WEIRD STUFF

Tiny red house set for moon

A Swedish artist is about to have the dream of a lifetime fulfilled: a little red model house he created will be launched into space this week and, if all goes according to plan, put on the surface of the moon.

The Moonhouse, the size of a big hand, will hitch a ride to the moon on a lunar lander operated by the Japanese company ispace. It's set for takeoff on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral at 1:11 a.m. on Wednesday.

Artist Mikael Genberg says he has been wanting to put his typically Swedish-looking miniature house on the moon for 25 years.

It was "a crazy, maybe idiotic, but at the same time, in my mind, really poetic thought to put a red house with white corners on the surface of the moon", Genberg said in a video posted on Facebook. "And now it's going to happen."

"What's the purpose? It's art," he added.

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Brits spice up spaghetti bolognese

Some food experimenters put coffee and marmite in their spaghetti bolognese. A survey of more than 2,000 UK adults revealed that Brits are becoming creative with their Spag Bol recipes and are ditching traditional ingredients for surprising alternatives.

According to research by Linda McCartney Foods, four per cent decide to splash coffee into their Italian dish, while five per cent choose to dollop some Marmite into it.

Meanwhile, 17 per cent opt for ketchup and 10 per cent select BBQ sauce to give their meaty meal some flavour.

It comes as 230,695,650 portions are set to be consumed across the UK this year, with over 20 million portions being eaten in January alone.

On average, Brits tuck into the dish twice a week, cementing its status as one of the nation's favourite go-to meals -- with Winchester bagging the crown as the 'Spaghetti Bolognese Capital of the UK'.

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Treasure hunter turns PS4 into windfall

A metal detectorist has bagged PS50,000 (J$9.5 million). Paul Collingwood, 73, has been hunting for treasure for years, but it was a PS4 ($762) bet at a Betfred branch in County Durham that helped him strike gold.

He opted for four numbers -- 13, for his birthday, and 19, 30 and 41 that were chosen at random.

After his success on New York Lottery bets, Collingwood splashed the cash on a new car to tour with his friends from the metal detecting club.

He said: "I have had PS8k and PS12k wins before, but PS50k is by far the biggest.

"I've worked hard all my life and if I could I'd be working now; but my mind wants to, but not the body.

"It has been a great start to the new year."

Betfred boss Fred Done added: "It's brilliant that this loyal customer has found his treasure, not on the moorland practising his metal detecting hobby, but at his local Betfred shop.

"And all for just PS4."

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Cancer-detecting toothbrush to hit market

A toothbrush that detects cancer and cavities could replace dentists.

The team behind the u-shaped Feno Smartbrush mouthpiece claims it can get rid of plaque and thoroughly clean teeth in just 20 seconds, thanks to its 18,000 bristles rotating at 250 strokes per tooth.

It uses a scanner, which can also help to keep people updated on their mouth health through reports of cavities, gum disease and signs of oral cancer via an app.

Creator and oral surgeon Dr Kenny Brown said: "It's not replacing the dentist, but it can signal when you may need to pay them a visit.

"The scanner in the mouthpiece can pick up on anything from inflammation to abnormal tongue patterns, so, hopefully, it can help you get potentially serious issues dealt with much sooner."