Chinese Scientists Control Bird's Flight

Chinese scientists have succeeded in implanting electrodes in the brain of a pigeon to remotely control the bird's flight, state media said. Xinhua News Agency said the scientists at the Robot Engineering Technology Research Center at Shandong University of Science and Technology in eastern China used the micro electrodes to command the bird to fly right or left, and up or down.The implants stimulated different areas of the pigeon's brain according to electronic signals sent by the scientists via computer, mirroring natural signals generated by the brain, Xinhua quoted chief scientist Su Xuecheng as saying. It was the first such successful experiment on a pigeon in the world, said Su, who conducted a similar successful experiment on mice in 2005.

The Return Of The Beast of Bucks

The Beast of Bucks has returned to High Wycombe once again after the mysterious creature was spotted by a dogwalker in the town. For years locals have reported brief glimpses of a large cat, believed to be a puma, stalking the area. The latest sighting came last week, after a Wycombe man got a shock while out walking his dog on The Rye when he spotted the animal. Danny Latham-Symes, of Colbourne Road, was by the river near London Road, last Saturday evening at around sunset. Mr Latham-Symes told Midweek: "My dog stopped in his tracks and stood dead still. His eyes were fixed on the tree line on the opposite bank of the river."As I moved to where he stood, I too caught a glimpse of what I believe to be a mountain lion, which is more commonly known as a puma. advertisement"She was crouched among some nettles, and she seemed totally oblivious to my presence. She was there for less than ten seconds and then wandered off into the thicker undergrowth. "I would desperately like to know if anyone else has seen this creature in the Rye area, or anywhere in Wycombe and its surrounding woods and fields, for my own sanity more than anything else!" In May 2001 animal experts confirmed that a large cat spotted at Wycombe Heights golf course was a young puma, after taking a cast of the animal's paw. Two weeks later a half eaten deer was found off Gomm Road. Then, in 2003, workers at the Ercol factory in Princes Risborough reported seeing a creature resembling a puma prowling across the edge of a field. But even before then, since 1994, there have been reported sightings of "The Hughenden Puma," in the area stretching between Upper Dean and the northern outskirts of High Wycombe. Many zoologists believe Britain has had a healthy population of jungle cats for years, but the numbers rose sharply in the 1970s when the Dangerous Wild Animal's Act forced many people to get rid of exotic pets.

Virgin Mary Appears On Pizza Pan

Devout churchgoers have begun worshipping a pizza pan - after claiming the Virgin Mary has appeared amid the melted cheese, tomato and pepperoni. Dinner ladies at a school in Texas discovered what they took to be Mary's image on the base of a cooking tray. Sceptics may say it looks like little more than a random, formless stain. But after fevered scrubbing failed to shift it, rumour spread of a divine apparation - and now pilgrims have been flocking to a makeshift shrine in the tray's honour. One woman came to the school in Houston seeking healing for her disabled grandson.School canteen worker Guadalupe Rodriguez, who first spotted the mark on Ash Wednesday, said: 'On the third rinse I started watching it, trying to discover what it was. 'It showed to me like it is the Virgin Mary.' Pupil Anel Villareal said: 'They said, "The Virgin is in the cafeteria" and I ran over there to see. 'My God, it was the Virgin. I cried when I see her with my own eyes.' Pugh Elementary School principal Lyda Guerrero said: 'I think someone was watching over us. 'I think someone is watching over this community and this school district and this school." A shrine, with the tray at its centre, has now been set up outside the home of a parent teacher association member, but others are claiming they should have custody. In the past, the Virgin Mary has been said to appear on a toasted cheese sandwich in Florida, a Chicago underpass and a blob of dried chocolate at a Californian factory.

UFO in Maine? More Unusual Lights Fill Skies

From the Carolinas to Arkansas to the deserts of Arizona unexplained lights have filled the night skies of late . That means local news stations and 911 switchboards get calls as people try to explain what at times seems like the unexplainable. Since the UFO appeared over Chicago's O'Hare airport in November, it appears that people are more concentrated on the skies. This time a report comes in from Maine. According to the Morning Sentinel Callers from four southern Somerset County towns reported seeing strange lights in the sky the outher night. According to the paper, a caller from Skowhegan Road in Fairfield reported seeing strange lights in the sky, heading south.A Norridgewock caller said he saw lights, called the Brunswick Naval Air Station, which told him they were not aware of anything going on. The caller from Norridgewock Avenue in Skowhegan reported seeing yellow lights in the sky over Skowhegan. The report also notes that another caller told dispatchers she saw reddish-orange UFOs through the trees. She said she saw three diagonal lights, then two and then one, before it “burned up like a comet.” Is there an easy explanation? Perhaps. A spokeswoman from the Vermont Air National Guard confirmed that the unit was conducting training missions through that area that night. An F-16 flying overhead, the source said, would cause considerable noise.

The Bowness Monster

It is little more than a dark smudge near the surface of a lake - but it could still signify the birth of a new legend. For this shadowy image is causing more than a ripple of interest among monster aficionados. And to the man who took it, the picture is proof that something strange lurks in the waters of Windermere. Photographer Linden Adams, 35, was walking in the area with his wife Louise a fortnight ago. They were at a secluded spot more than 1,000ft up a mountain when they spotted the "creature". "It just came out of the blue," said the father of two. "The water was incredibly peaceful and then this huge thing appeared, diving and thrashing around." He said it appeared to be 50ft long, when compared to boats nearby. "I snatched the binoculars from my wife and gasped when I got a better look. I could see this huge dark thing moving in the water. It had a head like a labrador, only much, much bigger."Mr Adams, from Bowness-on-Windermere, said: "I know the lake well and this was no freak wave or boat." Aware of similar sightings in the lake, he began taking pictures of what he calls the "Bowness Monster". "When I looked at them on my computer I realised I had something," he said. "It was spine-tingling." Aware of the scepticism surrounding photographs purporting to show the Loch Ness monster Mr Adams sent his picture to a forensic photographer, who confirmed it was not digitally enhanced. His wife, 38, said: "I was just making excuses in my head for what it could be but when we saw the pictures we knew we had seen something really important." Dr Charles Paxton, a Marine Biologist from St Andrews University in Edinburgh, said: "A fish or a water mammal would not be that big and deer would not go under the water." He said that new species of water creatures are often discovered, so he "wouldn't rule out any possibilities". The sighting comes just months after scientists visited Lake Windermere to examine claims by a tourist about a 20ft "serpent-like" creature. Richard Freeman of the Centre for Fortean Zoology, which researches mystery animals, said the sightings could in fact be of giant sterile eels, which, unlike normal eels, "just stay in fresh water and get bigger and bigger".

