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.
STRETCHING his little legs in the air, a smiley leaf-tailed gecko breaks free from his old, scaly skin .
THIS RING of fire in the sky is the annular solar eclipse that wowed our cousins down-under .
Kevin Silva, 52 from Indiana in the USA, has spent an estimated £65K ($100K) on Batman trinkets over the years, and even keeps his 2,500-item haul in his very own basement 'Bat Cave' .
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A young otter wades through a lake with his eyes set on an older rival’s fish .
NOT YOUR everyday selfie, this plucky diver poses with some of the scariest predators in the ocean .
MASKED intruders look sinister but really they are a gang of urban exploring pranksters .
AN American accountant has grown the world's biggest MELON and smashed his way into the record books with his mammoth 350 .
At least three people have been killed and more than 100 injured, some seriously, in two explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon .
A kingfisher’s bright blue and orange feathers glisten in the sunlight as the bird dives into a lake .
Pouncing down on top of his twin brother, these two snow leopard cubs practice their kung-fu moves .