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.
A brave cricket takes his chances as he sits on top of this green papua tree frog .
DASHING through the snow, this little stoat is on the lookout for a Christmas feast .
A photographer has transformed women with alopecia into stunning sirens - showing that bald is beautiful .
ROLLING across a 65-metre-high viaduct in the Alps, the red carriages of the Bernina Express add a splash of colour to the spectacular snow-covered Swiss surroundings .
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 .
Sam Notaro built his own flood defences to protect his four-bedroom home in Moorland, Somerset Flooding is likely to get worse around Somerset as groundwater levels continue to rise .
A woman has lost over 13st after beating her addiction to POTATOES .
CREATED over 60 years ago, this weighty machine was the Photoshop of its time .
BALANCING on top of a tree, this bear cub puts her climbing skills to the test .
Armed with a snorkel, flippers and her skimpy bikini, an intrepid female free diver swims alongside an array of reef sharks .
A father-of-one stunned his wife of twenty-five years after revealing his secret love of POLE DANCING .