The World's Smallest?

The World’s Smallest Hotel

2011-09-05T06:54:00.000-07:00

The World’s Smallest Hotel

As one would expect from an organisation named VisitLondon, there is plenty to do in the UK’s capital city. The only problem is getting round and seeing it all.
In order to give visitors to London the best possible chance to see London’s sights – they had the chance of securing a (or the) bed, in the world’s smallest hotel. The idea let overseas visitors know of the breadth and flexibility of accommodation on offer to visitors to London.
The high-spec mini hotel featured a dedicated concierge, check-in desk, room service, a flat-screen TV, sound system, fridge and dining-room area, double bed, en-suite facilities and all the other little touches you would expect to find in a top London hotel.

Smallest Tree

2011-09-02T06:48:00.000-07:00

Pygmy pine or Mountain rimu

Lepidothamnus laxifolius, commonly known as the Pygmy pine or Mountain rimu, is a species of conifer in the Podocarpaceae family. It is endemic to New Zealand, where it is found on North Island, South Island and Stewart Island.

Distribution

Lepidothamnus laxifolius is a high alpine specialist found in high-altitude bog communities and in scrub, often in association with Halocarpus bidwillii and Podocarpus nivalis. Example locations include Tongariro National Park and Arthur's Pass. On Stewart Island it is found in lowland as well as in montane areas.

Description

It has a scrambling prostrate habit and plants as little as 8 cm in height have been observed in fruit. Branches may be up to 5 mm in diameter and up to 1 metre long. Its fruits are red and fleshy, and borne terminally on the horizontal branches. It is believed to be the smallest conifer in the world and is rarely bigger than a small low-growing shrub.

Taxonomy

The genus Lepidothamnus was once part of Dacrydium in the classification by Bentham and Hooker in 1880. However, current taxonomy separates it as a distinct genus with three species, one endemic to southern Chile and the other two in New Zealand. All three species have a distinctive cone morphology not shared with other podocarps with its erect ovule, as well as the absence of resin ducts in the leaves. These three species also synthesise cupressuflavone as their major biflavenoid – a feature not found in other podocarps. They have narrow, linear spreading juvenile leaves that gradually change into more strongly keeled and appressed scales. Female cones are borne singly and at the ends of branches and each has 3–5 bracts with very elongated bases. Each fertile bracts supports an erect ovule in its axil and this ovule remains erect throughout its development.

WORLD'S SMALLEST PIG

2011-08-25T04:40:00.000-07:00

The pygmy hog (Porcula salvania) is the world’s smallest wild pig standing about 25-30 cm from the ground, and was once common across India, Nepal and Bhutan. However, by the 1960s, this mammal was believed to be extinct.
This pig was previously spread across India, Nepal, and Bhutan but now found only in Assam, India. The current world population is about 150 individuals or fewer. Recent conservation measures have increased the prospect of survival in the wild of this critically endangered species.
A total of 16 pygmy hogs, which is one of the most endangered mammals in the world, would soon be relocated in the grasslands of Sonai Rupai wildlife sanctuary.

The world’s smallest book.

2011-08-23T06:15:00.000-07:00

Nanoscience creates world's smallest book

The best things come in small packages, or so the saying goes – and it is something that one group of scientists thinks holds true for their newest development. The world’s smallest book.

Physicists at the nano imaging laboratory of Simon Fraser University in Canada have created a 0.07mm x 0.10mm book using a focused-gallium-ion beam.

“It is primarily a work of art - we are using it as just a fun project,” said Professor Karen Kavanagh said. “In order to read it, you have to have an electron microscope.”

Kavanagh and her team collaborated with artist Robert Chaplin, to create the microscopic book titled – Teeny Ted from Turnip Town. The book is made up of 30 microtablets, each carved on a polished piece of single crystalline silicon, it even has its own International Standard Book Number.

“The focussed ion beam is like drilling with a beam of sand, but instead of sand, you are using gallium ions and you are removing material. We probably could make it smaller. We could make the letters in the order of 10 nanometres, instead of 40. We could certainly entertain other publishers,” Kavanagh said.
The two current smallest books listed in Guinness World Records are the New Testament of the King James Bible (5 by 5mm, created in 2001) and Chekhov's Chameleon (0.9 by 0.9mm created in 2002).

The tiny work of art is available in signature-edition copies at the not quite so micro price of about £10,000.

The world's smallest cat

2011-08-19T04:41:00.000-07:00

Mr Peebles, the world’s smallest cat at just 6.1ins tall.

