Rare Single-eyed Albino Shark Found By Mexican fishermen.

A shark that only has a single eye and albino skin was found by Mexican fishermen and after photographs of it were shared, many claimed it was a hoax.  A Mexican biologist however, has confirmed that the shark is real.  Caught in the Gulf of California, the endangered dusky shark was removed from its mother’s womb.

Image Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Felipe Galvan-Magana, a Mexican biologist, diagnosed the fish with a rare defect called cyclopia where only one eye develops. This shark can be compared to the famous green celluloid monster, from Monsters Inc., ‘grinning Mike’.

Pisces Fleet Sport fishing published pictures of the one eyed shark in July and since then, rumors that the pictures were as a result of Photoshop and that they are a hoax have risen. According to Felipe Galvan Magana, a shark expert of Mexico’s Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias del Mar, “This is extremely rare. As far as I know, less than 50 examples of an abnormality like this have been recorded.”

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This rare congenital disorder is characterized by failure of the brain’s front portion from dividing the eyes orbits into two cavities properly. It occurs mostly within the spectrum of the face and brain defects known as holoprosencephaly. During severe cases it can result into stillbirth or miscarriage.

Image Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

A kitten was born in 2005 that had one eye and caused a similar stir online. The feline, that was one of two in a litter, was known as Cy-short of Cyclops. Unfortunately, it died within a day.
[Source: www.dailymail.co.uk]

This Woman Has The World’s Largest Hands And They Weigh A Stone And A Half Each

Doctors believe that this woman has the “World’s biggest hands” since each of her arms weighs one and a half stone. Duangjay Samaksamam is a shop owner from Surin province in Thailand.  For over 50 years, she has suffered from a very painful and rare condition  that has her limbs permanently swollen.

Image Source: www.mirror.co.uk

She says that moving is painful for her even when handling simple tasks. “My hands are so heavy I can barely lift them to comb or shampoo my hair, it’s very difficult. Getting dressed is also very difficult and painful,” she says.

Image Source: www.mirror.co.uk

The 59-year-old was embarrassed by her condition and spent her first 20 years as a recluse. She was ashamed of her look and never even went to school. Circumstances forced her to stop hiding so that she could earn a living and take care of her parents. She took over the running of her family’s grocery shop.

Image Source: www.mirror.co.uk

Medics around the world have a keen interest in her and many of them have attempted to reduce the swelling through surgery. None to date however has succeeded.  “Some doctors said the only solution was to cut off my hands if I wished to walk around freely. But I don’t want to do that," she says.

Image Source: www.mirror.co.uk

The name of the condition Duangjay was born with is known as Macrodystrophia Lipomastosa. It causes huge amounts of fat deposits to get distributed across her hands and arms. She has undergone a series of surgeries to help solve the problem but her situation only got worse. After 3 operations, her condition was still crippling.

Image Source: www.mirror.co.uk

Plastic surgeon, Dr Eiju Uchinuma, said “This case is very rare. Both her arms are enlarged. Her arms and hands are enormous so they swell badly, but it could be worse. My diagnosis is that she is the first and only person in the world who has Macrodystrophia Lipomatosa from shoulders to her fingers on both arms. The cause of the disease is unknown and is therefore incurable.” 

Image Source: www.mirror.co.uk

You can watch Duangjay’s story in a new series of Body Bizarre that is set to air at 9pm on TLC, on the 25th of September.
[Source: www.mirror.co.uk]

Man Sets Guinness World Record After Travelling To 201 Countries Without Flying

Graham Hughes from Liverpool is an adventurer who broke the record by visiting 201 countries around the world without the use of a plane.  Dubbed the ‘Odyssey Expedition’, he used buses, trains, taxis and his feet to travel a total of 16,000 miles.  He began his expedition on 1st January 2009 and ended it on 26th November 2012. He did this in exactly 1426 days and spent just $100 every week. Mr. Hughes presents Graham’s World, a TV show on the National Geographic channel. You can find his expeditions on his website The Odyssey Expedition.

