A range of sweets have gone on sale that come in wrappers which grow into flowers if dropped on the floor.The packaging for the chocolates by Marks & Spencer has been impregnated with seeds which grow into Candytuft plants if left on the ground.
Known as Iberis umbellata Rose Cardinal, to the more green-fingered reader, the flowers are popular for their ability to attract British butterflies.
Unfortunately, while the seeds will develop into the pink, white, red or purple flowers within weeks... they will not reproduce the chocolates.
Continue reading and comment >>Sweet wrapper grows into flowers if dropped.
Researchers say they have found a "treasure trove" of previously undiscovered species in the forests of Ecuador.A recent expedition uncovered dozens of new animals including tiny geckos, a slug-sucking snake and 30 species of rain frog.
Other creatures found in Cerro Pata de Pájaro - a small mountain sitting right atop the Equator - were a glass frog with a transparent chest and lungless salamanders.
Experts say the cloud forest on the site is only a couple miles wide, yet houses at least 14 of the 30 new species known nowhere else on Earth.
However, researchers warn the area is under threat from ecological disturbances and the creatures could become extinct before we ever find them - which after looking at these, would be a shame.
Continue reading and comment >>Scientists discover new species in Ecuador.
A bull escaped from a rodeo in the US and proceeded to charge around the car park sending visitors fleeing for cover.
The bull, named Hard Ball, had ripped through gates near the Reliant Stadium in Houston before escaping into a nearby car park.
Visitors, who were there to watch the Jonas Brothers perform, scrambled to get away as police used their tasers in a bid to stop it.
But the tasers had little impact - other than to make the bull even more angry - and cowboys who were due to perform, were duly called in.
They soon managed to use their ropes to capture the rampaging beast… and drumm up a few extra audience members with their performance.
The bull, named Hard Ball, had ripped through gates near the Reliant Stadium in Houston before escaping into a nearby car park.
Visitors, who were there to watch the Jonas Brothers perform, scrambled to get away as police used their tasers in a bid to stop it.
But the tasers had little impact - other than to make the bull even more angry - and cowboys who were due to perform, were duly called in.
They soon managed to use their ropes to capture the rampaging beast… and drumm up a few extra audience members with their performance.
Continue reading and comment >>Escaped rodeo bull goes on rampage (Video).
Students would perform better in exams if they spent time looking at the letter A, it has been claimed.And bizarrely, psychologists say exposure to the letter F can even make a student more likely to fail a test.
A study at the University of Missouri looked at the impact of looking at the letters on 130 students. Each of them were sat in front of a test labelled A or F before completing it.
The average score for those who had looked at the A was 11/12 while those who had looked at the F only scored 9/12.
It's thought the inherent implications of an 'A' or 'F' are enough to influence motivational state and performance… say the experts who now write a big A at the top of everything they do.
Continue reading and comment >>Seeing the letter A pre-exam can improve results.
The Shambles, a famous cobbled lane in York has been named as the most picturesque street in Britain.Lined with 15th Century buildings The Shambles took the title in the Google Street View Awards for being uniquely British and visually charming.
A panel of experts had created a shortlist which were then voted on by 11,000 people which were viewable on Google Street View.
Stockbridge High Street in Hampshire was voted the best foodie street and Milson Street in Bath won the award of best fashion street in the poll.
Continue reading and comment >>Shambles is Britain's most picturesque street.
One in ten women fake an orgasm almost every single time they have sex, a new study has found.Researchers found that a whopping 48 per cent of British women have faked it in bed, with nine per cent admitting they do it most of the time, or even every time they have sex.
Seven per cent have even dumped their other half because they didn't satisfy them in bed, but just one in ten of those told them the real reason for the break-up.
Exeter was found to be the city where women are most likely to have faked an orgasm (57 percent) followed by Brighton (56 percent) and Belfast (57 percent).
Women in Oxford fake their orgasms least with only 35 percent owning up to having done it. In other odd news a surprisingly high number of women from Exeter are planing weekend breaks in Oxford.
Continue reading and comment >>One-in-ten women regularly fake an orgasm.
A pair of "captured sprits" which were put up for sale online after being exorcised from a New Zealand house, have been sold for £1,300.The seller - who advertised them on the TradeMe auction website - said her house had been haunted for several years until an exorcism was recently performed.
She claims this trapped the spirits in two glass vials where they were kept thanks to stoppers dipped in holy water.
The auction attracted more than 214,000 page views and dozens of bids which reached £1,300.
It's not known what the winning bidder plans to do with the bottled spirits but suggestions have ranged from, releasing them or returning them to their families, to drinking them.
Continue reading and comment >>Bottled 'ghosts' sold for £1,300 online.
A gang of armed raiders stole £250,000 from a German poker tournament -- as it was being broadcast on live TV.
The raid happened at the £4m European Poker Tour, which was being held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Berlin, and broadcast live around the world.
As several games were taking place, the men - armed with machine guns, grenades and machetes - stormed into the hotel yelling "Don't move, we have bombs."
Footage shows players and hotel guests diving for cover as TV producers can be heard telling staff to cut away from the dramatic action.
Which is a shame… because this could have been the first time poker on TV was actually interesting.
The raid happened at the £4m European Poker Tour, which was being held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Berlin, and broadcast live around the world.
As several games were taking place, the men - armed with machine guns, grenades and machetes - stormed into the hotel yelling "Don't move, we have bombs."
Footage shows players and hotel guests diving for cover as TV producers can be heard telling staff to cut away from the dramatic action.
Which is a shame… because this could have been the first time poker on TV was actually interesting.
Continue reading and comment >>Armed raiders hit £4m poker contest... on live TV.
Sci-fi movie District 9 has the dubious honour of being named the Oscar nominee which has been illegally-downloaded most. The Neill Blomkamp flick was torrented more than 12.6 million times according to filesharing blog TorrentFreak which looked at all Oscar nominees.
Avatar came second with 11.3 million illegal downloads followed by The Hurt Locker, 7.9 million and UP which was shared 5.4 million times.
A spokesperson for TorrentFreak has pointed out that some of the moved have been available for download for longer than others which could skew the result.
However we don't think that will come as much consolation for James Cameron who sees that his movies will downloaded 11 million times and he didn't even win.
Continue reading and comment >>District 9 'wins' most torrented Oscar title.
A man has scooped a 'prestigious' shell blowing title, by playing a tune on a conch shell.More than 40 people entered the 48th annual Key West Conch Shell Blowing Contest, where they were judged on novelty, duration and loudness.
But it was Clinton Curry who took the title with his rendition of Aram Khachaturian's "Sabre Dance" on a pink-lined conch shell.
The conch shell has been blown in the Florida Keys for over 200 years and was originally used as a signalling device by seafaring settlers.
Judges said they were shell-shocked by the calibre of the competitors this year… but they do say that every year.
Continue reading and comment >>Man wins conch shell blowing title (Video).