Fishermen Catch Rare Colossal Squid

A fishing crew has caught a colossal squid that could weigh a half-ton and prove to be the biggest specimen ever landed. The squid, weighing an estimated 990 pounds and about 39 feet long, took two hours to land in Antarctic waters, New Zealand Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton said. The fishermen were catching Patagonian toothfish, sold under the name Chilean sea bass, south of New Zealand "and the squid was eating a hooked toothfish when it was hauled from the deep," Anderton said.The fishing crew and a fisheries official on board their ship estimated the length and weight of the squid: Detailed, official measurements have not been made. The date when the colossus was caught also was not disclosed. Colossal squid, known by the scientific name Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, are estimated to grow up to 46 feet long and have long been one of the most mysterious creatures of the deep ocean. If original estimates are correct, the squid would be 330 pounds heavier than the next biggest specimen ever found. "I can assure you that this is going to draw phenomenal interest.It is truly amazing," said Dr. Steve O'Shea, a squid expert at the Auckland University of Technology. Colossal squid can descend to 6,500 feet and are extremely active, aggressive hunters, he said. The frozen squid will be transported to New Zealand's national museum, Te Papa, in the capital, Wellington, to be preserved for scientific study. Colossal squid are found in Antarctic waters and are not related to giant squid found around the coast of New Zealand. Giant squid grow up to 39 feet long, but are not as heavy as colossal squid.

Extra's A Puss With 26 Toes

Extra the kitten has been aptly named by her owners - she has 26 toes that give her a distinct advantage over her naturally climbing moggie mates. Her human family noticed there was something different with the three-month-old kitten when she started scratching more than other cats. "You would sort of want to wear boxing gloves when you play with her," says Kaelene Gerrard, who lives with her partner Eli Eliu and daughters Mercy, six, and 12-year-old Shardae. She examined the frisky feline's paws and did a double take at what she found. "We counted and then recounted but we had it right the first time," she says. Extra has seven toes on each front paw and six toes on each back paw - instead of the normal five on each. "Her mum Star is a normal cat but her grandmother had six toes on each paw as well and so does her brother. But we've never even heard of a kitten with seven toes on each front paw," says Kaelene. "Extra's a good climber and runs really fast. "We won't have to worry about her too much because she will sure be able to look after herself."Staff at Glendowie Veterinary Clinic in Auckland say Extra's trait is relatively common and an inherited genetic condition called polydactyly. It usually produces six toes, so Extra is that little bit special. SPCA education officer Shelley Ryan says polydactyl cats come through "from time to time" and most appear to have no setbacks from their condition. "It seems pedigree cats and bigger cats, such maine coons, often show a strain of polydactyly, although we do see moggies with it too," she says. "Cats with this genetic trait are often very placid. "I have seen some cases, but not too many, with 26 toes. How fast and well will that cat climb?" Polydactyly, or extra digits, in cats is most common on parts of the United States' east coast and in south west England. It is a naturally occurring genetic variation and has even been found in fossil reptiles. Polydactyly varies from the classic 'mitten cat' - unevenly numbered toes on each front paw - through to those that simply have more toes than normal but no thumb. Some cat owners say the innermost extra toes on the front paws are often opposable and some use them with quite startling proficiency to manipulate small objects with almost human dexterity. Others joke that because of that condition their animals are more intelligent, while others feel their pets represent the next stage in feline evolution - the ability to open cartons and cans unaided. In times past, cats with polydactyly were favoured ship cats and were considered to be the preferred familiars of witches.

Pawn Shop Of Curiosity

Within a span of about six or seven city blocks, you can find Pancho Villa's alleged trigger finger, one of Tejano singer Selena's bustiers and buildings where celebrities once and still lay their heads. All these treasures and points of interest are in Downtown El Paso, which has thousands of other artifacts and has drawn many interesting personalities since the turn of the 20th century. Dave's Pawn Shop, 216 S. El Paso, has always attracted curiosity seekers and bargain hunters in its cramped confines where skeletons, Nazi memorabilia, mannequin heads and antiques take up every available space, but if you take a look inside one of the store's display windows, you'll see a black, crooked finger in a cotton-lined box, and above it, a metal cross with what looks to be a baby's heart in the middle. Pawn shop owner Larry Baron said the finger, which allegedly belonged to Pancho Villa, was pawned by someone a couple of years ago. The heart, which may or may not have belonged to a baby vampire, was pawned a few years before the finger. "Both stories are pretty interesting," Baron said last week. "This morning, someone said they wanted to pawn a mummy. I told him to bring it in so I could take a look at it." A woman looks at what the owner of Dave's Pawn Shop, 216 S. El Paso, claims is Pancho Villa's trigger finger, priced at $9,500. The shop also claims to have the remains of mummified mermaids.Baron said he didn't know how much he'd offer the mummy owner for the artifact until he actually saw the mummy and did some research. Villa's finger's selling price is $9,500, while the heart is $7,500. When asked to remove the two items from the display window for closer inspection, Baron declined, stating "for the right price, I'll take it from the window." Among the celebrity clients claimed to have visited Dave's Pawn Shop are Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler, who once bought a bronze statue and some jewelry, and a member of ZZ Top, who is expected to pick up a $9,000 shrunken head from the shop any day now. Store employee David Delgadillo said he's amazed at the number of people who stop by the store to gaze at a mummified chupacabra and the Feejee mermaid skeleton in the store's display cases. "About a month ago, we had a group come in from Mexico City," Delgadillo said. "They said they came in just to check out the store, and I said 'Yeah, right.' " Celebrities have long been fixtures in Downtown. Elvis Presley once stayed at the now-vacant International Hotel, and President John F. Kennedy spent the night in the Cortez Building just before his fateful trip to Dallas. An authentic shrunken head at Dave's Pawn ShopWhen movie star Elizabeth Taylor was married to hotelier Conrad Hilton, she often stayed in the penthouse atop the Plaza Hotel, and the Camino Real Hotel is often the hotel of choice for many celebrities. David Romo, a local historian and author of a book about Downtown, "Ringside to a Revolution," said many sites throughout Downtown, particularly in the Segundo Barrio, have been visited by important historical figures and events. "The reason I think El Paso has such a fascinating Downtown is because all these people left their mark on it," Romo said. "Everywhere you go, the spirit of history has left its mark." The Caples Building at Mesa and San Antonio streets was the site for planning the Mexican Revolution in the early 1900s, and the Pablo Baray building at 609 S. Oregon was where Mariano Azuela wrote his book "Los De Abajo," or "The Underdogs," in 1915. The body of what Dave's Pawn Shop claims is a Chupacabra lies in a case at the Downtown shop.Local historians say the book was instrumental in espousing the cause of the rebels during the Mexican Revolution. Romo said his favorite street in Downtown is Oregon Street. Henry O. Flipper, the first black graduate of West Point, and pachuco musician Don Tosti, who was born Edmundo Martinez Tostado, all lived near Oregon Street. However, Romo says that not many El Pasoans know about the rich culture Downtown has. "Downtown is one of the most unique places in the world," Romo said.

