A VIRGIN CROCODILE gives BIRTH? Breastfed babies are BRAINIER? Sharks don't want to EAT US? You'll never believe these strange stories from the past week...

A virgin crocodile made herself pregnant at a zoo in Costa Rica this week?

Sharks actually hate the taste of humans?

And why breast is best for babies.

These are just some of the BIZARRE stories from the past week...

A virgin crocodile made herself pregnant at a zoo in Costa Rica this week? Sharks actually hate the taste of humans? And why breast is best for babies. These are just some of the BIZARRE stories from the past week...

Beetroot juice slashes the risk of suffering a heart attack. A new study has found that drinking just 70ml of the vegetable juice per day halved the danger of heart attacks and other complications in angina patients with a stent in just six months. According to the experts, the purple drink contains nitrates that help dilate blood vessels and improve blood flow. Dr. Krishnaraj Rathod, from Queen Mary University of London, said: "Our patients liked that their treatment was a completely natural product that has no significant side effects. "We will take this to the next stage of trials in the hope doctors can soon prescribe beetroot juice to ensure stents last longer."

Yoga can reduce the risk of cancer. Doctors have been told to prescribe yoga classes to survivors of the disease to reduce their chances of suffering a relapse. Attendees at a global cancer conference were told that a US study found that taking two yoga classes per week significantly cut inflammation in patients who had recovered from cancer. The trials also linked daily 30-minute walks and exercise classes to a lower risk of cancer returning and dying from the disease. Karen Mustian, lead researcher at the University of Rochester in New York, said: "The basic take-home story is that inflammatory chemicals were lowered by the yoga. "This shows that if you choose to do yoga you are going to lower inflammation much more than just educational, peer-support classes."

Breastfed children perform better in school exams. An Oxford study has concluded that children who are breastfed are twice as likely to go on and achieve top grades in their GCSE exams. Researchers analysed the data from nearly 5,000 pupils in England born between 2000 and 2002 and found that performance in GCSEs, taken at the age of 16, increased incrementally the longer the children's mothers had breastfed them. The study's authors have theorised that the nutrients in breast milk boost brain development. The connection between breastfeeding and high grades remained even when experts took other factors such as socio-economic background into account. Renee Pereyra-Ellis, lead author of the research from the Nuffield Department of Population Health, said: "Breastfeeding should continue to be encouraged, when possible, as potential improvements in academic achievement constitute only one of its potential benefits."

Sleeping pills increase the chance of an early death. People who took drugs in a bid to get some shuteye had a 55 per cent higher risk of passing away early compared to those who get to sleep naturally - even if they were asleep for the same amount of time. Life expectancy was shorter by 5.3 years in men and 5.7 years in women and the danger was more than double in sleeping pill users that spend over eight hours slumbering. Yu Sun, who led the study for National Taiwan University, said: "Our results are staggering to say the least. "Many people rely on sleeping pills to help them sleep, so it's a shock to find that taking them may more than double your mortality risk."

Deadly heart attacks are more likely to happen on a Monday. Studies of health service records have revealed that the likelihood of a heart attack happening is 13 per cent higher at the start of the working week. Experts believe that it is probably due to increased stress as working life resumes after the relaxation of the weekend. Doctors at the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust assessed data from more than 10,000 patients in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland who had been admitted to hospital between 2013 and 2018 with the most serious type of heart attack and found that cases spiked on a Monday.

Sharks often ignore humans swimming past them and are not interested in us as a food source A study conducted on great whites has found that the predators came within biting distance of human beings on 97 per cent of surveyed days in the Pacific Ocean but did not attack at all. Patrick Rex, who led the study for California State University Long Beach, said: "The juveniles were often observed within 50 yards of where the waves break, putting surfers in close proximity. "Most of the time water users didn't know the sharks were there."

Scientists thought they had found aliens after hearing mysterious beeps - only to discover that it was actually a microwave. Boffins in Australia were excited when they picked up what they thought were messages from deep space before realising that it was just the kitchen device pinging. The microwave mix-up was revealed by astrophysicist David Spergel at a meeting of a panel of experts assembled by NASA to analyse UFO sightings in Florida. He said: "People couldn't figure out what was going on. "What had happened was that the people in the observatory would heat up their lunch in the microwave. It produced a burst of radio signals that was picked up by sensitive detectors."

A virgin crocodile got herself pregnant. The reptile had been kept in captivity in a Costa Rica zoo from the age of two and had no contact with males. Zookeepers found 14 eggs and one shell contained a fully-formed foetus. The foetus was 99.9 per cent genetically identical to the mother, confirming that it did not have a father. It marks the first recorded instance of a "virgin birth" in the reptile species although they have previously been documented in birds, lizards and fish. Researchers from Virginia Tech university suggest that virgin births could have been happening in crocodiles without anybody realising. The experts said: "It is not uncommon for captive reptiles to lay clutches of eggs, given the period of isolation from mates, these would normally be considered non-viable and discarded. "These findings therefore suggest that eggs should be assessed for potential viability when males are absent. "Furthermore, given that (virgin births) can occur in the presence of potential mates, instances of this may be missed when reproduction occurs in females co-habited with males."

A scientist who spent 93 days living underwater now feels 10 years younger. Dr. Joseph Dituri locked himself in a pod in the depths of a Florida lagoon and claims to have 10 times more stem cells and lower cholesterol now he has concluded his experiment. Dr. Dituri - who has been nicknamed Dr. Deep Sea - said: "I'm not trying to claim this is gonna make you immortal. We know that hyperbaric pressure increases stem cell proliferation. "It increases telomere length, it also increases collagen - and collagen is the building block of every cell in your body."

Sex obsessives want the act to be recognised as an official sport. An Olympic-style tournament is to be held which involves participants romping for up to six hours a day in 16 different disciplines. Adult performer Barbie Sins, from London, is representing Britain at the six-week sex event that is now underway in Gothenburg, Sweden. She will compete against representatives from Romania, Greece, Finland, Spain, Croatia, Portugal, Italy, France, Slovenia and Ukraine for the top prize. Competitors will be judged by five experts and will receive points based on communication, endurance, chemistry and sex education.

Originally published on celebretainment.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.

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