Dinosaurs struggled with arthritis just like humans

In life, it had a crocodile-like head, a short neck, whale-like body and four powerful flippers to propel it through water in pursuit of prey, reports journal Palaeontology.

Studying the skeleton, believed to be a female, Dr Sassoon soon noticed that it had the signs of a degenerative condition similar to human arthritis, that had eroded its left jaw joint, displacing the lower jaw to one side.

Marks on the bones showed it continued to feed despite the condition, but the jaw weakened and eventually broke, with fatal consequences. read more…

Skydivers ‘fly’ in formation with gliders in daring stunt over Alps

This video captures the moment the five-man Redbull skydive team, moving at speeds of up to 120mph, catch up with the two engineless planes over the Austrian Alps.

In a daring manoeuvre, the skydivers fly alongside the planes close enough to make eye contact with the pilots.

Red Bull Skydive team leader Paul Steiner, who coordinated the stunt involving 11 people and seven aircraft, said: “Normally the idea is to stay as far away as possible from other flying objects. Instead, we headed straight for them. read more…

Banksy Jubilee graffiti springs up overnight on London street

One art blog, Hooked, commented: “With the Queen’s upcoming Diamond Jubilee, the location of this piece and the style and cut of the stencil it is highly likely that it’s the work of Banksy.”

Another, Juxtapoz, said: “It seems that Mr. Banksy is commenting on the fact that the Union Jack you purchase is made by a kid with a really good sense of headwear style. We kid … or we don’t.”

It is not clear whether the location of the work, on the side of shop Poundland, is significant. read more…

Banksy Diamond Jubilee graffiti springs up overnight on London street

One art blog, Hooked, commented: “With the Queen’s upcoming Diamond Jubilee, the location of this piece and the style and cut of the stencil it is highly likely that it’s the work of Banksy.”

Another, Juxtapoz, said: “It seems that Mr. Banksy is commenting on the fact that the Union Jack you purchase is made by a kid with a really good sense of headwear style. We kid … or we don’t.”

It is not clear whether the location of the work, on the side of shop Poundland, is significant. read more…

Pictures of the day: 15 May 2012

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A rainbow is seen in the sky as lightning strikes after a rainstorm in Haikou, Hainan province, ChinaPicture: REUTERS/China Daily

Manchester City 3 Queens Park Rangers 2: match report

Trailing 2-1 to QPR, and with United leading at Sunderland, City fans were beginning to stream out of the ground. One shell-shocked woman stumbled past the press box, looking like she had just climbed from the wreckage of a automobile crash.

Others walked past, shuffling by like mourners at a funeral. A dad led his son out. This was too much heartache for one so young to bear. All hope was gone, they thought.

United seemed destined to be champions again. Why always them?

What happened next will linger long in the memories, hearts and scrapbooks of City fans. read more…

‘Queen’s knickers’ for sale on eBay

The knickers, listed as an “item that has been previously used”, are advertised as being in good condition, despite some yellowing with age.

They have four small pearl-like button and a monogram of the Royal crown, along with two flowers on a stem with leaves, and are hemmed with crocheted lace.

The undergarment, which has a 26 inch waist and is 16 inches long, is advertised on the website as a “once in a lifetime opportunity to acquire and own a piece of collectible Royal memorabilia.”

The listing, which implores shoppers to use the opportunity to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee, also notes: “Since Buckingham Palace or the garment maker have not confirm or deny the authenticity that this pair of underpants are from Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, the estate can’t confirm its provenance and it is the buyer’s responsibility to do that on their own before bidding.”

Somewhat hopefully, it proclaims: “In either case this is an excellent example of a vintage undergarment of that era and very collectable.”

Dobronyi, who lived in America, was a jeweller, sculptor and artist, and has been called “the Hugh Hefner of Miami”. read more…

Egyptian man declared dead but wakes up before funeral

By METRO WEB REPORTER – 12th May, 2012

What should have been a solemn occasion to mark the Egyptian man’s passing rapidly turned into a celebration once everyone got over the shock of him still being alive.

The 28-year-old suffered a heart attack while at work and physicians at a local hospital concluded he had died.

His family took the body back to his home village of Naga al-Simman in the province of Luxor and intended to bury him on Friday evening.

They washed and prepared him for the funeral, but when a local physician arrived to sign the death certificate, she found something strange – the body was still warm. read more…

Rugby player Dan Martin puts on four stone to swim the Atlantic

The “extreme adventurer” has previously cycled more than 34,000 miles in two trips to Cape Town, once from London and once from South Korea. He put on 4st 7lb in less than four years to provide some protection from the Atlantic’s cold temperatures, by eating four regular meals a day topped up with 3,500 calories in energy drinks.

Mr Martin, who is raising money for poor children, will swim for eight hours each day and will have to consume 9,000 daily calories, more than three times a man’s normal recommended daily intake. read more…

Are donkeys really stubborn, asks university conference

The School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London held speaks by experts in their field on ‘donkey, mule and hinny cultures worldwide’ over two days last week.

The lectures included a speak by Ben Hart, of the Donkey Sanctuary, entitled ‘Stubborn donkey or smart ass?’.

In the lecture he said that the ‘evolutionary histories of donkeys and mules’ has led to behaviour which has been ‘misunderstood’ and which ‘contributed to the reputation for being stubborn’. read more…