Pastor Who Says He's Jesus Also Says He's the Antichrist And Has 666 Tattoo

A Miami priest who served several stints in jail and has 666 tattooed on his body claims he is Jesus reincarnated. His church members, reaching numbers in the thousands, also believe he is what he says. Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda is also called "Daddy" by his followers. Although he calls himself Jesus, some say he is no more than a cult leader. Religion expert at Florida International University Professor Daniel Alvarez said, "He's in their heads, he's inside the heads of those people. De Jesus speaks with a kind of conviction that makes me consider him more like David Koresh or Jim Jones."Jose Luis de Jesus MirandaBut de Jesus claims he was visited by angels in a dream who told him he was Jesus reincarnated. The 61-year-old said this was after he served time in jail for petty theft and became a heroin addict. De Jesus said the number 666 is misunderstood to mean the devil or Satan. He said it means the antichrist but the antichrist is good. He said, "The prophets, they spoke about me. It took me time to learn that, but I am what they were expecting, what they have been expecting for 2,000 years. The spirit that is in me is the same spirit that was in Jesus of Nazareth."

The Carolina Mystery Creature

Mystery solved, (maybe). The odd-looking animal spotted in several Piedmont area counties last year evidently was a hairless gray fox. That's the conclusion of Jaap Hillenius, associate professor in the biology department at College of Charleston, who examined the carcass of a similar animal that had been hit by a car in the Charleston area. So it wasn't an exotic cross-species, though some area residents who spotted the animals had reported it having the head of a cat and the body of a canine. Just a fox sans hair because of a mutant gene, Hillenius said. "That's the best we can think of," he said. "There was no obvious reason for hair loss — no mange or malnutrition. It was normal except it didn't have hair follicles in the skin." Hillenius sent part of the animal's tongue to a UCLA lab, which confirmed it was a fox, he said. His findings were presented last weekend at the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition in Charleston. "It had been seen in the area, and people were so interested in it,'' Hillenius said. Three years ago, interest was high in the Piedmont; sightings of similar creatures were reported in Randolph and Guilford counties.In 2006, one was seen and photographed near Raleigh. Area residents theorized that it could be an Australian dingo, an escapee from the nearby N.C. State Zoo or even some new species. In May 2004, Asheboro businessman Bill Kurdian snapped a picture of one of the creatures feeding on corn he and his wife had put out for wild animals. By 2006, state wildlife officials guessed that it could have been a hairless fox. The fox ID makes sense, Kurdian said Tuesday. "I know that when he was out there, foxes would come up and feed next to it. There were no signs of aggression. They went up and smelled each other. There was no sense they feared each other.'' Kurdian had hoped to trap the animal so it could be identified. But it disappeared about a year ago, he said. Still, his nighttime photo of the mystery creature remains on numerous Internet sites. "You wouldn't believe the number of people who have asked me about that," he said. Hillenius, the biology professor, said his first goal was to identify the creature. Now he wants to know how many are around. Evidently, there are more than a few. Sightings have been reported in Alaska and Colorado, in addition to North and South Carolina.

Vampire Pleads Guilty For Sex With Underage Girls

A 21-year-old man pleaded guilty to three counts of criminal sexual conduct. Michael Earl Kulas Jr. admitted he had sex on three occasions with two underage girls in the fall of 2005 and in March 2006. He faces prison time at his April 25 sentencing. When Kulas was arrested in July 2006, he told police that he was so drunk that he didn’t remember the incidents. In Minnesota, it is illegal for minors between 13 and 16 to have sexual contact with anyone who is more than two years older than them, regardless of consent.According to the criminal complaint, Kulas, who was 20 at the time, said he was drawn to the first female, then 15, because they were both into vampirism, or drinking blood. Police had been investigating Kulas for possible criminal sexual conduct as early as February 2006, when they warned him to stop hanging around the Winona Senior High School. Each of the third-degree charges carries a possibility of up to 15 years in prison.

Hole In The Ice Fuels Speculations

A hole in a frozen pond in northern Latvia achieved unexpected notoriety as rumors began circulating that it was created by an object falling from outer space. "We've been collecting information on the story all day, and we'll definitely report it in the morning," Inguna Plume, editor of local a newspaper told reporters. The "unusually large hole" appeared in the ice of a frozen pond near the northern Latvian village of Karki in early February, the Leta news agency wrote. Despite sub-zero temperatures, the hole reportedly did not freeze over for two days. Locals initially reported seeing "strange things" in the area.One girl said that she had seen "a small bright object with a silver ring around it", while other witnesses reported seeing up to six symmetrical beams of light emerging from the pond. When the existence of the mysterious hole became known, the theory that it could have been created by an object falling from outer space began to gain credence, Karki spokesperson Sandra Pilskalne told Leta. Scientific experts admit that the hole could have been created by a falling piece of interstellar debris, the news wire added. The mysterious hole has now frozen over, but water samples have been taken for testing, Pilskalne said. Representatives of Karki council were not available for comment when approached by reporters.

