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New 'Casper' like Octopod discovered

Sticking with the octopus theme this week - scientists have discovered a cute little octopod resembling Casper, the friendly ghost, in the deep sea near Hawaii.

The animal, which is possibly a new species, was discovered by Deep Discoverer, a remotely operated vehicle, or ROV, more than 2 1/2 miles underwater.

Cirrate octopods, which have fins between their arms and little finger-like strands near their suckers, have been reported at depths up to 5,000m. But the octopod encountered by Deep Discoverer was incirrate, like the familiar octopus - and incirrate octopods have never before been detected at depths below 4,000m.

This animal was particularly unusual because it lacked the pigment cells, called chromatophores, typical of most cephalopods, and it did not seem very muscular, resulting in a ghostlike appearance, leading to a comment on social media that it should be called Casper, like the friendly cartoon ghost.

Original story here.

World's first Pastafarian wedding takes place

The world’s first Pastafarian wedding between a British groom and New Zealand ride has been held aboard a pirate ship in New Zealand.

Pastafarians belong to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (CFSM), which the New Zealand government approved to conduct legal marriages in 2015. The church believes a god made of spaghetti and meatballs is just as likely as other gods. According to its website, its only dogma is ‘the rejection of dogma’.

British man Toby Ricketts and New Zealander Marianna Fenn have been together for four years. Although they never considered marrying before, when the first Pastafarian marriage celebrant was sanctioned by the country’s government they decided the chance to hold a humorous and original wedding was too good to pass up.

The bride and groom wore head-to-toe pirate regalia, and guests donned eye-patches, pirate hats and feathers for the ceremony which took place over the weekend. Fenn also wore a colander on her head – the official headdress of the church.

During the ceremony, Ricketts and Fenn exchanged rings made of pasta, and in his vows Ricketts promised to always add salt while boiling spaghetti.

The total cost of the wedding was NZ$3,000 (£1,460), and the couple supplied the wedding feast – 15kg of tomatoes from their garden, vegetarian meatballs, and plenty of pasta and bread.

The couple are the first to be married by CFSM marriage celebrant Karen Martyn who said she has at least a dozen more weddings lined up this year.

Original story here: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/18/worlds-first-pastafarian-wedding-takes-place-in-new-zealand

Inky the Octopus makes a great escape

An octopus has escaped from the national aquarium in New Zealand by breaking out of its tank, slithering down a 50-metre drainpipe and into the sea.

Inky (pictured left) – a common New Zealand octopus – made his dash for freedom in the middle of the night after the lid of his tank was accidentally left slightly ajar.

One theory is that Inky slid across the aquarium floor – a journey of three or four metres – and then, sensing freedom was close, slipped into  the 50m drainpipe that lead directly to the sea on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island.

Another possible escape route could have involved Inky squeezing into an open pipe at the top of his tank, which led under the floor to the drain.

Inky was brought to the national aquarium a number of years ago by a local fisherman who found him caught in a crayfish pot. He was in a bad way - scarred and ‘rough looking’, with shortened limbs.

Although the aquarium is not actively searching for a replacement for Inky, if a fisherman brought in another octopus it might be willing to take it on.

“You never know,” said Rob Yarrell, national manager of the National Aquarium of New Zealand in Napier. “There’s always a chance Inky could come home to us.”

Octopuses are known for being escape artists. Because they have no bones they are able to fit into extremely small spaces and have been filmed squeezing through gaps the size of coins. They are also understood to be extremely intelligent and capable of using tools.

At the Island Bay marine education centre in Wellington, an octopus was found to be in the habit of visiting another tank overnight to steal crabs, then returning to its own.

Read the original story here: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/13/the-great-escape-inky-the-octopus-legs-it-to-freedom-from-new-zealand-aquarium

90-year-old beach belle Irene goes viral

Ninety-year-old Irene Carney from Australia has gone viral as she shows that you can rock a bikini at any age.

Encouraged by her friends and the carers at her nursing home to buy a bikini to wear on her cruise holiday, the great grandmother bought a trendy little retro polka dot number from a shop called Lady Watego in Byron Bay.

While enjoying her cruise holiday she posed for a snapshot and sent it to the shop. The assistants were so impressed with the way she nailed the look, they shared it on their Facebook page which has since gone viral, being shared over 863 times and attracting hundreds of comments from people praising Irene’s body confidence.

“Bloody hell…she looks better then me in a bikini and I’m almost half her age!! You ROCK Irene you beautiful woman!!” one woman wrote.

“I’m nearly 40 and have never EVER Had my photo taken in a cozzi, let alone a 2-piece. She is beautiful and proud. Love it,” added another.

Others commented how refreshing it was to see a ‘real’ woman flying the flag for body positivity.

“This is a real picture of a beautiful lady. No photoshopping. More realism in the world please then people would not have as many body issues,” one supporter wrote.

“Loving the attitude of this lady. A great example of loving yourself for who you are. You rock it and are an inspiration to many.”

Students get to hug a pooch and de-stress

This year students at Manchester Metropolitan University are fighting exam stress by petting puppies and dogs in a new collaboration with the Guide Dog Association.

By making a £3.50 donation to the charity, students can spend 15 minutes in a room full of puppies and dogs to cuddle to their hearts content, while they learn all about the inspiring work of the Guide Dog Association. While the students get a lesson in de-stressing, the dogs also benefit from socialising practise - an essential part of their guide dog training.

During a time when university stress levels are a nationwide concern, the university hopes that this initiative will relax students and help them to focus and concentrate on their exams.

At the session, which takes place on 27^th August, the dogs available to cuddle will range from puppies in training, working guide dogs and retired pooches.

Original story here.