World’s most expensive dog sells for $5.8 million

A dog breeder recently purchased the world’s most expensive canine for 500 million rupees ($5.81 million). Cadabomb Okami, a rare cross between a wolf and a Caucasian Shepherd, was bred in the US and bought by S. Satish, a Bengaluru-based dog enthusiast and president of the Indian Dog Breeders Association.

Okami has a unique appearance and size, already weighing 75kg and standing 30 inches tall at just eight months old. Satish, who has also spent millions on rare dogs, showcases his collection at high-profile events, charging up to $12,000 for appearances.

World’s shortest goat stands at 1 foot, 3 inches

A full-grown goat standing at just 1 foot, 3 inches tall has been dubbed the shortest living goat in the world by Guinness World Records.

Karumbi, a four-year-old female black pygmy goat, belongs to Kerala, India, farmer Peter Lenu, who said he hadn’t considered her diminutive stature could be record-breaking until a guest remarked that his pygmy goats seemed much smaller than the others they had seen. Karumbi, one of 23 goats on Lenu’s farm, is the clear smallest of the bunch. “I take special care to maintain the genetic quality of all the animals I have,” the farmer told Guinness World Records.

Blobfish named 2025 New Zealand fish of the year

New Zealand’ Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust announced the Fish of the Year 2025 competition was won by the blobfish, once voted as the “world’s ugliest animal.”

The blobfish, famous for its unusual appearance once removed from the pressures of deep water, came out nearly 300 votes ahead of the “swimmer-up”.

‘The Fish of the Year’ competition, voted on by members of the public, aims to highlight and promote the conservation of New Zealand’s native underwater species.

Other fish appearing in New Zealand’s top 10 included the longfin eel, tuna, whale shark, big-bellied seahorse, great white shark, lamprey and piharau.

Teen creates AI app to detect heart disease in seconds

Siddharth Nandyala, a 14-year-old from Dallas, has created Circadian AI, an app that detects heart disease within 7 seconds by analysing heart sounds through a smartphone. The world’s youngest AI-certified professional, Nandyala has developed this app using advanced algorithms, achieving a 96% accuracy rate after testing on over 15,000 patients in the US and 700 in India.

The app was tested at the Government General Hospital in Guntur, India, and has been praised for its potential to improve healthcare access in underserved communities. Nandyala, a student at the University of Texas at Dallas, aims to make rapid heart disease diagnoses more accessible and lifesaving.

Published in Dawn, Young World, April 26th, 2025