Duckling Born With Four Legs

Webbed feet run in Stumpy's family, but he's the first to have four of them. A rare mutation has left the eight-day-old duckling with two nearly full-sized legs behind the two he runs on. Nicky Janaway, a duck farmer in New Forest, Hampshire, 95 miles (150 kilometers) southwest of London, unveiled the duckling to reporters this weekend."It was absolutely bizarre. I was thinking 'he's got too many legs' and I kept counting 'one, two, three, four,"' Janaway said. Stumpy would probably not survive in the wild, but Janaway, who runs the Warrawee Duck Farm in New Forest says he is doing well."He's eating and surviving so far and he is running about with those extra legs acting like stabilizers," Janaway said. The mutation is rare, but cases have been recorded across the world. One duckling named Jake was born in Queensland, Australia, in 2002 with four legs but died soon after.

Mystery Moose

This big fella's made headlines for 100 years - a walking enigma or one tall tale? Antlers 10 feet across. A hide so thick it stops bullets. White. Surly. Elusive. The sight of him is so frightening, he once scared a bicyclist up a tree. So intriguing, the stars of Sci-Fi Channel's "Ghost Hunters" gave Maine's "Mystery Moose" a four-page spread in their spin-off magazine. It's a 2,500-pound enigma that's maybe roamed the woods here for 100-plus years. A little extra attention might just drum up more sightings, and some answers, said Loren Coleman, a noted cryptozoologist from Portland, who wrote the piece for TAPS Paramagazine's January issue. (For the uninitiated, TAPS stands for The Atlantic Paranormal Society.) Newspapers in Texas, Minnesota and Pennsylvania have carried stories about hunters' run-ins with Maine's mystery or "Specter Moose." He's white or dirty gray, twice normal size and typically just a bit too far from any gun's reach or so swift he disappears in a blink. (The director at the online Museum of Hoaxes called it "a moose version of Moby Dick.") After a sighting in 1900, the Minnesota Freeborn County Standard declared the mega-moose a "wonder of sportsmen in northern Maine since 1891."The Pennsylvania Charleroi Mail reported on a "gigantic beast ... ten to fifteen feet high, dirty white in color, brandishing immense antlers" in 1938. Coleman thinks hunters are maybe seeing albino game, but there might also be something else going on. As recently as last summer, he got a call from a reporter on Maine's coast saying that he was hearing from people who'd spotted really giant, brown moose. "I remain very open-minded," Coleman said. He's 98 percent sure it's not a new species. Maine's Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife hadn't heard about the big mystery. "We're talking about an animal that wouldn't be able to hide very well in the Maine woods," said spokesman Mark Latti. Maine banned moose hunting in the 1930s - the population was dwindling - and restarted the season in 1980. "In those 26 years (of revived hunting), no one's come close to taking an animal that large," he said. (Four or five years ago, a hunter here did take down a white moose and planned a full-body taxidermy on it, Latti said. They're pretty rare.) Average bull moose weight, alive, is about up to 1,200 pounds. A big rack is 5 feet across. For now, there's no body of proof that the mystery moose did, or does, exist, but the story certainly has legs. R.W. Bluestroke, TAPS' publisher, said reporting on the paranormal and cryptids is "like everything else, like politics. You hear it, you read it, you believe it - or not - that it's true." Maine's one of the busier states when it comes to sightings and activity for those sorts of things, he said.

Jesus In A Tree

Consuelo Sanchez guided her 63-year-old mother, Olga, across the street, pointing to a tree near a fence line. "That's the arm," she said, pointing to a branch yielding to the right. "That's the other arm. "See where it's cut right there, that's his head." The elder Sanchez nodded in agreement. The pair was the latest to make the trip to Avenue D here Thursday afternoon to examine a pruned backyard tree that many believe resembles a crucified Jesus. "They say something like this doesn't happen just anywhere," the 38-year-old daughter said. "To me, it's a sign."The Sanchezes stood under the tree for several minutes, studying both the tree and the handful of pictures and notes that have been left behind the past few days after the image of Jesus was first spotted in the gnarled limbs by Betty Jo Hernandez. Hernandez, 31, took a photo of the tree and shared it with co-workers at an elementary school where she works. Many agreed they could see the image of Jesus on the cross, and from there, it spread across town and beyond, fueled over the past two days by news media reports. Hundreds have since visited the site, leaving behind mementos and flowers, mostly roses. A row of candles sits on the ground. But not everyone can see it. "If you have faith, you see it," said 44-year-old Lupe Granados, who traveled from nearby Big Wells to see the tree. "If you don't, you don't." The owners of the property where the tree stands did not answer a knock at the door and neighbors said they are trying to keep a low profile. Thursday night, the faithful continued to come, sometimes in droves, lining the short residential street with vehicles. Many came with their camera-equipped cell phones in hand, ready to snap a picture. "It's weird, right?" Granados asked. "It has been here forever and not until now has someone seen it."

Three Schools Put On Lockdown After Batman Sighting

Three schools in the north Phoenix suburb of Cave Creek were on lockdown for about 45 minutes. That after a student at Desert Arroyo Middle School reported seeing a person dressed as Batman run across campus, jump a fence and disappear into the desert.Police combed the desert around the middle school. A nearby elementary school and high school also were on lockdown as officers sought the caped crusader. The result - no Batman. Says a police spokesman: ``It's just one of those interesting little stories that we looked into but we couldn't find anyone.''

