A mother who nursed her premature baby back from the dead has been describing how she refused to give up even though doctors had told her he would not survive. Kate Ogg gave birth to twins in a hospital in Sydney, Australia. They were delivered at 27 weeks, weighing just 2lb, and though Mrs Ogg’s little girl Emily was healthy, her brother Jamie was not breathing. After battling to save him for 20 minutes, medical staff told her he had not survived. “The doctor asked me had we chosen a name for our son,” said Mrs Ogg. “I said ‘Jamie’ and he turned around with...

An 81-year-old grandad has been put under house arrest by his family after a bizarre accident turned him into a sex addict. Widower Angelo de Luca was in a coma for four days after falling out of a plum tree in his garden. But when he came round he was nookie mad and blew s3,000 in one brothel session alone with a young hooker called Leona. Angelo, from Biasca, Switzerland, said: “Since my wife died a year ago, Leona’s been there for me and given me new life.” Read more…

Is it possible for newborn babies to learn while they’re asleep? Surprisingly, a new study says yes! Researchers at Columbia University studied infant’s brain activity while they were sleeping and videotaped their facial movements. For some of the infants they played a tone while a machine blew a puff of air on their eyelids. They repeated the tone and air puff pairing several times and then played the tone without blowing air. They found the infants still scrunched their face as though they were reacting to the air puff. Experts think the ability to learn during sleep decreases with...

By ALEX WEST A GIRL fighting for life when both her kidneys failed is now doing well after astonished doctors found she had “grown” two healthy spares. Angel Burton, eight, was crippled by painful infections that threatened to destroy the vital organs. But when surgeons operated, Angel turned out to have a condition called duplex kidneys – effectively giving her four instead of the usual two. And her extra pair had started working normally – curing her problem. Happy Mum Claire Burton, 32, of Louth, Lincs, said: “It’s absolutely amazing. “Now you’d...

By Lucy Laing When Erin John was born weighing just a pound, her parents steeled themselves for the worst. The baby and her identical twin were delivered prematurely to save the life of their mother, Kylee, who had developed a potentially fatal condition. Doctors feared neither girl would survive, but then Erin sent out a message of hope – by curling her tiny hand around her mother’s finger and giving it a squeeze. Mrs John, 26, said: ‘It was a remarkable moment. My husband Steven captured it on camera. It was as though she was holding on to me, telling me she wasn’t going...

A 62-year-old woman is providing new insights into how the human brain works after becoming the first person to be diagnosed with a condition that leaves her unable to recognise voices. By Richard Gray, Science Correspondent The successful British businesswoman, who is normal in every other way, is the first known case of someone being born with developmental phonagnosia, which leaves her unable to recognise even the voices of her own family. Her condition is so profound that she often avoids using the telephone and struggles to identify people speaking on the radio. Neuroscientists have now performed...

A 13-year-old Croatian girl who fell into a coma woke up speaking fluent German. The girl, from the southern town of Knin, had only just started studying German at school and had been reading German books and watching German TV to become better, but was by no means fluent, according to her parents. Since waking up from her 24 hourcoma however, she has been unable to speak Croatian, but is able to communicate perfectly in German. Doctors at Split’s KB Hospital claim that the case is so unusual, various experts have examined the girl as they try to find out what triggered the change. Read More…

“Near death? It’s a gas”, exclaimed a headline in the Daily Express. The newspaper said a study has shown that near-death experiences, “such as seeing life flash before one’s eyes” or “intense feelings of joy and peace”, may be linked to levels of carbon dioxide (CO2). According to the Daily Mail, the researchers believe that CO2 may alter the chemical balance of the brain and trick it into seeing lights, tunnels or dead people. This news story is based on a small observational study of the near-death experiences of people who had survived a heart attack. Read More…

A MULTIPLE sclerosis victim has seen a dramatic improvement in her condition – after being stung by 1500 bees. Sami Chugg is using Bee Venom Therapy (BVT) to fight her symptoms. The treatment involves holding a bee in a pair of tweezers and deliberately stinging an area of skin. Experts believe the venom in the sting stimulates the body to fight back. Sami was stung at least 1500 times over 18 months. And she claims the therapy has made her mobile again. She said: “When I started the BVT, I couldn’t get out of bed or get out of my room. It was really grim. “Most people would...

By Andrew Levy Playing together in a park, Claire Blair and her three daughters seem no different to any other happy family enjoying an early glimpse of spring. But behind their apparently carefree smiles lies an inspiring story of devotion, determination and survival. For shortly after the birth of her youngest child, Claire was told she had only two weeks to live. Read More…