The itty bitty kitty, who weighs 3.3lbs, was born 2½ years ago in Illinois with a genetic defect that stunts growth.
Owner Robin Svendson, 41, named her pet after a ventriloquist’s dummy in an episode of US sitcom Seinfeld.

Fighting spirit ... puss shows that size doesn't matter

Tabby Mr Peebles may be tiny but he’s feline great after being accepted for the Guinness World Records.
He’s the cat’s whiskers to pals Robert the guinea pig and alsatian Gravy.

The World's Smallest Bird

2011-08-15T05:27:00.000-07:00

Bee Hummingbird

Bee Hummingbird

Conservation status

Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Trochiliformes
Family:	Trochilidae
Genus:	Mellisuga
Species:	M. helenae
Binomial name
*Mellisuga helenae* (Lembeye, 1850)

The Bee Hummingbird or Zunzuncito (Mellisuga helenae) is a species of hummingbird that is endemic to Cuba and Isla de la Juventud. With a mass of approximately 1.8 grams (0.063 oz) and a length of 5 centimetres (2.0 in), it is the smallest living bird.

Description

The male has the green pileum and fiery red throat, iridescent gorget with elongated lateral plumes, bluish upper-parts, and the rest of the underparts mostly greyish white. The male is smaller than the female. The female is green above, whitish below with white tips to the outer tail feathers. Compared to other small hummingbirds, which often have a slender appearance, the Bee Hummingbird looks rounded and chunky.
Female bee hummingbirds are bluish green with a pale gray underside. The tips of their tailfeathers have white spots. Breeding males have a reddish to pink head, chin, and throat. The female lays only two eggs at a time.
As the smallest bird in the world, it is no larger than a big insect and, per its name, is scarcely larger than a bee. Like all hummingbirds, it is a swift, strong flier. It also can hover over one spot like a helicopter. The bee hummingbird beats its wings an estimated 80 times per second — so fast that the wings look like a blur to human eyes.
The brilliant, iridescent colors of the bee hummingbird's feathers make the bird seem like a tiny jewel. But the iridescence isn't always noticeable. It depends on the angle at which a person looks at the bird. The bird's slender, pointed bill is adapted for probing deep into flowers. The bee hummingbird feeds mainly on nectar. With a tongue shaped like a long tube, the bird sucks up nectar — and an occasional insect or spider — just as if it were using a drinking straw. In the process of feeding, the bird picks up pollen on its bill and head. When it flies from flower to flower, it transfers the pollen. In this way, it plays an important role in plant reproduction. In the space of one day the bee hummingbird may visit 1,500 flowers.
Using bits of cobwebs, bark, and lichen, the female bee hummingbird builds a cup-shaped nest that is only about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter. Nests have been built on single clothespins. She lines the nest with soft plant fibers. In this nest she lays her eggs, which are no bigger than peas. She alone incubates the eggs and raises the young.

World's Smallest Jet

2011-08-13T11:03:00.000-07:00

Bede BD-5

BD-5

Guinness Record Holder, The World's Smallest Jet, BD-5J N3038V.
Role	Homebuilt
Manufacturer	Bede Aviation
Designed by	Jim Bede
First flight	1971
Introduced	1970s
Status	~150 airworthy, ~30 flying

The BD-5 Micro is a series of small, single-seat homebuilt aircraft created in the late 1960s by US aircraft designer Jim Bede and introduced to the market primarily in "kit" form by the now-defunct Bede Aircraft Corporation in the early 1970s.
The BD-5 has a small, streamlined fuselage holding its semi-reclined pilot under a large canopy, with the engine installed in a compartment in the middle of the fuselage, and a propeller or jet engine in the BD-5J variant, mounted immediately to the rear of the cockpit. The combination of fighter-like looks and relatively low cost led to the BD-5 selling over 5,000 kits or plans, with approximately 12,000 orders being taken for a proposed factory-built FAA certified version. However, few of the kit versions were actually completed due to the company's bankruptcy in the mid-1970s, and none of the factory built "D" models produced, brought on by the failure to deliver a reliable engine for the design.
In total, only a few hundred BD-5 kits were completed, although many of these are still being flown today. The BD-5J version holds the record for the world's lightest jet aircraft, weighing only 358.8 lb (162.7 kg).

The Worlds Smallest Spider

2011-08-11T04:44:00.000-07:00

Patu digua

Patu digua
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Family:	Symphytognathidae
Genus:	Patu
Species:	P. digua
Binomial name
*Patu digua* Forster & Platnick, 1977

Patu digua is by some accounts considered to be the smallest spider in the world, with males reaching a body size of about 0.37 mm. Small as the head of a pin. However, there are other spider species of similar size where only the female is known. Because male spiders are usually smaller than females, one can assume that these are even smaller than those of P. digua. It is endemic to Colombia.

