Giant natural snowballs

A huge collection of giant snowballs — made by nature — have suddenly appeared on the Arctic coast of Siberia. The balls, described as “white cannonballs” by one local newspaper, were discovered on a beach around the remote village of Nyda in the Gulf of Ob, at the mouth of the world’s seventh longest river.

They range in different sizes from the size of a tennis ball to basketballs and the perfect snowman’s head.

Village official Valery Akulov said: “Even old-timers say they are seeing this phenomenon for the first time.”

They may look man-made but the snowballs have been formed by an entirely natural and extremely rare natural phenomenon. The Russian Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) spokesman Sergey Lisenkov said the snowballs form in the waves under certain climatic conditions.

“A combination of the action of the wind, the outlines of coastline, and the temperature, may lead to the formation of such balls,” he said. A similar phenomenon was reported at Lake Michigan two years ago.

A giant 10kg mushroom

A giant puffball mushroom with a 1.5-metre circumference and weight of more than 10kg has been found — and quickly eaten — by a countryside ranger and her colleagues.

Fiona Wishart, a ranger with Falkirk Council, said the 10.6kg (1st 9lbs) fungus was so heavy she had to get help from a colleague to carry it back to their office. After taking photos, they shared it out between 15 people, who took it home to cook.

She said: “It was really exciting as it’s probably the biggest puffball I’ve ever found in my life. It tasted lovely. When you cut it up, it has a texture like marshmallow. It was lucky we found it when we did, as it was in perfect condition.”

The mushroom was found at a site near Polmont. Giant puffballs occur in late summer and autumn, and can be found in nutrient-rich grassy areas. They often grow to about the size of a football, though there have been reports of larger specimens weighing about 20kg.

The largest British specimen ever measured was 1.62 metres (64ins) in circumference, according to the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew website, which says 4kg (8lbs) is about the average weight.

Avatar babies in the market

ASillicone baby doll manufacture Babyclon has created a range of Na’vi babies, all painted in the distinctive blue hue of the humanoid species. These new dolls are frighteningly realistic living dolls inspired by James Cameron’s Avatar movie.

A video posted on the company’s Instagram account shows a bundle of three snoozing blue babies cuddled up together in a blanket. A woman strokes one of the babies’ ears and gently tweaks its tail, demonstrating how extraordinarily lifelike they are. The baby Na’vis come in a range of poses, from sleeping peacefully, crawling and laughing. While undoubtedly an impressive feat of craftmanship, some viewers were slightly weirded out.

Published in Dawn, Young World, November 26th, 2016