“UFO fanatics clinging to the belief that extra-terrestrials are responsible for crop circles sometimes like to echo the X Files catchphrase: ‘The truth is out there.’ But, as it turns out, the answer might actually be much closer to home – inside your kitchen in fact. Because, for example, this 200ft image of a pipe-smoking alien – carved into a Wiltshire field – could have been created using an ordinary microwave oven, according to scientists. A handheld device called magnetron – made using parts from the common household cooker and a 12-volt battery – may have ushered in a new generation of crop circles. Professor Richard Taylor, a physicist, claims to be able to reproduce the intricate damage inflicted on crops using such a gadget developed by his team at the University of Oregon.” w/ photos

“The first close-up images of the massive asteroid Vesta have revealed a northern hemisphere littered with craters – including a trio nicknamed ‘Snowman’ – and a smoother southern half. Running along the asteroid’s equator are deep grooves – a surprise to scientists who did not expect to see such features. Chief scientist Christopher Russell, of the University of California, Los Angeles, said last night: ‘We’re seeing quite a varied surface.’ The images were taken by Nasa’s Dawn spacecraft, which began orbiting the 330mile-wide rocky body last month and has now started to beam back incredible surface details that the team is only beginning to pore over. It is the first time that Vesta has been viewed up close. Until now, it has only been photographed from afar.” w/ photos

“This playful dolphin seems to have entered into the spirit of the British seaside holiday by sporting a jellyfish in the style of a ‘Kiss Me Quick’ porkpie hat. The energetic mammal proudly emerged from the sea off Scotland with a jellyfish jauntily balanced on its head. The bottlenose dolphin then seemed to have a change of heart about his choice of iconic headgear, because he shook off the common jellyfish, which had stayed on his head as he came out of the water. He promptly threw the probably-terrified jellyfish to a friend like a frisbee, while he and his playmates frolicked in the sea. Photographer Chris Wilson, 46, watched the action at Chanonry Point, on the Moray Firth, near Inverness, Scotland.” w/ photos

“This monster from the deep has netted a British angler a place in the record books. The whopper, caught by plucky Chris Grimmer, is the biggest albino catfish ever caught by an angler. The 8ft beast tipped the scales at 194lbs – 2lbs heavier than the previous best by blind woman angler Shelia Penfold last year. Chris, a 35-year-old ground worker, spent 30 minutes trying to reel in the white catfish after it took his bait. Chris, from Sheffield, toasted the record catch with a bottle of champagne which he and his friends drank on the river bank.” w/ photos

“Thelma Levett’s life is just a load of hot air. For 15 years Mrs Levett has spent her life blowing up balloons and twisting them into everyday objects. And now inspired by the Duchess of Cambridge she has even made a replica of the most talked about wedding dress in history for her daughter Vicky, 21. The balloon ‘Kate’ wedding dress has taken 5,000 balloons to create and even has replica lace sleeves that Kate wowed the public with on her wedding day in April this year. Mrs Levett, 54, who lives in Hinckley, Leicestershire, said: ‘I was really inspired when I saw Kate’s wedding dress on television. ‘I’d made a few balloon dresses before and had even had a go at making a wedding dress, so I thought I would make a replica of Kate’s.” w/ photos

“They are humans’ closest relative, sharing a similar genetic make-up and displaying behaviour not unlike our own. Now this little chimpanzee is showing off a motherly instinct to rival even the most maternal of mankind. These adorable images reveal the close bond that has formed between a two-year-old chimpanzee called Do Do and a two-month-old tiger cub called Aorn. Completely at ease in each other’s company, the ape’s motherly instincts take over as she attentively bottle feeds the baby tiger. Aorn gratefully laps up the milk as Do Do tenderly holds the tiger in her arms. At one point, Do Do puts the bottle in her own mouth – almost mimicking the actions of a human mother checking to see if the milk is suitable for her offspring to consume.” w/ photos

“When Miguel Hanson and Diana Wesley get married today, they won’t stand before a gray haired minister holding a Bible. Instead, they’ll be looking at a 30-inch monitor. Mr Hanson, a Houston, Texas web developer and IT consultant, created a minister software program when the couple couldn’t get a friend to serve as the minister at their wedding. On one half of the screen, they’ll see a virtual minister with an animated, square face with blue eyes and thin, oval glasses. His voice will be heard over a sound system while the text of what he’s saying will show up on the other half of the screen. ‘I was like, you know I’m going to write my own minister,’ Mr Hanson said.” w/ photos

“This picture shows two dragonflies making love in the most romantic way – by forming a heart shape. Shocked Chelyapin Dmitry almost choked on his picnic as he sat with his family by a lake near his hometown of Chelyabinsk, Russia. Out of the corner of his eye, he was stunned to see the pair creating the universal sign of love. Chelyapin quickly dropped his sandwiches and grabbed his point-and-shoot digital camera to snap this incredible close-up picture of the moment.” w/ photo

“In these days of soaring fuel prices it could be the perfect answer for a Hell’s Angels chapter keen to keep costs down. Colin Furze’s 72ft motorbike can seat 25 – and what’s more he’s proved it can be driven at speeds of 35mph. Admittedly only Mr Furze was on the bike at the time of the test drive, but with a few suspension modifications it’s possible he could load up with passengers, as pictured here. The Lincolnshire plumber, at the head of the bike, used one-and-a-half 125cc mopeds and an extended aluminum frame to create the machine. He is hoping it will be recognized as the world’s longest motorbike by the Guinness Book of Records.” w/ photos

“This remarkable motorbike looks like it’s straight out of a film set – but remarkably an artist has made it out of spare parts. The Bangkok worker used recycled materials from old cars and bicycles to create a monster machine which is sculpted to look like a beast. Despite being cobbled together from scrap parts, the spectacular motorcycle works – unlike many sci-fi film props.” w/ photos