Record Breakers

[faceless]

Tiny teenager from India is smallest girl in the world
7th April 2008

A teenager from India who stands at a tiny 1ft 11in (58cm) tall is the smallest girl in the world. Jyoti Amge, 14, is shorter than the average two-year-old child and only weighs 11lb (5kg). She has a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia and won't grow any taller than her current height.

Due to her size, Jyoti has to have clothes and jewellery made for her. She sleeps in a tiny bed and uses special plates and cutlery to eat, as normal-sized utensils are too big. Despite this, she goes to a regular school in Nagpur, central India, where she has her own small desk and chair, and her classmates treat her like any other student.

Jyoti also shares common interests with other teenagers, with a love for DVDs and fashionable dresses. She said: 'I am proud of being small. I love all the attention I get. I'm not scared of being small and I don't regret it. I'm just the same as other people. I eat like you, dream like you. I don't feel any different.'

Jyoti is treated like a mini-celebrity in her home town, where people flock to meet her and some even treat her like a goddess. She will even be releasing an album with her favourite Indian pop star, the bhangra/rap star Mika Singh.

Her mum, Ranjana Amge, 45, said: 'When Jyoti was born, she seemed quite normal. We came to know about her disorder when she was five. We consulted a specialist and he said she will be this size all of her life. Jyoti is small, yet cute, and we love her very much.'

Jyoti is ambitious and hopes to work as a Bollywood actress one day. She said: 'I would love to work in a big city like Mumbai, act in films and travel to London and America. I'm proud of being small. I love all the attention I get because of it.'

Her dad, Kishanji Amge, 52, said: 'I can't separate myself from her even for a single day. I love her very much. She makes me proud. Lots of gurus come to see and bless her. They pray for her happiness and long life.'

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[faceless]

The world's oldest tree that took root 10,000 years ago
KEITH MURRAY
18th April 2008

The world's oldest tree has been found - 9,550 years after taking root. The spruce began growing in central Sweden shortly after the Ice Age and is still going strong. Researchers carbon-dated genetic material to suggest it hails from 7,542BC. Previously, scientists believed the earth's oldest trees were 4,000 to 5,000-year-old pine trees found in North America.

A team led by Professor Leif Kullmann, of Umea University, found around 20 spruces which are over 8,000 years old. The trunk of the mother tree would survive for around 600 years but the spruces were able to grow a series of new ones. Prof Kullmann said: "It was a big surprise because we thought until now that this kind of spruce grew much later in those regions.” The Swedish spruce's genetic material age was calculated using carbon dating at a laboratory in Miami, Florida.

Spruces, which according to Kullmann offer rich insight into climate change, had long been regarded as relatively newcomers in the Swedish mountain region. The discovery of the ancient tree had therefore led to "a big change in our way of thinking," he said. Prof Kullman and colleagues found a cluster of around 20 spruces that are over 8,000 years old. The visible portion of the spruce was comparatively new, but analysis of four "generations" of remains - cones and wood - found underneath its crown showed its root system had been growing for 9,550 years.

Prof Kullmann believes that the ancient humans who lived there may have imported the tree as the glaciers receded 10,000 years ago. “Man immigrated close to the receding ice front. We have also found fossil acorns in this area, and people may have taken them with them as they moved over the landscape.”

The summers 9,500 years ago were warmer than today, though there has been a rapid recent rise as a result of climate change that means modern climate is rapidly catching up. The tree probably survived as a result of several factors: the generally cold and dry climate, few forest fires and relatively few humans. Now the nature conservancy authorities are considering putting a fence around the record breaking tree to protect it from trophy hunters.

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Pity about the quality of the image, but I'm sure better ones will be available before long.

[eefanincan]

Amazing that they can trace it back that many years!

[Bat]

It's all wrong, WRONG I tell you. Trees have only themselves to blame - I should know, I used to be a Robot.

[faceless]

David Blaine to hold his breath for nearly 17 minutes
30th April 2008

Magician David Blaine is planning to break a world record live on TV today by holding his breath for nearly 17 minutes. Blaine said he was ready to repeat his bid to break the breath-holding record on The Oprah Winfrey Show less than two years after going into convulsions during a similar attempt. The time he has to beat is 16 minutes and 32 seconds, a record set on February 10 this year by Switzerland's Peter Colat, according to Guinness World Records.

Blaine said it would be a challenge to break a record requiring him to remain still and calm in a bustling live studio audience, but the crowds might help him through. "When you commit to it and there's people watching, you kind of have to stick to it. You can't back out, you can't fade away and you can't cheat," he said. "If I was doing it alone, I'd probably be off sneaking out of the box in London or grabbing some food," he said.

