WEIRD STUFF

CAIRO (AP): Pulling a train by the strength of your teeth is no easy task. But for Egyptian wrestler Ashraf Mahrous, also known by his nickname 'Kabonga', it's just one of several things he can do to show off his astonishing strength.

Mahrous this week received formal recognition by the Guinness World Records in three categories, including the heaviest rail pull using only his teeth. His two other certificates are for the heaviest locomotive pull and for the fastest 100-metre road vehicle pull.

He says he pulled the two-ton locomotive in under 40 seconds.

Last Thursday, crowds gathered at the Ramses train station in downtown Cairo to watch and cheer him on as he pulled a train -- weighing 279 tons -- with a rope held by his teeth for a distance of nearly 10 metres.

He then repeated the feat, pulling the train with the strap around his shoulders to cheering spectators.

Mahrous, who is in his 40s and is president of the Egyptian Federation for Professional Wrestlers, was previously recognised by the international franchise for cracking and eating 11 raw eggs in 30 seconds in February 2024, and for pulling a 15,730-kilogram truck with his teeth in June 2021.

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Married men more likely to be obese

A study of couples in Poland has found that men who have tied the knot are more than three times more likely to be obese than those who haven't said 'I do'.

However, there was no such link for women, regardless of their marital status.

The research did reveal that both sexes tended to be heavier after marriage, as the risk of being overweight increased by 62 per cent in husbands and 39 per cent in wives.

The experts explained that getting older raises the risk of being overweight and suggested possible cultural differences in the attitudes that men and women have towards obesity as another factor.

Dr Alicia Cicha-Mikolajczyk, who led the study for the National Institute of Cardiology in Warsaw, said: "The attitude of society towards women living with obesity is different compared to men -- they are more often stigmatised.

"We assume that women accept life being overweight, but they cannot accept living with obesity, and they are more likely than men to take various actions to lose weight, such as increased physical activity, and even returning to smoking tobacco."

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AI can't tell the time

Research has revealed that some of the world's leading artificial intelligence systems are unable to correctly interpret clock-hand positions or answer questions about calendar dates.

A team at the University of Edinburgh tested numerous clock designs -- including some with Roman numerals and different coloured dials -- and it was revealed that AI systems only got clock-hand positions right less than a quarter of the time.

The AI models were also asked to answer calendar-based questions, such as working out dates from the past and future, but got their calculations wrong a fifth of the time.

Rohit Saxena, from the university's School of Informatics, said: "Most people can tell the time and use calendars from an early age.

"Our findings highlight a significant gap in the ability of AI to carry out what are quite basic skills for people. These shortfalls must be addressed if AI systems are to be successfully integrated into time-sensitive, real-world applications, such as scheduling, automation and assistive technologies."