Mercyvill

The driving force behind Ireland’s historic decision last week reflects on his joy at the victory, and his reluctance to become the go-to best man for same-sex unions David Norris at the Irish parliament in Dublin following the vote in favour of legalising gay marriage. Photograph: Kim Haughton for the Observer A fter helping to win a globally unique battle for marriage equality last weekend, Senator David Norris was basking in glory at being hailed a key architect of Ireland’s momentous referendum vote to allow same-sex marriages under the constitution. Just days later, he is rueful as he reflects that he is too old and a little bit too choosy to tie the knot at his age.

A  A baby girl born with a facial deformity is being worshipped as god in an Indian village. The deformity looks similar to an elephant's trunk, and doctors are suspecting that it might be because of a rare genetic mutation. The little girl is being regarded as "divine" since her deformity resembles Indian god Ganesha, who had a head like that of an elephant. The people living in and around the Aligarh region of Uttar Pradesh, India, are coming in flocks to catch a glimpse of the girl, considering her as an incarnation of the god.

Our planet has existed for 4.5 billion years, and it has been a busy few eons. Here are the 25 biggest milestones in Earth's history. From leaps forward in evolution to devastating asteroid impacts, these were the turning points that shaped our world. 4.5b years ago Earth is born The 25 Biggest Turning Points in Earth's History Birth of a planet Earth grew from a cloud of dust and rocks surrounding the young Sun. Earth formed when some of these rocks collided. Eventually they were massive enough to attract other rocks with the force of gravity, and vacuumed up all the nearby junk, becoming the Earth. The Moon probably formed soon after, when a planet-sized chunk of rock smashed into the Earth and threw up a huge cloud of debris. This condensed into the Moon. 4-3.5b years ago The origin of life The 25 Biggest Turning Points in Earth's History First organisms Nobody knows exactly when life began....

It's easy to become obsessed with the unsolved mysteries of this Earth. Most people like to think that anything can be figured out or solved... but that's just not true. Take these 7 mysteries, for example. They have been mysteries for decades (if not longer). No matter how many experts have examined the cases, they are still shrouded in mystery. 1.) The Aluminum Wedge of Aiud In 1974, this is a wedge-shaped object found 1.2 miles east of Aiud, Romania. It was discovered on the banks of the Mures River. It was reportedly unearthed 35 feet under sand and alongside two mastodon bones. It looks like the head of a hammer and is made of an alloy of aluminum encased in a thin layer of oxide.

Among all the bizarre maladies which may afflict a human being, the prize for weird comedy must surely be awarded to the broadcaster’s teeth possessed by a housewife of Daytona Beach, Florida. The lady in question agreed to talk to reporters only if her name was withheld; the phenomenon was an acute embarrassment. For the purpose of the price we will call her Mrs Jones(not real name)– but should incredulous readers doubt the account, they may confirm it by consulting the Ottawa Journal of 9 April 1970.