A deadly black widow spider which hitched a 5,000-mile transatlantic ride in a Volkswagen camper van is now secure behind alarmed glass.
The female spider was discovered when the camper van’s British owners took it for a tune-up after importing the vehicle from California, said wildlife experts. A mechanic spotted the spider’s distinctive markings while jet-washing the van’s underside at a garage in Strensham near Worcester.
It had gone undiscovered for 11 months, while the camper van had been kept in storage. The eight-legged creature, with its black body and bright red hourglass markings on its abdomen, has a highly venomous bite which can in rare cases kill.
Fishy idea for improving shampoo
Prawns could be a key ingredient in shampoos and washing powders in the future.
Scientists at Glyndwr University believe that molecules found in the crustaceans’ shells can be extracted and used instead of synthetic polymers to make personal and home care products. Polymers are added to a range of industrial formulations – such as cosmetics and paints – to control their thickness and extend their shelf-life.
But Glyndwr University researchers say natural polymers are more environmentally-friendly than synthetic ones because they are not made from petro-chemicals. They are concluding a £1 million two-year research project and are hopeful of a breakthrough.
Dinosaur foot found on beach
A dinosaur foot found by chance on a Welsh beach could be from the earliest known ancestor of Tyrannosaurus rex.
Palaeontology student Sam Davies’s academic career got an unexpected leg-up when he made the discovery while searching for fossils on Lavernock Beach, near Penarth, South Wales.
Sam, in his third year at the University of Portsmouth, said: “It was pure luck that I found it. It was just sitting on top of a slab of rock. It was obvious the fossil was fingers or toes, because there were three in a row, but the first thing that came to mind was that it was some sort of plesiosaur.”
Double celebration for couple
A US couple improvised a hospital wedding in less than an hour after the bride went into labour early.
Stephanie Tallent was eight months pregnant and having an ultrasound when she went into labour at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women in Houston.
Her fiance Jason Nese got the couple’s marriage licence from his car, along with a white sun dress Tallent meant to send to the cleaners. A chaplain was called and a party of doctors, nurses and clinic staff rounded up for the wedding. After the ceremony, Tallent was prepared for a caesarean section and daughter Sophia arrived a few hours later at 6lbs 3oz.
Saloon shooting in Tombstone
A man who shot several rounds from a fake gun outside a saloon in the historic Arizona town of Tombstone faces charges including disorderly conduct.
Tombstone marshal John Houston said the man was in the Dragoon Saloon when he got into a fight with his girlfriend. He broke a pool cue, then went outside, pulled out a prop 9mm pistol and began firing into the air. His friends confronted him, not knowing the gun was fake, and the man stormed off.
Mr Houston said deputy marshals, Cochise County sheriff’s deputies and federal border patrol agents tracked down and arrested the man. Authorities say 30-year-old Monte Ross, of Tombstone, has been booked into jail on suspicion of aggravated assault and being an ex-convict in possession of a weapon.