AN Irish woman has become the first adult in the world to receive a revolutionary REMOTE CONTROLLED 'ROBO SPINE', which uses magnets to combat the effects of scoliosis. Deirdre McDonnell, 34, from Drogheda, County Louth, can now stand tall for the first time after undergoing the pioneering MAGEC rod operation. The operation, also known as the magnetic expansion control system, involves the insertion of a magnetic rod that is screwed onto the spine and controlled externally in order to correct the curvature caused by scoliosis. Up until now, the £15K procedure has only been performed on children, as it was thought only to be effective for early onset scoliosis - typically diagnosed before the age of ten.
SWIMMING in unison, millions of silverside fish dwarf the divers .
BREATHING life back into old photographs, these black and white images are transformed by colour .
POPE MOBBED BY THOUSANDS OF WORSHIPPERS IN RIO - Thousands of worshippers gather to celebrate the Papal visit on Copacabana beach, Rio de Janeiro ,Brazil .
STOOD side by side next to a busy road, these buildings were once bustling with life .
WITH THE WIND blowing through their fur, you'll believe a dog can fly in these hilarious images .
EXPERTLY camouflaged, this clever panther chameleon knows how to catch its prey by surprise .
Armed with a snorkel, flippers and her skimpy bikini, an intrepid female free diver swims alongside an array of reef sharks .
A proud stag attempts to impress the females by donning an enormous fern headdress in London's Bushy Park .
A terrified moose, trapped in a frozen lake, bobs her head above the icey water and awaits her rescue .
They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day and for this greedy camel he can't get enough of his morning feed, as he gate crashes his owner's mealtime .
COURAGEOUS CLIMBERS scale frozen waterfalls in Canada, as the ice threatens to collapse beneath them .
Playing, splashing and generally messing around, these polar bears show they certainly have a soft spot for the water, and not just each other .