Prehistoric frilled-shark captured

TERRIFIED? This two-metre long fish known as a frilled-shark — was captured by a group of fishermen near Lakes Entrance in Victoria, Australia.

The fish is a prehistoric shark which has 300 razor sharp teeth also known as the ‘living fossil’. Its origin dates back 80 million years and is only one of two species still alive. It is also believed to be the first time a human has seen the fish alive. Simon Boag, from the South East Trawl Fishing Association (SETFA) said the group of fishermen had not the idea what they had caught.

He said: “It has 300 teeth over 25 rows, so once you’re in that mouth, you’re not coming out.” The shark was captured in waters 700 metres deep, which is unusual because they normally are found at 1,500 metres. It is now believed the shark has been sold.

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RESIDENTS in the Cornish village of Porthlevel, Cornwall woke one morning last week to find all the sand on their beach had disappeared; the entire beach was washed away by a freak high tide, and replaced with jagged rocks covered in seaweed and algae. Luckily, the golden coast returned to the locals the next day just as it was washed away.

An oceanographer from Porthleven, Alan Jorgensen, said he has never seen the level of sand so low in all his years in the village. Experts calculated that nearly a million tonnes of sand were lost off British beaches last year. Estimations were that the sand — which was left languishing offshore in mountainous sandbanks and bars — would take years to return but this phenomenon was surprising.

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FUTURE is really here with this smart bed that can tell parents when their children aren’t getting enough sleep.

This SleepIQ bed by Sleep Number in Minneapolis, the US, provides adults with sleep data via a smart app. The bed made its debut at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. And manufacturers claim it is the only bed in the world that adjusts with children as they grow up.

Sleep is measured by built-in sensors that monitor breathing rate, heart rate and movement. And the bed sends an alert to the app when a child leaves the bed or is restless.

Its firmness can be adjusted and there is also a tilt feature for reading and parents can remotely turn a light off using the app. An automatic light also guides children if they need to get up at night. The bed is available online and in the US from around $1,000 (£659).

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Do you know what a giant tomato looks like? You’ll know now as the world’s biggest tomato that has been launched in the UK.

The plant can grow to six feet and yield as many as 11 tomatoes but it needs to be supported to stop it buckling under the weight of the fruit.

The new variety is the result of almost two decades of research and development by breeders in the UK and the US. Simon Crawford, one of the UK’s leading plant breeders, was called in five years ago to finish the work of late American grower Paul Thomas, who spent 15 years trying to breed a huge tomato which tasted good too.

Mr Thomas passed away before he saw his enormous tomatoes hit the market, but Mr Crawford was able to complete the breeding programme to ensure there would be enough seed to sell commercially. The seeds were launched in the US last year.