Blaine, 35, will be attempting his latest stunt in a water-filled sphere, dubbed a "human aquarium" by his team, that's 8ft across. He'll try to remain perfectly still, relax and lower his heart rate to minimize oxygen consumption. But before he enters the sphere, he plans to spend about 23 minutes breathing pure oxygen through a mask to saturate his blood with oxygen and flush out carbon dioxide.

Up to 30 minutes of so-called "oxygen hyperventilation" is allowed under Guinness Book of Records guidelines. In May 2006, as a finale to a week spent in an aquarium with an oxygen mask, Blaine tried to break the existing eight-minute 58-second record for breath-holding without breathing pure oxygen beforehand. But he had to be rescued shortly after seven minutes when he fell unconscious and started having convulsions.

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It's hardly entertainment and to be honest I'll only be interested if he fails!

[Griffo]

Eventhough i find him a bit of a nutter, i have to admit that's pretty impressive. I can only last about a minute holding my breath, if that!

But i guess that "oxygen hyperventilation" has a large effect on this.

[faceless]

I'm not sure if this is a world-record but it's certainly impressive! In fact, it probably makes him one of the world's best skivers... haha

[faceless]

The world's tallest Lego tower
6th May 2008

Visitors to Legoland Windsor yesterday helped set a new world record for the tallest tower made of Lego bricks. Thousands of children and their families helped put the final bricks in place to complete the monster structure, which stands nearly 100ft tall. The tower is designed to resemble a Viking longboat mast to mark the opening of the new Land of the Vikings at the Berkshire theme park.

Positioned at the park's main entrance, it is made up of almost half a million Lego bricks and celebrates 50 years of the popular children's toy. The record for the tallest Lego tower was just over 96ft which was set in Toronto in August 2007.

The park's special events manager, Penny Jenkins, said: "We are thrilled to bring the World Record to Legoland Windsor after four days of hard work, not to mention nearly 500,000 bricks, and it now stands at nearly 100ft. It has been a great way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Lego bricks."

The record attempt is awaiting official verification by Guinness World Records.

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[Bat]

I've got a record for you's - the only bus driver in the last couple of years who has stood up for not taking shite from wanker, so called passengers who think they can get away with anything they want. FUCK 'em.

[faceless]

I once rolled a 6ft joint... ah those wacky student days... haha

[Aja]

haha takes me back to my Jamaica days

As A matter of fact ..heres a friend of a friend in Negril Jamaica a couple of months ago .....Getting ready to make a record

[nekokate]

I thought this was pretty cool. The world record for changing into different dresses, I assume!

[faceless]

that is pretty impressive - the way she seems to get so much thinner in just 80 seconds is amazing! haha There was an act like this on Britain's Got Talent last week, but it wasn't a patch on this pair.

[Griffo]

Wow that's impressive indeed. At least she'd never be late on a date because of getting ready

[faceless]

Behold the Flatmobile that does 100mph (with help from a jet engine)
21st May 2008

Should this sleek black car flash past you, you could be forgiven for wondering if Batman is out fighting crime. But the car, which is modelled on the Caped Crusader's favourite runaround, is actually the creation of auto buff Perry Watkins.

He created the Flatmobile, which at just 48cm (19in) high is set to claim the record for the world's lowest vehicle. The car has missile tips next to the numberplate and bullet-shaped rear-view mirror. It can even do 100mph when the jet engine is used.

Motoring enthusiast Mr Watkins created the Flatmobile using the bodies of two Hillman Imps and a homemade jet engine. Helpful members of a Yahoo! group showed the 46-year-old how to put together the jet.

Mr Watkins, who has applied for verification from Guinness World Records, was spurred into action after having his title for the world's lowest vehicle snatched away by Andy Saunders in 2006. Mr Saunders had flattened a Fiat to 56cm and called it Flat Out. 'It handles fine but it's only got a six-inch steering wheel so it's a bit stiff,' said Mr Watkins, of Wingrave, Buckinghamshire. 'You've got to be wary of speed bumps. Other drivers look at you instead of the road.'

He claims his vehicle does not break any road traffic regulations, although the low level of its headlights is unlikely to meet night-driving requirements. The Flatmobile is not the first of Mr Watkins's wacky creations. He is also responsible for an MOT-certified Dalek which yells 'Exterminate, exterminate' when the horn is honked. Next up Mr Watkins plans to design a vehicle based on Postman Pat's van.

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