Blood-Drinking Woman Slashes Man During Sex

Tempe police arrested a woman after she tied up a man during sex, then slashed him repeatedly with a knife and told him she likes to drink blood. Tiffany Sutton, who police said is either 23 or 24, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault at 11:55 p.m. in the 1000 block of South Lola Lane, where she and the victim were living, police said. The man told police he had consented to being tied up but became scared when the woman attacked him with a knife. He eventually freed himself and ran away, but Sutton chased him with a pickax, police said.Tiffany SuttonThe man was taken in an ambulance to a local hospital, where he was treated for injuries. Police were unsure if the pair were friends, but Tempe Sgt. Mike Horn said the man and woman were not in a relationship. Both admitted to authorities that they had consumed alcohol and drugs prior to the attack, Horn said. The man was passed out when police were called, and the woman initially acted like she was the victim, Horn said. Sutton later told police the entire encounter was consensual.

Space Potatoes

Having boldly gone where no spud has before, Chinese space potatoes are now the latest culinary fad to hit the country's ultra-trendy commercial hub of Shanghai. Slightly sweet and purple in color, the potatoes, named Purple Orchid Three, are bred from seeds that mutated while being carried aboard a Chinese spacecraft. Grower Haikou Purple Orchid Co. Ltd. is promoting them as a unique food option, and restaurants in the city are offering them for Valentine's Day dinners, served crispy fried, or in salads, desserts and even iced drinks.China's space program claims to have produced numerous mutated fruits and vegetables by exposing seeds to space radiation, capsule pressure and weightlessness. Chinese agricultural experts say plants grown from such seeds can be hardier, more nutritious and produce higher yields, although many scientists say similar effects could be achieved in ordinary laboratories. The space program, which has successfully completed two manned missions, is a source of massive national pride for China, and companies marketing everything from milk to magazines have bought the rights to be endorsed by it.

Erotic Vampire Teacher

A female teacher at a church high school is being investigated over complaints that she operates erotic vampire websites. English and drama teacher Samantha Goldstone has agreed to stay away from St Christopher's Church of England High School in Accrington, Lancashire, after parents alerted her bosses. Investigations centre on the part-time gothic fiction writer's personal websites and others that promote her book and poems. One section of the 41-year-old's book, called Gabriele Caccini and written under the pen name Paigan Stone, refers to a female student drugging a vampire male student before they have sex. Her personal MySpace website, which has been shut down, included provocative images and videos.Samantha Goldstone AKA: Paigan StoneThe site also contained references to her gothic writing which she boasts contains "adult content with vampire eroticism, violence and blood lust". St Christopher's headmaster Alasdair Coates said: "These concerns have to be investigated appropriately and while we do this the member of staff has agreed to stay away from school. This is not an indication of guilt." Mrs Goldstone, who lives in Manchester, has been at the school for three years. Lesley Ham, a spokesman for teaching union NASUWT, said: "I welcome this investigation as it is no doubt causing worry to parents and their children. "In writing lurid material as a teacher you would struggle to maintain professionalism and standing amongst the impressionable young people you are charged with teaching."

A Haunting In The Welsh Valleys

In A remote Welsh valley more than 200 years ago, an excited girl was on her way to be married when, as a prank, she hid from her friends in a hollow tree. Tragically, she became trapped and couldn't get out. Her friends searched frantically for her in vain. Her husband-to-be went mad with grief. The girl, her pitiful cries unheard, starved to death. Years later, a lightning bolt struck the tree and her skeleton fell out. Her former fiance dropped dead with shock. To this day, the ghosts of the couple are said to haunt the site, in Gwynedd, North Wales, "hand in hand, the skeleton bride and the wild man bridegroom," according to a description in Cambrian Quarterly Journal in 1831.The journal report is just one of thousands of such ghost stories throughout the principality, "the most haunted country in the world", according to Richard Holland, author of a book titled Haunted Wales. The Wales Tourist Board agrees. "Wales is drawing sceptics and scaredy cats alike along the hunt for the bizarre unknown," it says. "Wales is a hot spot for all things supernatural." The board suggests that people with Welsh blood visit and try to connect with their ancestors through a seance. It helps that Wales is described as having "more castles to the square mile than anywhere else in the world, dating back to the 1200s, and ripe for haunting".

Brazilian Pries Grandson From Anaconda's Death Grip

A 66-year-old Brazilian man wrestled with a five-metre anaconda for nearly half-an-hour to free his grandson from the snake's crushing death grip, local media reported. Eight-year-old Matheus Pereira de Araujo would likely be dead inside the belly of the 35 kilogram anaconda if his grandfather had not heard his screams for help, zoologists said. Anacondas, the biggest snakes in the world, live in swamps and rivers. They kill prey by asphyxiation or drowning. When the snake struck Matheus, who lives in the the world's third largest metropolis of Sao Paulo, was playing with a cousin in a creek bed on his grandfather's farm 500 kilometres from the city in a town called Cosmorama.Matheus Pereira de Araujo, 8, stands in front of the anaconda that attacked him"It was very fast," the boy said. "I didn't have time to do anything." "My grandfather is a hero - I was so afraid of dying." Joaquim Pereira was driving home when he heard the screams of Matheus and his cousin Flavio, who ran to get help. Mr Pereira jumped into the ravine and grappled with the snake, which started coiling around him as well. "I started fighting the animal and tried to loosen its grip on the boy's neck but the snake was too strong," Mr Pereira told the Bom Dia newspaper of Sao Jose do Rio Preto. Mr Pereira then attacked it with stones and a machete. "I kept hitting it with the machete but it felt like a rubber tire, it wouldn't tear," he said. He killed it after a long struggle to free the boy, who needed 21 stitches on his chest where the snake bit him. "It was the most terrible scene that I've seen in my life," Mr Pereira said. "It was totally coiled around him while he was screaming that he was dying." Senator Eduardo Suplicy said Mr Pereira should be honoured by the Brazilian Government for heroism.

Walkers Spot Mysterious Marine Creature

A coastal stroll became a walk on the wild side for visitors to a stretch of South Lakeland sands last week, following the appearance of a mysterious marine creature, reports Ruth Lythe. The creature, which was spotted by walkers at Fish Carling Point on Milnthorpe Sands, has had people puzzling over its identity over the past week. The animal, which has gained an orange hue as it decomposes, has been a source of mystery for sealife experts.Although experts from the Seawatch Foundation are not totally convinced about the creature's identity, the most likely solution to the mystery is that it is a bottlenose dolphin. However, whether the dolphin was alive or dead before it arrived at Morecambe Bay, is unclear. Seawatch is interested to hear of any sightings of dolphins alive or dead on Cumbria's shores.

