Don’t look up: A busy street in the city of Harbin in northern China was the scene of a freak incident in which, luckily, no one was hurt. As pedestrians milled about the sidewalks and cars passed by, a large block of ice suddenly tumbled from the top of a building, striking a luxury SUV which was traveling down the street. The impact caused the ice block to break into hundreds of pieces, enveloping the area in snowy fog. The SUV’s uninjured occupants must have had quite a scare. The vehicle was not quite as lucky; it ended up with a crushed roof and a badly broken windshield.

Zoo attire: Anyone going to visit a zoo in Britain will have watch what they are wearing. Chessington World of Adventures in London, England, has banned animal print clothing, such as zebra or leopard prints, on any of its visitors. Apparently, animals who were in close contact with visitors during an off-road adventure ride called “Zufari: Ride Into Africa” reacted to the printed clothing. Animals became too friendly when people wore a print similar to their own hides and they became frightened if the clothing was similar to one of their predators. So, zebra and leopard prints and the like are off limits for those planning a day at the zoo.

Good dog: When the folks at an animal shelter near Atlanta, Georgia (US) rescued a Staffordshire terrier mix from near death, they didn’t realize they would also be helping a little boy who has autism. Xena the dog weighed only four pounds and was very malnourished, but with loving care, she regained her health and was adopted by the Hickey family. Little Jonny Hickey, who was once terribly shy, is now an outgoing boy, and his mother, Linda, credits the influence of Xena. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was so impressed with Xena that they gave her a “Dog of the Year” award for her efforts.

Turtle robot: Sea turtles are flexible movers. With four flippers, they can swim gracefully and can squeeze into tight spots. These are some of the characteristics that encouraged scientists at Tallinn University of Technology in Estonia to develop a turtle-like robot called the u-CAT. The scientists were trying to create a robot that could easily get in and out of shipwrecks and other interesting finds in the ocean. Because the u-CAT uses flippers instead of propellers, less churning of water and silt occurs, and the devices can manoeuver backward and forward as well as up and down. A camera onboard will be able to take video footage.