HADRON HIT?
Atom-smashing scientists are hoping for a hit of a different kind this Christmas.
A group of 20 physicists working on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world's largest particle accelerator, have recorded and released an album, titled Resonance, on their own music label, Neutralino Records, named after a hypothetical sub-atomic particle.
Their musical output covers two CDs and a DVD, and ranges from classical piano pieces to original pop songs.
SUSTAINABLE SEA LIONS
Sea lions at a UK zoo are being fed a new, more environmentally-friendly diet of herring which has been certified as a sustainable catch.
Miranda and Sofus, sea lions at Edinburgh Zoo, have been switched on to fish which are certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) as part of a goal by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland to source all its marine animal food from sustainable sources.
The pair are now being fed MSC-certified Scottish herring and Darren McGarry, animal collection manager for the zoo, said: "Zoo animals can be very picky about what they eat but they've taken to the MSC certified feeds straight away."
REGURGITATED GREETINGS
Most people write the same message every time they send a greetings card, usually just saying "happy birthday" or "have a good day", according to a new report.
A survey of 2,000 adults for the Royal Mail found that many, especially younger people, would send more cards if they could think of something creative to write.
Just half of those questioned said they wrote a personal message in greetings cards, with most admitting they could never think of anything amusing to say.
BULLET POINTS
A Florida car dealer is offering a free AK-47 assault rifle with every pickup truck sold.
Manager Nick Ginetta said that since the deal was announced business has more than doubled.
He has faced some complaints about the deal but added: "My buyer is absolutely a gun owner, no question."
UNHAPPY BIRTHDAY
A new father faces drug charges after he celebrated his child's birth with a marijuana joint at a Pennsylvania hospital.
A nurse smelled the drug when she took a cigarette break in the same area and police were called.
He told them: "I'm having a baby and wanted to get a buzz" then pulled a bag of marijuana from his shoe.
U R NICKED
A woman who robbed a pharmacy in New Hampshire was not hard to find: her name was on the personalised number plate of the getaway car.
It read "B-USHER " and police said it was registered to 43-year-old Bonnie Usher, who was arrested at her home.
They found the stolen money and a ski mask used in the robbery.