Image Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Some of his interesting moments were crossing the open ocean using a leaky boat for four days while on his way to Cape Verde, being jailed for a week while in Congo because they thought he was a spy, being arrested while he tried ‘sneaking into’ Russia and when Jenn, a Filipino lady boy, rescued him from Muslim fundamentalists.

Image Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

His journey was complete when he got to Juba, the now capital of South Sudan. “I love travel, and I guess my reason for doing it was I wanted to see if this could be done, by one person traveling on a shoestring," he told the Christian Science Monitor. "I think I also wanted to show that the world is not some big, scary place, but in fact is full of people who want to help you even if you are a stranger.”

Image source: www.dailymail.co.uk/

Hughes has transversed borders of all the 193 United Nation members plus Vatican City, Western Sahara, Taiwan, Kosovo, Palestine and the four UK home nations. He did this without flying while at the same time filmed his expedition for a documentary and helped raise money for Charity WaterAid. Having done this, he became the first person to achieve the world record from Guinness for the “Most countries visited in one year by scheduled ground transport”.

“The main feeling today is just one of intense gratitude to every person around the world who helped me get here, by giving me a lift, letting me stay on their couch, or pointing me in the right direction,” he added.

Image Source: www.dailymail.co.uk/

Other highlights of his expedition include: making Orangutan friends in Borneo, dancing with Highlanders in Papua New Guinea, a ride through Kenya’s badlands aboard an 18-wheel truck, a meeting with Tuvalu’s Prime Minister and “warning schoolchildren in Afghanistan about the dangers of men with beards”.

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Despite people’s fear of further out countries like Iraq, North Korea and Afghanistan, they were in fact the easy ones for him to get into. However negotiating routes to some tiny islands like Nauru, the Maldives, the middle of the Pacific Ocean and the Seychelles was tough due to pirate threats.
The lowest point in his journey was when Nicole, his sister, died of cancer at the age of 39. Graham broke his expedition to hurry home and see her. "She told me not to stop the trip, but I was at a real low point. I’d done 184 countries and had only 17 to go and I thought why not leave it there?” he added.
Even after finishing his journey, he did not have the intention of boarding a plane. In the spirit of adventure, he traveled by bus and boat through Africa then by ferry back to Liverpool, England in time for Christmas. A travel map of all the countries he visited is also available on TravBuddy.

[Source: www.dailymail.co.uk]

Notorious Prison Now A 5 Star Luxurious Hotel Where Guests Still Sleep In The Cells

Het Arresthuis was previously one of Netherlands feared prisons for a period of almost 150 years. It was not a place anyone wanted to stay. Following its closure and a huge makeover, the hotel is now a hotspot and people are paying lots of money for a night in the cells.

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The former 105 prison quarters have been transformed into 40 spacious and luxurious rooms. They include 12 deluxe rooms, 24 standard rooms and four suites that feature chic interior designs and modern furnishings.

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The rooms have all been equipped with a flat screen TV, air conditioning, free WiFi and a personal tea and coffee machine. 

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If you visit the place, you get to enjoy services like a fitness center, sauna, central patio that has olive trees and a garden of organic herbs.

Guests enjoy themselves at the terrace area. Image Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

The prison also features lots of bars-some you just can’t get past and some where you just sit and have a drink.

One of the bars at the hotel. Image Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Het Arresthuis after opening in 1862 had gained the reputation of being an intimidating jail. It was later abandoned for some years only to reopen in 2002. It was closed permanently in 2007 and construction of the luxurious hotel began.

Het Arresthuis when it was a notorious prison. Image Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

It was also referred to as 'bolletjesbajes' which means stuffer’s prison.

Image Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Other prisons that have been transformed into luxurious hotels include the Oxford prison which, after closing in 1996 it underwent transformation into a Malmaison Hotel. The Jailhotel Lowengraben prison in Lucerne is now a hotel. Built in 1862, this was a prison until 1998 and was later converted into a hotel.

