The weekly weird

Published February 6, 2016

The ultimate holiday photo!

This is called taking holiday photography to new heights, as a teenage thrill-seeker risked his life and imprisonment on a trip to Egypt by scaling the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Although it is illegal to climb the 4,500 year old icon, German tourist Andrej Ciesielski journeyed to Cairo with the express intention of roof topping one of the three mammoth tombs at Giza.

From above, he captured breathtaking images of a hazy desert landscape punctuated by the ancient wonder of the world and said that the photographs were worth the threat of up to three years in prison.

The rules against climbing the monuments have been put in place to protect them from excessive wear and tear and it is an act punishable by up to three years in Egyptian prison. Despite making quick headway, Andrej was eventually caught and taken to a police station for questioning after he climbed down.


A bandage made from crab shells

A team at the University of Bolton has spent 10 years developing the hi-tech alchite dressing and believes it could become a product worth £250 million a year.

The key ingredient is chitosan, a mineral found in crustacean shells, which kills bacteria and speeds up healing.

In ancient China, crabs were smashed open and thrust into wounds to stop them going septic. Prof Mohsen Miraftab’s team is the first to create a fibre strong enough to form a wound dressing.

The dressing is set to be made in China but initially, it will be sold in the UK.

Prof Miraftab said: “Alchite is a composite fibre, combining alginate, which is drawn from algae, and chitosan, found in crustacean shells. Chitosan is naturally antimicrobial and accelerates wound healing activity, so it does heal and kill bacteria.”

Published in Dawn, Young World, February 6th, 2015

Opinion

Editorial

Border clashes
19 May, 2024

Border clashes

THE Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier has witnessed another series of flare-ups, this time in the Kurram tribal district...
Penalising the dutiful
19 May, 2024

Penalising the dutiful

DOES the government feel no remorse in burdening honest citizens with the cost of its own ineptitude? With the ...
Students in Kyrgyzstan
Updated 19 May, 2024

Students in Kyrgyzstan

The govt ought to take a direct approach comprising convincing communication with the students and Kyrgyz authorities.
Ominous demands
Updated 18 May, 2024

Ominous demands

The federal government needs to boost its revenues to reduce future borrowing and pay back its existing debt.
Property leaks
18 May, 2024

Property leaks

THE leaked Dubai property data reported on by media organisations around the world earlier this week seems to have...
Heat warnings
18 May, 2024

Heat warnings

STARTING next week, the country must brace for brutal heatwaves. The NDMA warns of severe conditions with...