DAVID ADAMS writes about the odder side of life…
• While Americans still seem to struggle with the taste of Australian icon Vegemite, at home the salty breakfast spread is apparently about to get a new twist with Cadbury announcing the release in June of a new Vegemite chocolate. While many apparently thought it was a social media hoax, the chocolate maker has assured people it’s no such thing, however scary that might sound. It’s already had an outing on Channel Ten show, The Panel, and the reviews were somewhat mixed. But hey, we’ll give it a go.
• Unearthing the lost treasure of pirate hunter turned pirate Captain Kidd has been the dream of treasure-hunters around the world for years. But it may now be able to become a reality with news that a silver bar has been found off the coast of Madagascar. The 55 kilogram bar was found by divers searching for the remains of Kidd’s ship, the Adventure Gallery, which he ran aground in 1698 off St Marie Island (Kidd was subsequently executed for piracy in London in 1701 after his crew deserted). The archaeologists who found the ingot as part of a joint US-UK expedition reportedly presented to the President of Madagascar, Hery Rajaonarimampianina. Stay tuned for more.
• Catching a falling plane in a spider’s web might sound a little…err…unlikely, but researchers in Italy say it may be possible. They’ve reportedly been spraying orb-weaver spiders with a special carbon nanotube and graphene solution which has caused them to create silk that is 3.5 times stronger than normal. They are hoping that the discovery may lead to the creation of a mass production process which could see the material being used to create giant stretchable nets able to catch aircraft before they crash.
