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.
LIKE A living balloon this baitball of sardines is ready to burst when threatened by a pointy nosed sailfish .
A SPECTRUM of colours fills the sky during this spectacular and natural display of light .
A floating market in Indonesia is bursting with vibrant colours as wooden rowing boats loaded with fruit and vegetables crowd the river .
Blonde teen Jess Stubbs has certainly got girl power - as Britain’s youngest TRUCKER .
It’s a role reversal in the Visayan Sea as HUNDREDS of tiny, glistening eggs are carried around inside the mouth of their cardinalfish father .
A hypnotherapist filmed himself sexually abusing a 19-year-old patient while she was in a trance-like state .
THIS RING of fire in the sky is the annular solar eclipse that wowed our cousins down-under .
FROM motorcycling to department store shopping these spookily faceless people are part of the Chinese-fad for wearing protective solar-visors in public .
WITH A STERN look of determination on their faces, these adorable pooches perfect their doggy paddle as they dive head first into a swimming pool .
SEA LIFE and greenery in one shot show nature at its very best .
An Italian photographer travelled to Chile where he visited several star-gazing sites, home to some of the world's most advanced telescopes, located in the spectacular setting of the Atacama desert .
IN THE not so MISTY MOUNTAINS of Wiltshire, there lies an abandoned hobbit house .