weird stuff

World's tallest man meets shortest woman

The world's tallest man and shortest woman have been reunited in California.

Sultan Kosen, who stands at eight feet three inches tall, met with his fellow Guinness World Record holder Jyoti Amge, who is just over two feet tall, earlier this week as the difference in stature was laid bare.

One of Kosen's feet is 14.3 inches and measures more than half of Amge's height.

The pair had previously met up in Cairo back in 2018, when they visited the Pyramids of Giza together.

Kosen, from Turkey, became the world's tallest living man in 2009, but grew normally until he was 10 -- when a tumour caused him to develop a medical condition called pituitary gigantism that led to a massive growth spurt.

Indian actress Amge's height is caused by a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia -- meaning that she will never grow beyond a certain stature -- and she became the world's shortest living female when she turned 18 in 2011.

Vegetables cut the risk of snoring

Research has revealed that adopting a largely vegetarian diet can reduce the chance of developing obstructive sleep apnoea -- the medical condition that causes heavy snoring.

Experts studied data from 14,120 people taking part in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, who provided information about what they ate in a day.

Those on diets high in junk food, such as burgers and chocolate bars, were up to 22 per cent more likely to suffer from heavy snoring.

Dr Yohannes Melaku, author of the study at Flinders University in Australia, explained: "Risk factors for obstructive sleep apnoea may stem from genetics or behaviour, including diet. Previous research has primarily focused on the impact of calorie restriction, specific dietary elements and weight loss.

"There's a gap in our knowledge of how overall dietary patterns affect obstructive sleep apnoea risk. With this study, we wanted to address that gap and explore the association between different types of plant-based diets and the risk of obstructive sleep apnoea."

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Smartphones could be toxic for the body

A study has found that being bombarded by blue-spectrum light throughout the day disrupts the body's regular functions and puts blood sugar levels out of balance.

Scientists at University College London say that the "red-starved" modern environment could be a public health "time bomb" that causes diabetes and shortens lives.

Professor Glen Jeffery said: "Sunlight has a balance between red and blue, but we now live in a world where blue light is dominant.

"Although we do not see it, LED lights are dominant in blue and have almost no red in them. Long-term exposure to blue light is potentially toxic," he said.

"Blue light on its own impacts badly on physiology and can drive disrupted blood sugars that may, in the long run, contribute to diabetes and undermine health spans.

"This can partly be corrected by spending more time in sunlight."