Liew Thow Lin: the real-life Magnetic Man

Liew Thow Lin is known as the "Magnetic Man" of Malaysia, because of his incredible ability to stick metal objects to his body.After a deep medical study, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) lecturer Nasrul Humaimi Mahmood said this ability was probably associated with "suction properties in his skin." Professor Dr. Mohamed Amin Alias, from UTM's electrical engineering faculty in Johor, agreed.After seeing Liew perform, the professor did research on the matter, and decided, "His skin has a special suction effect that can help metal stick to it." "These powers are not an illusion," he said, "That is why his two sons and two grandchildren also...

Read more »

Stelarc - Third Ear (implants inside his arm)

Stelarc (born Stelios Arcadiou on June 19, 1946 in Limassol, Cyprus to Greek Cypriot parents) is an Australian performance artist whose works focus heavily on futurism and extending the capabilities of the human body.As such, most of his pieces are centered around his concept that the human body is obsolete. Until 2007 he held the position of Principal Research Fellow in the Performance Arts Digital Research Unit at Nottingham Trent University in Nottingham, England. He has two daughters, one of whom (Astra Stelarc), has continued in his footsteps as an artist.Stelarc found a medical doctor willing to implant a cell-cultivated ear beneath the...

Read more »

Chewing Gum Sculptures

Italian artist Maurizio Savini has distinguished himself by using a very unusual material for his sculptures: pink chewing gum. Here are some of his wor...

Read more »

How many dead bodies are up on Mount Everest?

Today's useless fact - How many dead bodies are up on Mount Everest?Mount Everest is both the highest mountain and the highest graveyard in the world. As of 2002, 175 climbers had died on the mountain, and the vast majority of these bodies were left behind. There are reported to be at least 41 bodies on the north side of Everest.Some people simply run out of gas on the trail and freeze to death in place. Others are consumed by avalanches. And, as veteran mountaineer David Breashears points out, removing dead bodies from this elevation is an enormous task.Breashears describes how it took a team of 12 people eight hours to move the body of one...

Read more »

Snatched from the jaws of death: Zoo rescues cubs after confused polar bear mother EATS her two babies

The giant polar bear looks like a mother tenderly caring for her newborn.As Vera emerges from her den at Nuremberg Zoo, she carries her tiny cub - believed to weigh less than 8lb - by the scruff of its neck.But rather than a loving encounter this was, in fact, the final scene from an extraordinary drama involving primeval nature, a controversial zoo experiment and a tragic outcome. Moments later, Vera began violently swinging the cub round her head. When she dumped it in the den, keepers moved in to rescue the cub.An attempt to force the bears to raise their cubs as nature intended has already led to two others being eaten by their confused mother,...

Read more »

London's Tower Bridge out of 1.6million matches

Michael Williams spent 10 painstaking years designing and building a famous London landmark...out of matchsticks.The 41-year-old road layer from Shoebury in Essex created a complete replica of London's Tower Bridge out of 1.6million matches.He spent every evening after work lovingly crafting the 6ft-long structure which twinkles with 156 working lights. But Mr Williams nearly saw his masterpiece go up in smoke when the intricate model began smouldering."My brother said he saw smoke coming out of it and I looked across, switched it off and decided to rip all the lights out," he said."I've had to plan how to do this properly because I don't want...

Read more »

Rare Prehistoric Shark In Japan

A rare prehistoric shark was discovered by local residents in Shizuoka, southwest of Tokyo. The huge eel-like creature, considered to be a living fossil, was taken to Japan’s Awashima Marine Park and placed in a seawater pool. But the new environment was fatal and, only just a few hours after it was moved, the unusual shark di...

Read more »

6 Most unusual roads in the World

Toronto, Canada - the longest road.Castletown, England - the narrowest street.Buenos Aires, Argentina - the widest road.Dunedin, New Zealand - the most abrupt road.Svindon, England - the most complicated/tangled junction.San Francisco, USA - The most curved ro...

Read more »