“Usually, there are three wise men bearing gifts in a traditional nativity scene and no sign of Santa and his ‘ho,ho,ho’ festive greeting. But artist Matt Henderson has created an out of this world experience with his bizarre celebration of Christmas. His yuletide exhibit at a former church in Portland, Oregon, has four aliens and a shaman wearing a Santa outfit. The Santa comes complete with a deer’s skull and antlers while the aliens are bearing what Henderson calls ‘molecular parcels.’ To round off the weird experience, ‘worshippers’ have to wear 3D glasses as they walk through wire arches lit by neon and a glowing star to view the spooky creations.” w/ photos + video

“Firemen are often admired for their large stature but one man is proving that size really doesn’t matter. Standing at just 4ft 2in tall, Vince Brasco, 19, has been a volunteer fireman in his area for four years. Whilst he has yet to pass the necessary exams that allow him too enter burning buildings, Brasco is responsible for manning the water pipes when on call in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Vince can bench-press over three times his own 87lb weight, lifting 265lb, and cites his upper body strength for his ability to handle the department’s’ heavy-duty equipment.” w/ photos

“A great-grandfather has paid the ultimate tribute to Thunderbirds by transforming his mobility scooter into Lady Penelope’s Rolls Royce. Brian Vann, 74, spent three months converting his 10mph scooter to make it look like the pink car from the hit 1960s puppet show. He now travels from his sheltered housing complex to the shops dressed as chauffeur Parker with a model of Lady Penelope in the back seat. Mr Vann, from Evesham, Worcestershire, began the project after his wife Mary died in September last year so he could drive in a cancer charity run. The retired construction worker, who can only walk a few yards, said: ‘I always loved the Thunderbirds show when it was on the telly and have harbored an ambition to drive around Lady Penelope.” w/ photos + video

“A young woman whose life is blighted by an allergy to water has told how she can’t even watch a weepy film, because her own tears bring her out in a painful rash. Katie Dell, 26, is one of only about 35 people in the world diagnosed with the rare allergy aquagenic urticaria. It means she can’t have long soaks in the bath, go swimming, or cry without triggering a burning rash on her skin. Her condition often leaves her too scared to leave her home in case it rains. Katie, from Flint, North Wales, has even had to give up her job as a dance teacher because sweat also causes a reaction. But she can’t get upset and cry – because her tears also cause a painful reaction on her face.” w/ photos

“Because he was busy running his own restaurant, Qu Zhibo took three years to complete work on his 6.5-foot-long, 4.5-feet-high Jeep, but he did use just 600 bucks to do it. The car, which many Chinese netizens called a ‘knockoff Hummer’ was actually inspired by an American military vehicle, and even though right now it pretty much looks like a pile of junk on wheels, a bit of camouflage paint could go a long way.” w/ photos

“A speed demon has come up with a novel way of making his car go faster – by strapping a cruise missile engine to its roof. Once a reliable 1967 Chevrolet barely driven over 100mph, the Jet-Impala 67 can now reach speeds of up to 300mph. The powerful car also fires out 30ft flames and leaves massive clouds of smoke in its wake. The monstrous motor created by petrolhead Paul Stender, has a 10,000bhp engine – the equivalent of 10 Bugetti Verons.” w/ photos + video

“A hand has been created that’s so small you’d need to be microscopic to shake it. A nanoscientist from the University of Bath was creating nano-sized tools when he accidentally created a tiny item measuring just 350 nanometres – or 0.00035 millimetres – that looks like a beckoning hand. Dr Sergey Gordeev, from the university’s department of physics, said: ‘I was amazed when I looked at the nano-scalpel and saw what appeared to be a beckoning hand. ‘Nanoscience research is moving very fast at the moment, so maybe the nano-hand is trying to attract people and funders into this area.” w/ photos

“It turns out that Call of Duty isn’t the only way to practice hitting moving targets – soldiers can now fire live ammo at fast-moving ‘smart’ target robots. The U.S Marine Corps has just taken delivery of a platoon of cyber troops. Made by Sydney-based firm Marathon Targets, the robots look, move and even behave like people, providing an unprecedented level of realism for sharp shooters. For example, when one of the robots is ‘killed’, the others will immediately scatter for cover… The robots have already been tested in the States and won the approval of defense chiefs.” w/ photos + video

“This 18-story residential tower in Taizhou, Zheijiang Province, eastern China is being dismantled by excavators hauled to the top by cranes. The building was completed in January and was hailed as a luxury development with a ‘perfect’ ocean view. But months later it was found to be leaning. One apartment owner, who gave his surname as Zhan, moved out just 17 hours after moving in… Experts have suggested the ground beneath the highrise sank because the reclaimed land it was built on is unable to support such large buildings.” w/ photos

“It may not sound very fast to humans, but 0.000000193mph is a break-neck velocity for cells. It was the speed some bone marrow cells from a lab in Singapore hit to win the first ever World Cell Race – on a petri dish race track measuring 400 microns in length, or 0.4mm. The results of the race were announced at the annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology at the weekend and netted the winners from the University of Singapore some Nikon cameras and medals.” w/ photos