Trinity River Voodoo Cult

The recent search for a Dallas couple whose bodies were discovered in the Trinity River bottom has led to another mystery for police. More human remains have been found that police believe are tied to the occult. Hutchins police were called to the Trinity River Forest last week when police were searching for the bodies of a Linoshka Torres and Luis Campos. Not far from that crime scene, but unrelated, police found a nearly three-foot high pot containing wooden dolls, animal bones, a machete and a human skull."According to the medical examiner's office, and according to what I read, this was the real thing," said Hutchins Police Detective Emily Owens. After some research, police found that the items are commonly used in rituals among those who practice Voodoo or Santeria. The skull was taken to the Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office. Authorities determined it was probably taken from a grave. "All we know now, it's a female, probably approximately 40 years old, around in that range," Owens said. The thought of someone walking in the woods for rituals is unsettling to those who live nearby. The area is a frequent dumping ground for murder victims. "It's kinda weird,” said Hutchins resident Jericha Gilley. “I don't want to think about it at all, because you know they've been finding a lot of stuff over in there." Police say whoever is responsible for the Voodoo pot could be charged with abuse of a corpse.

Night Clouds Warm Red Planet

Nighttime clouds detected for the first time on Mars help to keep the planet’s surface warm after sunset when temperatures drop, a new study suggests. The nocturnal clouds are five times thicker than their daytime counterparts and hover close to the ground, almost like a fog. The study, conducted by researchers at NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is detailed in the Feb. 1 issue of Geophysical Research Letters. Martian clouds–both the day and night variety—resemble the wispy and high-flying cirrus clouds on Earth, except they are thicker and found at more variable heights. Previous studies have detected daytime clouds on Mars as high as 62 miles (100 km) above the surface, making them the highest flying clouds ever detected on any planet. Nighttime clouds are harder to spot. During the day, Martian clouds appear brighter than the planet’s surface because they reflect more sunlight. Daytime clouds [image] also stand out in thermal imaging because they are much cooler than the Martian surface. At night, these differences disappear. There is no longer any sunlight to reflect, and surface temperatures drop until there is hardly any temperature contrast left between Martian cloud and surface.Nighttime clouds [image] on Mars are predicted from computer models, but none had been directly observed until now. The researchers discovered the stealthy clouds after investigating a temperature anomaly that occurs on the Martian surface at night picked up by the now-lost Mars Global Surveyor (MGS). “We found that in certain regions the temperature didn’t drop as much as we would’ve expected it to drop,” said study leader John Wilson of NOAA. Using the MGS’s laser altimeter, the researchers created the first map of Martian clouds at night. An altimeter works by bouncing a pulse of light off the planet’s surface. Depending on how the pulse behaves—whether it is absorbed, reflected or scattered—scientists can distinguish between clouds floating in the atmosphere and rocks on the planet surface. The measurements showed that the parts of the planet’s surface blanketed by clouds at night were warmer by about 35 degrees Fahrenheit than those that were exposed and unprotected by clouds. This same effect occurs on Earth. “A cloudy night won’t be as cold as a clear night,” Wilson told SPACE.com. “If there are no clouds, the radiation from the surface just goes straight off into space rather than being bounced back.” In Mars’ distant past, when the planet was much warmer and wetter than it is now, clouds would have been more abundant and contributed to its greenhouse effect, the researchers speculate. “The water ice clouds would be very prominent,” Wilson said, “and may have had a very important role in affecting Mars’ climate, maybe helping to make the planet warmer.”

UFO Sighting

Dozens of mysterious lights were spotted hovering in the sky above Archway - spreading panic among residents below. Unidentified flying orange objects stopped traffic and left residents staring skyward in disbelief at around 5.30pm. Islington police received four calls within a matter of minutes. Witness Alix McAlister, 34, a market stall trader from Bredgar Road, Archway, said: "I just picked up my son from nursery in Bredgar Road. I had just come out of the door when I noticed what was going on in the sky. "There were a group of them - 10 to 15 of them moving together. My first impression was that they reminded me of a squadron of aeroplanes in formation. But they didn't have a proper formation and they were all moving at the same speed."I thought for a while that something was happening in the centre of London. Bombs and planes crossed my mind. But I realised very quickly that they didn't look like any aircraft I'd seen before. "They were coming from the north and moving south. And then they kind of stopped and they were hovering. There was no sound. They seemed to fade away and I saw more coming and then they stopped. It lasted about 10 minutes." Islington police informed Contact International UFO Research about the sightings. Soon after another witness contacted the Oxford-based organisation, which is devoted to solving the mystery of UFOs, and described what he saw. A spokesman for Contact International said: "He told me he was picking his daughter up from school and he saw many people looking up in the air. Traffic had stopped and people were staring. "He said he saw between 12 and 15 orange lights travelling across the sky. Then they would stop and then they went upwards.

End Of The Mysterious Wonder Spot

In a wooded ravine tucked away from the water parks, restaurants and mega-resorts that dominate this tourist town, a piece of history is quietly dying. After more than half a century of wowing tourists (and causing probably more than a few cases of nausea), the Wonder Spot, a mysterious cabin where people can't stand up straight, water runs uphill and chairs balance on two legs, is no more. Owner Bill Carney has sold the iconic attraction to the village of Lake Delton for $300,000. The village wants to build a road through the crevice where the Wonder Spot has stood since the 1950s.Now, the Wonder Spot, one of more than a dozen sites around the nation dubbed "gravity vortexes" and a throwback to postwar, family-oriented tourist attractions, has a date with a bulldozer. "We're kind of wondering how the town is going to deal with the gravitational forces under the road. That might be an issue with driving and how you bank a curve," joked Doug Kirby, publisher of RoadsideAmerica.com, which catalogs odd tourist attractions. Kirby's site lists the Wonder Spot as one of 21 so-called "mystery spots." Lake Wales, Fla., has Spook Hill. Irish Hills, Mich., has the Mystery Hill. California has the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz. The story behind each one is similar - gravity doesn't work in them. People seem to grow smaller, can't stand up straight and can barely walk.

