spot of sunbathing. But that’s exactly what happened when a four-ton male elephant seal caught him cat napping near his territory in South Georgia. The Frenchman had piloted his boat Golden Fleece to Britain’s most remote colony, near Antarctica, with an expedition team of six wildlife photographers on board, and found the local inhabitants more than happy to pose for pictures.” w/ photos

“Ancient human bones found in an English cave not only show signs of cannibalism but also seem to have served another gruesome role: providing the raw material for so-called “skull cups.” These skulls-turned-goblets may have been used as vessels for blood, food or potent drinks during rituals performed thousands of years ago. “By our standards, it’s quite difficult to imagine having to butcher a dead body,” Silvia Bello, a scientist at London’s Natural History Museum and leader of the research on the bones, told AOL News. But “somebody else judging what we do with our dead may find it horrible. … [The findings] just show how interesting human beings are and how diverse they are.” Ancient skull cups have been found at other archaeological sites, and there are modern-day accounts of peoples ranging from 19th-century aboriginal Australians to Tibetan holy men using such tumblers. But at roughly 14,700 years of age, the English cups are the oldest known examples that have been precisely dated, and Bello’s new study is the first to explain –- in often stomach-wrenching detail — exactly how the cups were fashioned.” w/ photos

“Kirsty Nicholson bagged her dream job as a contortionist in the circus after she was cured of her claustrophobia by her mum, who placed her in bins to get her over her fear of small spaces. Nicholson’s mother came up with the drastic solution to cure her daughter so she could join the circus as a singer and contortionist. ‘I’ve always been really flexible but petrified of small spaces so, when I was told I had to be the girl in a bottle to be part of the show, I didn’t think I could do it,’ said the 23-year-old. ‘Then my mum came up with the idea of practicing at home and started forcing me into washing baskets and bins. The more I did it, the easier it became. Sadly, mother Alison’s hard work appears to have backfired, with her daughter using her new skills to play pranks on her.” w/ photos

“In this day and age, when a thrice-married former fireman who has become a woman meets a Jamaican lesbian chef online there can only be one outcome – wedding bells! Or, rather, civil partnership bells. This is 66-year-old Kerry Whybrow, dressed in a full-length custom-made lilac dress, tying the knot for the first time as a woman three years after undergoing a sex change on the NHS. Her partner is Alcia Evans, a mother of one and almost 30 years her junior, who met Miss Whybrow through an international dating website. And after the ceremony – and ticking the final box for a portrait of a very 21st century marriage – one of Miss Whybrow’s former wives laid on the reception. Miss Whybrow spent 22 years in the fire service, fathered a daughter and enjoyed pursuits such as shark fishing, rugby and shooting during three marriages as the then Roger Steed. The 6ft 2in former angling instructor met Miss Evans in 2008 but had spent just a fortnight with the 37-year-old Jamaican before she flew to England to prepare for their ‘wedding’. Miss Evans, who has been living in Salt Lake City in the United States, arrived in December on a six month visa, which the couple hope will be extended in the light of their civil partnership.” w/ photos

“It sounds like something out of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or even Back to the Future – but one inventor claims to made the flying car a reality. While it could well help solve the issue of traffic gridlock which plagues many cities, an airborn version of the converted hatchback looks to be some time away from the production line. Made out of an seemingly-ordinary 800cc Maruti car, it has rotor blades affixed to the roof with extended wheelarches creating a ‘vacuum section’, and has been one of the star attractions at the Aero India 2011 air show in Bangalore... So far, he has garnered 40 patents, and told reporters his inspiration came from many sources, including the flying ability of bees. Other engineers are also working on the project. He told reporters that the car is powered initially by an electrical generator, after which its engine pumps out so-called ‘energy flows’ which provide lift-off and cruising. The car was developed by Vishwanath’s company, B’Lorean, named after his home of Bangalore and the winged DeLorean sports car of the 1980s, famously used as a time machine in Hollywood’s Back To The Future series of films.” w/ photos