One of the entrances to the hotel. Image Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Guests enjoying dinner. Image Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Image Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Part of the stylish bathrooms. Image Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Prison quarters were converted into spacious rooms. Image Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

The kitchen facility is sparkling! Image Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

One of the cells transformed into a cozy room. Image Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Image Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

The original doors have been kept in place. Image Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Image Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

[Source: www.dailymail.co.uk]

Study Discovered Fecal Bacteria In Soda Dispensing Machines

Reasons not to eat at fast food restaurants keep piling up. A recent study shows that 48% of soda fountains contain caliform bacteria. This bacteria commonly grows in feces. 11% of them also contained E. coli. The study was conducted by microbiologists from Hollins University and the results published in the International Journal of Food Microbiology.

Image Source: www.cnn.com

According to the scientists abstract: “…coliform bacteria was detected in 48% of the beverages and 20% had a heterotrophic plate count greater than 500 cfu/ml. Statistical analyses revealed no difference in levels of microbial contamination between beverage types or between those dispensed from self-service and personnel-dispensed soda fountains. More than 11% of the beverages analyzed contained Escherichia coli and over 17% contained Chryseobacterium meningosepticum. Other opportunistic pathogenic microorganisms isolated from the beverages included species of Klebsiella, Staphylococcus,Stenotrophomonas, Candida, and Serratia. Most of the identified bacteria showed resistance to one or more of the 11 antibiotics tested.”

The soda fountains not only contain bacteria from poop and E.coli in dangerous amounts, they are also resistant to antibiotics.

The Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S requires drinking water to test negative of E. coli. Most of the soda beverages tested from the dispensers were below the U.S drinking standards.  "The large number of beverages and soda fountain dispensers containing E. coli is still of considerable concern... and suggests that more pathogenic strains of bacteria could persist and thrive in soda fountain machines if introduced," said the study authors.

The study’s lead author and biology & Environmental studies professor, Renee Godard, said that, "Certainly we come in contact with bacteria all the time. It's simply that some bacteria may potentially cause some disease or gastrointestinal distress. One thing we hesitate with is that people get afraid of bacteria. Many of them are benign or helpful, but certainly, I don't want E.coli in my beverage."

Godard and her team acquired 90 beverages of diet soda, water and sugar soda from 30 fast food restaurants within a 22 mile area in Roanoke, Southern Virginia. They did the sample tests on both employee-dispensed machines and those that are self-service. During the study, no food-borne outbreaks were reported in the area.

Petri dishes were used to contain the samples taken. According to Godard, within 48 hours, the bacteria had multiplied and could be seen with the naked eye as 300 to 400 tiny dots. They are uncertain of how the bacteria could have gotten inside the dispensing machines but it could be from using an unclean hand to dispense or cleaning the machines using wet rags. Although the ice on the machines could be contaminated, the researchers ruled it out after testing it and finding no coliform bacteria on it.

The bacteria and E.coli found are mostly harmless but could cause urinary tract infections, diarrhea, pneumonia and respiratory illness. The Chryseobacterium meningosepticum could also sicken adults or newborns that have a weak immune system.

The researcher’s findings suggest that “soda fountain machines may harbor persistent communities of potentially pathogenic microorganisms which may contribute to episodic gastric distress in the general population and could pose a more significant health risk to immune compromised individuals. These findings have important public health implications and signal the need for regulations enforcing hygienic practices associated with these beverage dispensers.”

In other words, fast foods may well be serving you bacteria (feces), which are disgusting and they should clean up their act in matters beverage fountains. As a customer, you won’t have to get sick from taking soda if they take necessary precautions.
[Source: www.treehugger.com]

Tourists Spotted A Rare “blonde penguin” During A National Geographic Cruise

Tourists were astonished to see the “blonde penguin” at the edges of one of the South Shetland Islands while on a National Geographic cruise: Journey to Antarctica. The penguin resembles an albino but it appears to have a condition known as isabellinism, according to P. Dee Boersma, a penguin expert.

Image Source: www.news.nationalgeographic.com

According to a study published in 2009 on the journal Marine Ornithology, isabellinism is a genetic mutation condition that dilutes pigment in the feathers of affected penguins. The dark colors of the bird lighten uniformly and turn the animal pale brown or grayish yellow. Isabelline penguins are not albinos.

The terms “Isabellinism" and “leucism” represent separate conditions technically, but sometimes the words are used interchangeably.  Albinism is when an animal does not produce any melanin throughout its entire body while Leucism is a type of mutation that prevents any melanin from being produced in the feathers. Boersma says that many of the penguin species have a few penguins that have this color pattern but they are rare.