Satan Worship On The Rise In Mizoram

Several incidents of burnt Bibles, vandalised churches and defiled cemeteries in Mizoram in the past year have fuelled suspicion that Satan worship is on the rise in the northeastern state. In July 2006, the Kawnpui Hmar Veng Presbyterian Church was vandalized by suspected Satan worshippers. The church's altar was desecrated, Bibles were torn into pieces and burnt, and one church elder even claimed that drops of blood had been found. Two months later, the Kolasib Presbyterian Church seemed to have been targeted, with burnt Bibles and a desecrated altar. In November, five youths were caught filming semi-nude inside a non-functional United Pentecostal Church (UPC) on the outskirts of Aizawl. They told a church elder that they were shooting a satanic scene for an anti-Satan film. A month later, two churches in Lunglei, known as the second capital of Mizoram, were found desecrated and vandalised. Police nabbed two people who apparently confessed to their crime saying they had acted according to their beliefs.Psychologists and church workers say the influence of Western movies could be fuelling such heinous acts. Rev. Vanlalchhuanawma, vice principal of the Aizawl Theological College, said it could be an outcome of parents neglecting their children. 'The rotten seed we sowed bore us nothing but rotten fruits, it's high time we practiced family values at home and took good care of our children,' he said. In December 2006, a local weekly conducted a survey on Satanism in the state and said there could be more than hundred Satan worshippers. It was reported that the Council for World Mission had also asked the Presbyterian Church of Mizoram if Satan worship had grown rapidly. A seven-page report earlier prepared by the faculty of Aizawl Theological College said that Satanic rituals made it mandatory to practice illicit, even unnatural sex, incest and the use of psychotropic drugs. The powerful Presbyterian Church authorised the research by the college. The report, submitted to the Aizawl district Superintendent of Police, quoted some boys and girls involved in the rituals as saying: 'We sat silently during devotional meetings in our home and worshipped Lucifer.'

Store Suffering From A Voodoo Curse

A shop whose former tenant fled the police - and the country - is cursed, according to the new woman in charge. Adriana Lopes opened up Du Arte boutique on Heath Street last July without knowing the premises were previously the offices of Greenfields estate agents. Malcolm Green, who ran the estate agency, was extradited last week from Switzerland to face charges of stealing £420,000 in cash and jewelery. Police had been searching for him since May when he failed to turn up at Snaresbrook Crown Court. And while he has been overseas bailiffs have called on Ms Lopes' shop, the electricity and water companies have tried to turn off the supplies and she has been getting 10 threatening-looking letters a week addressed to Mr Green. Ms Lopes said: "The bailiffs from the electricity company came round and were really very aggressive. "Then the water company came around. I nearly had to have a fight with them to get them to stop, but I didn't mind - I am from Brazil. "We have had bailiffs from art dealers and for copyrights turning up. I am still receiving all sorts of letters like credit card bills which I just take to the post office to return to sender. It's unbelievable."When Ms Lopes moved into the shop she found that lights had been ripped from the ceiling, the floor of the shop had been vandalised and the sink and toilet in the rear of the shop were blocked up. And she now thinks the shop has a macumba on it - a Brazilian voodoo curse. She said: "I was so excited when I found the shop. I saw it when I was coming back from Notting Hill where a shop I'd put all my effort into fell through, because they sold it at auction. "I thought that place was cursed, but now I think this one has a macumba on it." Mr Green was arrested in Switzerland two weeks ago. Last week he was extradited and he appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday. He was remanded in custody to return to court on February 23. When he was due in court last May, he was expected to plead not guilty to 18 separate criminal charges, to do with the theft of £420,000 of cash, shares and jewels from clients of his estate agents.

Girl Turning Orange

A student who has eaten nothing but carrots for a month claims she is turning orange. Hayley Davison, who is 19, ends her month-long diet test on Saturday. She began her investigation after an argument with flatmates about the condition carotenemia, in which the skin turns orange. Experts say it is brought on by eating vast amounts of carrots. During the experiment Hayley has enjoyed the delights of carrot and curry soup, carrot casserole and carrot spread sandwiches. In her blog, set up to chart her progress, she said: "I'm having the strangest dreams and waking up early. I blame this on the carrots." In her latest post, Hayley claims her hands are turning orange. She writes: "They are very orange and people really can't believe it when I show them."As for the carrots, I've come to the conclusion that the only way I will get them down these days is by blending them. For the past four days or so I've done nothing but eat them like this and it's gross." Dr Carol Cooper told Sky News long-term carrot consumption would lead to malnutirtion. She said: "Carrots don't contain much protein, Calcium or iron. But they are good for you. They're packed with anti-oxidants and vitamin A. "When you're young like Hayley you can get away with it, but I wouldn't recommend it and I'm not surprised her hands are orange."