Worlds Smallest Burger, Fries & Soda Meal

2011-08-10T07:30:00.000-07:00

You sure won't stuff yourself with this. But it's realy cool... the smallest burger meal you've ever seen.

Yep, it's real.

... burger contents in close-up.

How they make it: Frozen ground beef, cut with a jigger.

Check out the mini pickles, onions and tomato!

The burger is a little over one inch tall and about an inch wide.

Tiny french fries.

Soda...

...and tray are made out of polymer clay.

It's done. Enjoy!

Smallest Fish

2011-08-09T04:24:00.000-07:00


Paedocypris progenetica, the world's smallest fish on record, is a member of the carp family. The fish has a see-through body and a head that is unprotected by a skeleton.

Scientists have found the smallest known fish in the peat swamps of Sumatra, an island in Indonesia, according to research published in Proceedings B, a journal put out by the UK's Royal Society.

Individuals of the Paedocypris genus—members of the carp family—can be just 7.9mm long at maturity. Paedocypris feed on plankton in pools of extremely acidic water in tropical forest swamps.

Lead researcher, Dr Maurice Kottelat of the National University of Singapore, says the species has "a very rudimentary skull", which leaves the brain exposed. The team also found a related Paedocypris species, P. micromegethes, in Sarawak in Malaysian Borneo.

Kottelat warn that these tiny fish are at great risk of extinction die to the rapid destruction of Indonesian peat swamps for oil palm plantations. According to Dr Susan Page at the University of Leicester, at the current rate of burning, peatlands in Borneo, Sumatra and Papua New Guinea could be destroyed before 2040, releasing a vast amount of carbon into the atmosphere.

The transparent Paedocypris progenetica.

Smallest State

2011-08-08T06:13:00.000-07:00

Vatican City

Vatican City or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano (pronounced [ˈstaːto della t͡ʃitˈta del vatiˈkaːno]), which translates as State of the Vatican City, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of approximately 44 hectares (110 acres), and a population of just over 800.

Vatican City was established in 1929 by the Lateran Treaty, signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Gasparri, on behalf of the Holy See and by Prime Minister Benito Mussolini on behalf of the Kingdom of Italy. Vatican City State is distinct from the Holy See, which dates back to early Christianity and is the main episcopal see of 1.2 billion Latin and Eastern Catholic adherents around the globe. Ordinances of Vatican City are published in Italian; official documents of the Holy See are issued mainly in Latin. The two entities even have distinct passports: the Holy See, not being a country, issues only diplomatic and service passports; Vatican City State issues normal passports. Very few passports are issued by either authority.
The Lateran Treaty in 1929, which brought the city-state into existence, spoke of it as a new creation (Preamble and Article III), not as a vestige of the much larger Papal States (756–1870) that had previously encompassed much of central Italy. Most of this territory was absorbed into the Kingdom of Italy in 1860, and the final portion, namely the city of Rome with Lazio, ten years later, in 1870.
Vatican City is an ecclesiastical or sacerdotal-monarchical state, ruled by the Bishop of Rome—the Pope. The highest state functionaries are all Catholic clergymen of various national origins. It is the sovereign territory of the Holy See (Sancta Sedes) and the location of the Pope's residence, referred to as the Apostolic Palace.
The Popes have generally resided in the area that in 1929 became Vatican City since the return from Avignon in 1377, but have also at times resided in the Quirinal Palace in Rome and elsewhere. Previously, they resided in the Lateran Palace on the Caelian Hill on the far side of Rome from the Vatican. Emperor Constantine gave this site to Pope Miltiades in 313. The signing of the agreements that established the new state took place in the latter building, giving rise to the name of Lateran Pacts, by which they are known.

Meet the world's smallest bodybuilder

2011-08-07T05:47:00.000-07:00

At just 2ft 9in, Indian muscleman Aditya 'Romeo' Dev is the world's smallest bodybuilder.
Pint-sized Romeo is well-known in his hometown of Phagwara, India - for his ability to lift 1.5kg dumbbells - despite his overall 9kg body weight.
Every day, crowds flock to the local gym to the see the mini-muscleman in training.

Mini muscleman: Romeo, pictured with his trainer Ranjeet Pal, weighs just 1 st 6 lbs

Muscle man Romeo shows off his moves in the gym

Unlike many dwarfs, Romeo is well proportioned, with a head circumference of 15in and a chest measurement of 20in.
Romeo said: "I've been training as a bodybuilder for the last two years and by now I think I must be the strongest dwarf in the world.
"I have always been fit but since I started working out, I have become famous for my strength.
"My size has never stopped me. I train with dumbbells and do aerobics and dance. People are always pleased to see me. I have been invited on TV shows and dance on stage."

