In Japan, firefly squid - or hotaru ika, as the locals call them - rise 600 metres (2,000 feet) to the surface of the water and light it up with their electric blue bioluminescence.

This weather-tracking glass sphere can concentrate sunlight up to 10,000 times, and generate electricity even on a cloudy day. According to its researchers, this solar-harvesting device is 35% more efficient than traditional flat panels. It also looks really good.

Researchers have uncovered the mechanism that allows spiders to build such strong webs. According to the study, both ends of the spider's silk grand have different pH levels, which helps these proteins become a solid fibre that can be spun into a solid web. The researchers also found that the pH level has different effects on the stability of the two regions at each end of the spidroin proteins.

“While one of the ends tended to pair up with other molecules at the beginning of the duct (N-terminal) and became increasingly stable as the acidity increased along the duct, the other end (C-terminal) destabilised as the acidity increased, and gradually unfolded until it formed the structure characteristic of silk at the acidic pH of 5.5”, ex ...

The earthquake that struck Chile in 2010 was the sixth largest ever recorded - and made itself felt as far away as Antarctica. After the quake, several Antarctic seismic stations registered "icequakes," probably due to fracturing of the ice as the planet’s crust shook.

Meet this 18-day-old embryo of an African night adder. These snakes might be venomous, but they're surprisingly friendly - in captivity they've been known to crawl on people, trying to tuck themselves into their clothes.

Say hello to the Blackberry Passport. This killer phone sports a huge 4.5 inch 1440x1440 LCD display, massive 3450 mAH battery, and a capacitive touch keyboard. According to its makers, the phone's resolution is perfect for seeing images accurately, and any doctor who wants to look at detailed x-rays on their smartphone couldn’t do any better than the device’s 4.5-inch screen.

These are all real, and perfectly edible. Baby-shaped pears, heart-shaped watermelons and square apples are hitting supermarkets in China and Japan. But are these fruits just frivolous fun? The answer, for the most part, is yes.