WEIRD STUFF: Testicle tanning has taken off

Testicle tanning has taken off

Men are tanning their testicles in a bid to become more macho. The practice, which is also known as red-light therapy, involves blasting the private parts with light to boost testosterone levels.

Testicle tanning has taken off recently after it was promoted by US news presenter Tucker Carlson in a trailer for the documentary, The End of Men -- a film about the dip in male testosterone production.

It is believed that the bizarre therapy is growing in demand, with some claiming that it strengthens blood vessels and improves blood flow.

However, doctors are unimpressed with the tanning of the testicles -- a concept that first emerged with the study of five men in 1939.

Dr Asif Muneer, a consultant urological surgeon and andrologist, said: "What is testicle tanning? There is no scientific evidence that this has any benefit."

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People with square faces get ahead

A study has found that people with wider faces, such as Hollywood star Brad Pitt, are more likely to achieve wealth and status.

Square faces are said to make men and women look more aggressive and threatening at key stages of their life. In men, this occurs at the age of around 27 to 33 - when they are looking to attract a partner -- and is seen in women from the age of 34 to 64, just as they are reaching the peak of their careers.

The results are based on an analysis of 17,000 passport photos that were rated for aggressiveness.

Study author David White, from the University of New South Wales in Australia, said: "The impressions we form from others' faces can have important implications -- but how we behave, and our personality, can quickly change people's minds."

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Pet rats play video game

A scientist has taught his pet rats how to play a video game.

Viktor Toth conducted the experiment and concluded that the rodents are good decision-makers and can be just as smart as humans while playing the shooting game, 'Doom'.

The rodents -- named Carmack, Romero, and Tom, after the game's creators -- were able to independently navigate themselves through a series of mazes, open doors and even shoot monsters.

Toth, a neuroscientist from Budapest, Hungary, said: "Rats can be taught very complex tasks and I wanted to teach them to move in the right direction of the game without me interfering.

"To train them, the rats got rewarded with sugary water when they turned in the right direction.

"I put them on a moving ball which allowed them to play the game in first-person character - it took a lot of effort to teach them how to run on this, but we got there in the end."

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Under-qualified co-pilot flies passenger plane

A flight to New York had to turn back as the co-pilot wasn't fully qualified.

The Virgin Atlantic flight from Heathrow to the Big Apple was 40 minutes into the journey on Monday when the first officer told his captain that he had yet to complete his final flying test.

Angry passengers were then delayed for three hours after the plane returned to the UK and staff scrambled to find an experienced replacement.

Virgin Atlantic has apologised for the error and says it was caused by a roster mistake.

A source told The Sun newspaper: "You could have cut the tension in the cockpit with a knife.

"The plane got as far as Ireland and then they found out the first officer was still in training. The skipper had no choice but to go back to Heathrow and find a more experienced member of the crew.

"It was embarrassing for everyone and the passengers were furious."

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