Scientists believe they may have found the strongest natural material known to man, one that could be copied to make the cars, boats and planes of the future – the teeth of the humble limpet.
Researchers at the University of Portsmouth examined the mechanics of limpet teeth by pulling them apart, down to the level of the atom.
The study, published in the Royal Society journal Interface, found that the teeth of the snail-like creatures, common to shorelines and rock pools around the world, were potentially stronger than what was previously thought to be the strongest biological material, the silk of a spider.
Scientists believe the structure could be reproduced in high-performance engineering, such as racing cars and in boat hulls.
Personality revealed from tweets
A tool has been created to analyse the hidden personality traits of frequent Twitter users.
The first psychoanalysis of the micro-blogging site aims to discover what the subconscious mind is thinking when posts are made. The tool, created by television psychotherapist Dr Sandra Scott and wine brand Apothic, analyses a user’s most recent 3,500 tweets.
According to a study using the tool, the majority of the UK’s Twitter users (72 per cent) have a dark side – with “passionate” being the most common personality trait, followed by “materialistic” and “egoist”. Twitter users can analyse their tweets by using the algorithm tool at www.apothic.co.uk.
Real-life drama on EastEnders set
There was real-life drama in Albert Square after a fire broke out on the EastEnders set.
The blaze, in one of the houses on the set at Elstree Studios, is believed to have been started accidentally by a firework and will not affect this week’s 30th anniversary celebrations, which include a live episode on Friday and the unmasking of Lucy Beale’s murderer.
Fire crews from Borehamwood and Potters Bar fought the blaze in the first floor and roof of a building on the square. A spokeswoman for the show said: “There was a very small fire on set on Tuesday night after rehearsals had finished. It has not affected any EE Live week plans and nobody was harmed.”
Houdini the dog is finally captured
Snow in the US town of Troy, New Hampshire, was so deep that residents were finally able to capture a black Labrador retriever which had been on the run for three years.
The female had been spotted regularly, but nobody could get close enough to catch her. But hampered by the deep snow, the dog could not get away.
A local resident has been keeping the dog, nicknamed Houdini, in his heated garage. Rescue organisation Granite State Dog Recovery is asking for the public's help in finding the dog’s owner.