Howzat: Romeo bats away any doubts about his sporting prowess prompted by his size

His trainer Ranjeet Pal spents hours helping his 19-year-old protege build his small muscles to perfection.
"Because of his small size, I don't assign him hard exercises. But Romeo trains more or less the same as anyone else and he's much more determined.
"When he first started, I insisted he did a month of basic exercises like aerobics, push-ups and basic gymnastics to prepare his body.

Possibly the strongest dwarf in the world: Romeo and his 1.5kg dumbbells

"After that, I made lightweight dumbbells and taught him basic weight-lifting exercises to shape his biceps and triceps. His size and his weight were taken care of so that he never hurt himself."
Determined Romeo is hoping to have an entertainment career after performing in many local TV shows.
He said: "I earn good money through my dance and bodybuilding shows but being rich doesn't interest me.
"My dream is to travel a lot - I want to perform in London with my idol, Jazzy-B."

Big dreamer: Romeo hopes to become a famous star both in India and abroad

Weight lifter: Romeo lifts 1.5kg weights every day

World's smallest engraving on the edge of a razor blade

2011-08-06T12:22:00.000-07:00

The world's smallest engraving by human hand has been completed on the edge of a razor blade.

The Wilkinson’s Sword blade is now available to buy, with a £47,500 price tag

Graham Short etched the motto "Nothing is impossible" which measures just a tenth of a millimetre.

The letters are invisible to the naked eye, and can only be read with a medical microscope at 400 times magnification.

It took Mr Short, 64, around 150 attempts before he was able to complete it.

Engraving at such a level requires almost superhuman effort and dedication to remain completely still.

He was only able to work at night, when traffic vibrations are at a minimum, with his right arm bound to the arm of his chair with a luggage strap to minimise unwanted movement. He uses a stethoscope to monitor his heart, attempting a stroke of the letter only between beats, when his body is perfectly still. He swims 10,000 metres a day and can slow his heart rate to 30 beats a minute.

He worked from midnight to 5.30am most nights of the week, for seven months on his razor blade. On a good night he’d manage three minuscule letters.
The Wilkinson’s Sword blade is now available to buy, with a £47,500 price tag.
Mr Short, a copper and steel engraver by profession, makes the dies used to print the green portcullis on House of Commons headed paper and the letterheads for the royal residences - Sandringham, Balmoral and Windsor Castle.
He is, by his own admission, obsessed with miniature engravings.
He has perfected a technique of etching letters onto microscopic surfaces – including the tip of a screw, the head of a pin and the pointed end of a paperclip. Now he believes he can go no smaller.
“I honestly think this is as small as it’s possible to with the human hand,” said Mr Short. “Since I started engraving in the early 1960s, I’ve always wanted to engrave smaller than anyone else in the world. And now I think I’ve done it.
“It’s a matter of minute amounts of pressure. I admit I’ve become a bit obsessed by it, but I just can’t resist the idea of going smaller and smaller.
“When I finished the razor blade I was absolutely thrilled. I had been almost there so many times and then ruined it with one slip. This was probably the 150th blade, but I must admit I lost count.”
Mr Short, from Birmingham, says that many years of swimming – up to 10,000 metres a day, every day – have boosted his fitness levels and mean his heart rate is just 30 at rest.
He sits still for 90 minutes, breathing slowly before each microscopic engraving session to fully calm his body and then toils between midnight and 5am for five or six nights a week.
He works with a magnifying glass and says the relentless strain on his eyes is beginning to take its toll.
His first major microscopic achievement was engraving The Lord's Prayer, all 278 letters and of it, on the head of a gold pin. He says there are 1,841 separate engraved strokes, each of which must be perfect. He put the 35-word 2nd Amendment of the American Bill of Rights – which gives the right to bear arms – onto the firing pin indentation of a silver bullet.
He inscribed “Birmingham city of a thousand trades” on the tip of a brass screw.
And onto the pointed end of a standard paperclip he managed to fit Shakespeare’s “All the world’s a stage: And all the men and women merely players,” from As You Like It.
And for the World Cup he’s catalogued on a single football stud all the England goal scorers from Wilf Mannion in 1950 to Steven Gerrard.
“Compared to a razor blade that was easy, but there were still 36 names to fit in,” said Mr Short.
Engraving takes up many of his hours, but he says his second wife Luba is right behind him. “Nobody else is mad enough to do it, but she positively encourages me."