A lorry driver has been taken to court for smoking in his cab, even though he claims it was a device to help him quit. The offending gadget is said to have been a Gamucci Micro Cigarette, which is an electronic device designed to help smokers beat their cravings. However, driver Chris Minihan is being taken to court by an official, even after protesting his innocence.

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:12:32

A woman in Australia has been found after being trapped next to her toilet for a week. The 67-year-old woman was wedged by an inward opening door as well as a sink and the toilet and spent a full seven days unable to escape. She is said to have been in a very dehydrated state when she was found by a neighbour who heard her screaming for help.

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:38:14

The age old adage that humans learn more from their mistakes is wrong. That is according to a new study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which found that brain cells are more likely to learn after success than failure. In the test, monkeys were given a simple task of looking at two images on a computer screen, for one picture the correct response was to look right, for another to look left.

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:09:26

An animal believed to be a big cat has been caught on camera near a naval base in Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire in Scotland. Footage of the feline creature was taken by military policeman Chris Swallow on his mobile phone after he saw the animal crossing railway lines. At first Mr Swallow, who is a trained dog handler, believed he was looking at a Labrador but upon closer inspection discovered that the animal did not appear to be domestic.

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 10:08:09

Scientists in the US claim to have solved the mystery of tooth worms. Worm-like structures that are evident on a microscopic level inside teeth have long baffled the scientific community. However, researchers from the University of Maryland Dental School have made a breakthrough regarding the strange tubular shapes.

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:01:14

A fully-functioning artificial recreation of the human brain will be produced in the next ten years, a scientist has claimed. Speaking at the TED Global conference in Oxford, Henry Markram, director of the Blue Brain Project, told the audience that he is developing a working model of the brain, focusing on the neo-cortex. He said: "It is not impossible to build a human brain and we can do it in ten years."

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 12:11:16

A man and woman who met on Facebook and share the same name are due to get married. Kelly Hildebrandt, 20, from Florida typed her own name into the social networking site last year because she was bored - and found her future husband. The second Kelly Hildebrandt, 24, of Lubbock, Texas "thought she was pretty cute" and the pair began to chat regularly.

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:59:58

A television believed to be the oldest working set in Britain has been found. The Marconiphone black-and-white 702, which pre-dates World War Two was found in Barnet, London, after a competition was run by Digital UK and Iain Logie Baird. It dates back to 1936, which was the first year of television reception in Britain, and has a 12-inch screen.

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:05:10

South Korean customs claims to have employed the services of six genetically duplicated sniffer dogs, a world's first according to the agency. The labrador retrievers, which are clones of just one animal, are now said to be hard at work finding illegal drugs at the Incheon International Airport in Seoul. Spokesman for customs at the airport Jeong-Heon told AFP news agency: "They are the world's first cloned sniffer dogs deployed at work.

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:14:06

A young female prison warden claims that she was forced to leave her position because she was too attractive. Amitjo Kajla, 22, believes that she was discriminated against because of her appearance while working at Brinsford Prison in the Midlands and is now attempting to win compensation at a tribunal for constructive unfair dismissal. It was said during the hearing that Ms Kajla's provocative dress style put her at threat from inmates who may have wanted to attack the warden.

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 12:14:20