Scientists have for example observed most isabellinism cases in Gentoo penguins that can be found in the Antarctic Peninsula. The lowest incidences are with the Magellanic penguins that live on the South American coasts.

While in the ocean, penguins use their black backs to camouflage themselves from predators and prey that swim above. Boersma suspects that isabellinism would affect the survival of the South Shetland penguin although no study has been done on the subject. 
[Source: www.news.nationalgeographic.com]

Life Will Get Easier If You Get Rid Of These 6 Beliefs Today

As children, we don’t have any limiting beliefs. At this point in our lives, everything is possible. We believe in superheroes, Santa Claus and we have big dreams about our future. Then something happens and the world tells us otherwise. By the age of 11 and 12, society has a box shaped that we should fit in. Santa Claus and superheroes are now for kids. Wearing a suit and tie becomes an option and we ditch any superhero outfit we had.

Image Source: www.tinybuddha.com

Culture has drilled these boxes so hard on us such that we often forget to question whether they are real or not. These boxes are the limiting beliefs and just because someone else believes they are a reality, they don’t have to be ours. Here are the 6 limiting beliefs you should change from today: 

1. Am not smart enough
You are. You are smart enough. Someone or something has led you to believe otherwise. It’s true, we all have a certain genetic level of intelligence gifted to us, but that is only a small margin of what our overall intelligence is. Smartness is a product of studying, learning and lot’s of practice on a handful of things, then making sure you become the best you can at them. Being really good at just a few things makes you very valuable to a company or person needing those talents. Don’t kill yourself trying to be a genius, just be the smartest in the room at something. 

2. I am inexperienced
Everyone else is. If you look closely in the world, you will find that the wealthiest entrepreneurs are in their 20’s. They were ambitious and yes, young but they didn’t care if they had experience or not. Jump in with both feet and gain experience because being inexperienced is a blessing. You have the opportunity to approach problems presented with a naïve eye and can get solutions that even the experienced wouldn’t have thought of. Instead of complaining, own your inexperience while knowing that hard work and creativity will make up for what you are lacking in years.

3. It’s too late for me.
Look around you and history will prove you wrong. We have authors who never wrote anything until they were in their 60’s or even later.  We also have some of the most successful entrepreneurs who only tasted success until they were well into their 40’s or later. The only time you should consider it too late, is when six feet under. If that time has not yet come, then it’s not yet late. You need to start now!

4. I can’t be happy until…
If you continue thinking like this, then you will never be happy. Just choose happiness; choose to be happy. Allowing happiness to either depend on a person or object is letting something out of your control dictate your happiness. Take your control back. It’s a choice you have and you should take it. If you do this, you will be happy every day when you wake up, grateful for what you have instead of what you wish you had. Choose happiness today.

5. This is who I am
Yes, it’s who you are this second but what you will be a minute from now, a day, a year, has not been decided yet. We evolve and constantly change depending on: the experiences we go through, our knowledge, our approach to growth and those who surround us. The person you are today is very different from the one you were a year ago or 10 years ago. It’s just like happiness, you can choose to let experiences wash over your life or you can choose to let them shape you and drive you into the next better version of yourself.

6. I’m busy
I’m too busy…. to start my own business…to start working out…to be a parent…to be with a friend. ‘I’m too busy is the most used excuse and people use it as a scapegoat in so many ways. If you still think you are too busy ask yourself this: what time do you wake up? How much time do you spend on social media? How much time do you spend on your TV? How much time do you spend watching your favorite show or going through your favorite website? If you are honest with yourself, you will realize that you are not too busy. It’s just that you haven’t made your dreams a priority in your schedule.

Boxes society nudges us into are invented by someone else. People who have recognized that these boxes are not real, find enormous success, love, incredible happiness, and they appreciate the lives they live. Shatter your boxes and all of a sudden the world will be an open playground, waiting to be explored. These boxes limit our beliefs but they only do so if we believe they are present. You can change that today and you should choose to!
(Source: www.lifehack.org)