The Mysterious Scott Town Monster

There's something strange lurking in the bushes in Scott Town, Manchester, Jamaica and it has the whole town abuzz. It's unlike anything anyone there has ever seen before. The creature has been spotted in Maas Helton's banana field more than once and now the shaken man is afraid to leave his bed at night. "Di first time me see di sinting, mi just took off! Mi nah go lay lay and mek it nyam mi raw!" Mass Helton said. He's a short fellow with graying hair and he has noticeable trouble pronouncing the letter 'v', but his memory of the first time he encountered the mysterious beast is impeccable. "It was around 3 o'clock inna di morning. Mi decide fi get up early and go inna mi field. Mi and mi dog go round a di back and mi only see when the dog walk off. So mi stand up one side fi see where him a go. Den mi hear one digging noise and mi look and see something a dig up di banana tree. Mi frighten now and bend down behind one bush and a watch. Mi see di dog walk up to di creature and den mi just hear whoo, whoo! When mi hear dat mi gallop weh left all di dog! Dem bwoy out a road say mi too fraid, but mi nuh care!" Maas Helton shouted.He said the creature had four long and narrow legs like a goat and a long face with an obvious snout. It was furry and about twice the size of a large dog. "It front foot hab on four claw and it move very fast. If you quint too fast then you miss it," he said. Now news of the strange animal spread across the community like wildfire and soon, plans for a public execution were put in place. At the crack of dawn the next day, almost everyone from the community turned up at Maas Helton's home, wielding machetes and carrying torches. "Dem come say dem ready fi kill di brute. Everybody ready fi chop him up. Anyhow dem did ketch him, a murder," Maas Helton said. But they didn't catch the creature and Miss Eva, who walked up to join Maas Helton, knows why. "Him nuh love noise. Di creature only come out a night time. My cousin see it down by Miss Mama garden. Anyhow him hear noise, him dig off," she said. Miss Eva is a strapping woman who had a bunch of clothes pegs attached to the bottom of her blouse. She said she was washing clothes at the back of her house when she heard us talking about the beast. "People say dem afraid since the beast deh bout. But I not afraid. I not locking up myself inside the house. I must go church and no devil will stop me from go church! Mi nuh fear no foe! Him haffi go nyam mi!" she said adamantly.Maas Helton (centre) describes the mysterious creature to his neighbours.Now most people who live in the community are farmers and are more than a bit agitated that this beast has been running around in their fields and stealing pumpkins and melons. So now the men of Scott Town have devised what they think is an ingenious plan to catch the strange creature. Their plan is to make some giant traps and place them on everyone's property. If that doesn't work, then they plan to all spend the night in the bushes and wait for the first sign of the beast. "We going to use some melon and catch him. Him always a trouble people melon and plantain. We going to put out some melon and wait pon him. We haffi ketch him!" Maas Helton said. By now a crowd had gathered and everyone was talking about how they could possibly catch the beast. I asked Maas Helton what kind of creature he thought it was. "Well mi see it and mi really nuh know. A man tell mi dat it could be a kangaroo. Another man tell mi dat is a duppy. Right yah now mi nuh really certain. All mi know is that any day mi spot it again, mi a go dig off," he said. Miss Jane, an elderly woman wearing a cap, spectacles and a pair of running shoes, walked up to join us. She too had her fair share to say on the matter. "These are the last days! That is why all a dem creature yah leggo pan di earth. God is calling his people! Repent!" she said to nobody in particular. This silenced the others for a few seconds and then Maas Helton spoke up again. "Di creature look like him have relation with the dog dem, for when him come round, the dog dem nuh mek nuh noise. Mi have four big dog and none a dem ever make noise when di creature come around. Is like him hypnotise dem wid him eye dem," he said. The others seemed to agree. Dwayne, Maas Helton's son, chimed in. "Yes! Is like him have some kinda magic. More time him look like him can disappear. Mi nuh know what it is, but it must be evil!" he said. As evening approached in the rural town, everyone scattered, each heading to his own home. It was to be another night of waiting in fear. Waiting for another sign of the Scott Town monster.

Headless Ice Cream Man

An ice cream vendor was killed and his headless body left sitting on the bicycle seat of his cart in Thailand's rebellious Muslim south police said. The vendor, a 45-year-old Buddhist originally from the country's north east, was shot three times in the back of his head while riding his cart into a Muslim village in Pattani, one of the three provinces hit by the violence, police said. "They chopped his head off and walked away with it, leaving his body sitting on the ice cream bike's seat," a Pattani policeman told reporters by telephone. "Under current circumstances, he shouldn't have ventured into such a village," the policeman said.The man was killed just hours before Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont flew to the region where 2,000 people have been killed in a three-year insurgency. A police colonel was also shot in the head by a sniper while a security team was visiting a village Surayud and Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn were to visit, police said. He was seriously wounded and rushed to hospital. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the violence which has seen almost daily gun and bomb attacks in the three predominantly Muslim southern provinces bordering Malaysia. Thailand's military-appointed government has embarked on a peace drive in the Malay-speaking region, an independent sultanate until the Buddhist-dominated Bangkok government annexed it a century ago. But the attacks have continued.

Rabid Vampires Kill 11 Peruvians

Eleven people died of rabies spread by vampire bats over the past one and a half months in Peru's southeast Amazonian region, a health official said. The first four deaths were recorded in mid-December in Puerto Maldonaldo, the capital city of Madre de Dios department, Peruvian media reported, quoting Carlos Contreras, the regional health director. Another six were reported in Lechemayo Chico, a small jungle region in Puno that neighbors Madre de Dios. And then on Thursday a four-year-old child died of the disease, he said.The official said that the victims had all slept in the open air close to mining facilities, which made them an easy target for the bats, adding that the situation was now under control and far from being an emergency, thanks to the swift response from specialists. "Health squads are ready in both Madre de Dios and Puno to detect new cases, study bat behavior and warn the population," he said.

Flying Car Could Be Here By 2010

The flying car is the equivalent of transportation's carrot on a stick. It's a concept that always seems to be 3-5 years down the road. According to an Isreali inventor named Rafi Yoeli, the flying car will actually be here by 2010 in the form of his X-Hawk. The X-Hawk uses a ducted fan design that allows it to have the same manueverability of a helicopter without exposed blades that prevent choppers from hovering near buildings and the like. Yoeli's own company, Urban Aeronautics, is developing the X-Hawk first as a workhorse vehicle that could be used by firefighters, rescue teams, and the military to aid in the recovery of people stranded in hard to reach places.Like a helicopter, the X-Hawk can take off and land vertically, it will be able to fly up to 155 mph, reach an altitude of 12,000 ft and remain in the air for two hours. The size of the X-Hawks rotors, which are powere by four internal combustion engines, will be much smaller than a helicopters, which will make the vehicle quieter but also guzzle 50% more fuel. The X-Hawk only exists as a full-scale mockup right now, but Yoeli expects an unmanned Mule version to fly in 2009. A larger version capable of carrying ten people is also planned. The estimated price for an X-Hawk will make a Veyron owner blush: between $1.5 and $3.5 million, and Yoeli admits those estimates might be low. At this point, we're prepared to pony up whatever cash is necessary to make the most famous example of automotive vaporware a reality.