“Some might say it was a pipe dream. But it was definitely more of a nightmare for two-year-old stray dog Smokey. The hapless young dog found himself with his head firmly stuck inside the long tube of an old smudge pot. Animal rescuers believe that he had been chasing a mouse when the pesky rodent led him straight into an abandoned device. The oil-burning tools are use to remove frost from crops on fruit trees but Smokey was left with a bitter taste in his mouth from the rusty pot. He whimpered as he tried desperately to wriggle free himself from the pot but without luck, remaining with his head inside like a headless dog. Thankfully a passer-by spotted the trapped animal and called animal rescuers to the scene in Riverside County, California, last Friday. Smokey emerged unscathed from the pot with the help of Animal Control Officer Amy Farrell who gently eased him out.” w/ photos

“Police have arrested a suspected robber who apologized profusely while he held up a convenience store. The 65-year-old man, who remembered his P’s and Q’s while holding up the Washington state store was arrested by sheriff’s detectives and a SWAT team at his house yesterday afternoon. The man accused of the robbery has past convictions for forgery and armed robbery, said Sargent John Urquhart of the King County Sheriff’s Office. During the robbery the man can be seen walking into the shop, buying a cup of coffee and politely telling the attendant ‘I’m robbing you, sir’. He then shows the store owner a black handgun, before asking if he could ‘please’ empty the till. ‘Could you do me a flavor – could you empty that till for me please, put that right here,’ he said. ‘I’m robbing you sir.’ Mr Henry, who owns the White Center Shell station in Seattle, asked him if he was sure he wanted to rob him and said he wanted to know why. ‘Because I need the money,’ the robber responded. ‘I have kids that need to be fed, sir. I’m really sorry to have to do this.’ Mr Henry offered him $40, but the man demanded all of the money – around $300 – and apologised again as he was given it. He added: ‘Thank you very much, and if I ever get back on my feet again sir, I’ll bring it back.” w/ photos

“Judging by this homeless puss’ deformed features and mystic stare, there can be no question he is a Purr-Blood. But ugly stray Charlie has been unable to find a new home – because he looks too much like Harry Potter’s evil archenemy Lord Voldemort. Workers at the Blue Cross animal charity say visitors have been scared off by the white cat’s resemblance to Ralph Fiennes’ character in the blockbuster movies. And the similarities don’t end there as Charlie must now live in solitude since he fell out with other animals at the sanctuary. Now he sits alone, staring out of his castle cage, waiting to be freed. The abandoned cat had to have its ears and nose removed after suffering from skin cancer. Vets say Charlie’s pale skin left him at risk of developing the potentially fatal disease. They are now desperately trying to rehome him and say a family of Harry Potter fans could offer their best hope. Charlie, a 14-year-old domestic short-hair cat, was living as a stray before a woman adopted him, fed him and took him to the vets for surgery. But he failed to get on with her other two cats and dog and she was forced to take him to The Blue Cross in Southampton, Hants. Staff at the centre say he loves ‘fuss, lots of tickles and cuddles’ but would be best suited to a home with no other pets.” w/ photos

“It’s the toxic compulsion that doctors claim could kill her. But this 19-year-old girl claims she is hopelessly addicted… to eating soap. A rare medical condition has left Tempestt Henderson, from Florida, eating up to five bars of soap a week – and washing powder too. ‘I remember the first time I dipped my fingers into the washing powder,’ she said. ‘I dabbed the powder onto my tongue and it tasted so sweet, and salty… it just felt so right. I was hooked straight away.’ The nursing student says she knew eating soap was dangerous, but ignored the warning labels on the box in favour of licking the deadly powder daily, from the minute she woke up in the morning. Soon she had moved onto licking the bubbles of soap in the shower, too, a habit that was getting her through up to five bars of soap a week. ‘In the shower, I like to lather up a green bar of soap, and lick the bubbles. And as the soap disintegrates, I pop a tiny amount of the soap into my mouth and suck it. It’s heavenly.” w/ photos