Pacific Barreleye - Weird Fish With Transparent Head

The Pacific Barreleye fish gets its name from large eyes that are exactly shaped like barrels, topped with beautiful green lenses. Also known as the Macropinna microstoma, its head is entirely transparent, filled with fluid. This unique creature lives at depths of around 2000 to 2,600 ft. The Pacific Barreleye’s see-through head may seem weird, but it has a very clear purpose – to help it see better in the dark waters that it inhabits.

The Barreleye’s eyes have been found to be extremely sensitive, snapping up any stream of light available. Unlike most other fish, both the eyes are in the front of the head and point in the same direction, which gives it astonishing binocular vision. So the Barreleye is able to spot faint objects that other fish cannot, making it a feared predator. It’s particularly fascinating, how it searches for prey. It starts off by staying still, eyes pointed upward in search of prey. Sometimes the eyes are rotated to face forwards, or the eyes are still and the body is rotated so that the mouth is pointing in the same direction as the eyes. When tiny silhouettes of prey are spotted, the Barreleye moves in just the same direction to catch them. Its flat, horizontal fins help it to swim very precisely. This method is so effectual that it is sometimes able to even snatch food away from the stinging tentacles of other deep sea creatures. Its mouth is really tiny so that’s of great help as well, and the transparent shield makes it immune to stings.

The Pacific Barreleye was discovered in 1939, but it hasn’t been spotted alive since 2004 off California’s central coast by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MABRI). Its biological system seemingly has flaws; it is said to be rather sensitive to pressure. When fished up, it’s head would shatter somewhere along the way and only mangled specimens would come up in the nets. MABRI was effective in finding the only such fish with its soft dome intact, measuring about 6 inches in length.

Read More

Chinese Artist Honored By Guinness World Record For The World's Longest and Most Detailed Wood Carving

A Chinese artist has won a place in the Guinness Book of Records after creating the world's longest wooden carving. Zheng Chunhui, a famous wood carver, spent four years making the artwork which is over 40ft long and made from a single tree trunk. The scene is essentially a copy of the famous Chinese painting 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival' which was created over 1,000 years ago.

Though it has been replicated many times, Chunhui's version, which is made from a single piece of tree trunk, is surely the most spectacular. The complicated work features boats, bridges, building and even 550 individually carved people. The piece measures 12.286 meters long, is 3.075 meters tall at it highest point, and is also 2.401 meters wide. The original painting, referred to as the 'Chinese Mona Lisa' because of its fame, was finished during the Song Dynasty by artist Zhang Zeduan.

The work was awarded the world record on Thursday last week as part of Guinness World Records Day, set up to honor the day the book of records became the best-selling copyright book. Other records broken on the same day included the most hula hoops spun simultaneously, which was broken in the UK, by the ‘Marawa's Majorettes’ dance group, who spun 264 hula hoops between them.

Read More

Photographer Angelo Merendino Poignantly Chronicles Wife's Breast Cancer Battle In photos

The first time photographer Angelo Merendino met Jennifer, he knew she was the one. They fell in love and got married in New York’s Central Park, surrounded by family, friends, and loved ones.

Five months later Jen was analyzed with breast cancer. From Angelo’s blog: “I remember the meticulous moment…Jen’s voice and the numb feeling that enveloped me. That feeling has never left. I’ll also never forget how we looked into each other’s eyes and held each other’s hands. ‘We are together, we’ll be ok.’”

 Throughout her battle, Angelo decided to photograph it. He wanted to humanize the face of cancer on the face of his wife. The photos speak for themselves.

Read More

Introducing Ukraine’s Newest Real-Life Doll - Alina Kovaleskaya

 

It’s official, Ukraine is the land of real-life Barbie dolls. After the now-famous Valeria Lukyanova and Anastasiya Shpagina, it’s now time for another Ukrainian real-life doll to take center stage – meet 20-year-old Alina Kovaleskaya.

Hailing from Odessa, the same city as the above mentioned internet stars, Alina Kovaleskaya has managed to attract a decent online following after uploading a series of photos of herself in doll form. That means laying on several layers of makeup, particularly around the eyes, to make them look abnormally large and posing as a lifeless toy. It’s now a well-known recipe used by all of the seven (yes, seven) human barbie dolls in Odessa who all use the same tricks, hold photo-shoots at the same locations around the city and sometimes even appear in each other’s photos. Although accused of being yet another clone of the internationally-famous Valeria Lukyanova, Alina, however, claims to be different from all other Barbie followers. She says she resembles the popular doll naturally, with her big eyes; small nose and small plump her lips. And yet it’s clear she uses tons of makeup to enhance her features, just like every other human doll we’ve ever features, from KotaKoti to Vanilla Chamu. Although no self-respecting barbie wannabe would ever admit to it, there are some who accuse her of also using photo manipulation software like Photoshop.

Read More

Miss Venezuela Gabriela Isler Crowned Miss Universe 2013

A 25-year-old Venezuelan television presenter, Gabriela Isler, was crowned Miss Universe in Moscow in a scintillating ceremony on Saturday.

Judges, including rock star Steven Tyler from Aerosmith, picked the winner from a total of 86 contestants at the show, watched by millions of viewers around the world.

Last year's winner Olivia Culpo of the United States placed a diamond crown on the head of Isler, who wore a silver rhine-stone speckled evening dress.

Isler's triumph was the seventh Miss Universe win for Venezuela, where beauty pageants are a major source of national pride.

After the show, she beamed and waved to journalists, wearing the Miss Universe sash and standing next to the show's owner, US tycoon Donald Trump.

 "I feel a lot of emotions," she said."I'm still in shock. I feel so blessed, so happy to be here." "It's been a lot of fun and a great success," said Trump.

Watch the crowning moment of  Miss Venezuela Gabriela Isler

Read More