Wow-Noisy Penis that Sings (world’s loudest animal)

A team of biologists and engineers told the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Glasgow that they had found the 2mm long insect is capable of making a din measuring 99.2 decibels - the same level as a full orchestra playing at its loudest.

That makes the bug, or Micronecta scholtzi, the noisiest animal on the planet relative to its body size,.

The male water boatman generates the sound by rubbing its penis against its abdomen while underwater, as it attempts to attract mates.

Although 99 per cent of the noise is lost as it is transferred from the bottom of the river to the surface, the singing is still loud enough for humans walking on the banks to hear.

Dr James Windmill, of the University of Strathclyde's Centre for Ultrasonic Engineering, said: 'We were very surprised. We first thought that the sound was coming from larger aquatic species. 'When we identified without any doubt the sound source, we spent a lot of time making absolutely sure that our recordings of the sounds were calibrated correctly.

Idea-Cars for sterilization

Health officials in the Indian state of Rajasthan have conceived a controversial idea to help stem the high population growth there. They are offering anyone who undergoes sterilization a chance to win cars, motorbikes, blenders and television sets.

The drive was launched on Friday by Sitaram Sharma, the chief medical officer in Jhunjhunu district.

In an interview with the Indian Express newspaper, Sharma said, “This scheme is only to promote sterilization in the district and we believe this incentive would help.”He said he's hopeful that the chance to win a car might be enough to tempt at least 20,000 men and women to undergo sterilization.

Smart-Pigeons know who's nice, who's nasty

Crows may be able to count, but pigeons never forget a face. That's the conclusion of researchers from the University of Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense. In an experiment that was repeated several times, two researchers of similar build and skin colour but wearing differently coloured lab coats fed wild pigeons in a central Paris park. While one ignored the pigeons and allowed them to feed, the other chased them away.

When the researchers returned and both left the pigeons alone, the birds avoided the one that had initially been hostile. Even when the two swapped lab coats, the pigeons weren't fooled and continued to shun their tormentor.

How-Owner shocked her house is up for sale online (video)

Eat-World's largest hamburger

The burger, which easily surpassed the previous record of 590lbs cooked by barbecue chef Ted Reader in Toronto, Canada, last May, was unveiled at the weekend. It was created by the combined genius of Brett Enright from Juicy's Outlaw Grill in Phoenix and Nick Nicora from local company Ovations Food Services.The burger took 15 hours to cook, having started at 5am in order to have the hefty meal ready for an 8pm sit-down, and was made with just one huge beef patty.Mr Enright said he came up with the idea while on a month off from his job in December.

Record-Couple win wife-carrying race in Finland for third time

The pair was victorious in the novelty race in Sonkajarvi on Sunday, taking the title for the third consecutive year.

No other couple in the 16-year history of the competition has managed to take three successive wife-carrying championships.

The event sees husbands sprint 250 metres, leap hurdles and then cross a water pool in around one minute.

Throughout, each man must carry his 'wife' - competitors do not have to be married - over his shoulders, with her legs wrapped around his neck.

However, their latest victory was hard-earned, with Taisto and Kristiina taking the victory by less than a second.