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world's smallest man met the woman with the longest legs

One is the smallest man in the world, the other is the woman with the longest legs and the instructions from the former to the latter when they met this morning: 'Don't look up.'

At just 29.37in tall, He Ping Ping's little head barely reaches Svetlana Pankrtova's knees.

But then, her legs do go on a fair way - measuring 51.96in long.
A right knees up: The world's smallest man, He Ping Ping, and the woman with the longest legs in the world, Svetlana Pankratova, get together in London this morning

At 6ft 7in from head to toe, Pankratova is well short of being the tallest living woman. That honour goes to Yao Defen, who stands 7ft 9in.

But the Russian's relatively short body means that those pins are the longest ever recorded for a woman.

An impression she seemed keen to emphasise this morning by wearing what appeared to be the world's shortest skirt.

Not that He Ping Ping seemed to mind, happily posing underneath Pankratova's legs - and he even had a sneaky look up.

The 20-year-old had jetted in from his home in northern China to help launch the latest edition of the Guinness World Records Book in Trafalgar Square, Central London.
Brought to book: Little and large on the steps of the National Gallery this morning. The pair appear for the first time in this year's edition

Craig Glenday, the book's editor, recently told the Daily Record newspaper how much he enjoyed his work.

He said: 'It's a great job, and there's so much travel involved. Earlier this year I did my own world record for travel, which was 44 hours non-stop.

'I was in Inner Mongolia meeting He Ping Ping, the world's shortest man (74.61cm) who actually lives quite near Bao Xi Shun, the world's tallest man (2m, 36.1cm).

'I was on my way, via Paris, to Chile for a flight to Antarctica with the band Fall Out Boy, who were trying to set a record for the shortest time it would take to play on every continent in the world.

'Unfortunately the weather was so bad that we couldn't make it in the end.'

The Guinness World Record Book is out tomorrow.
PinpPing sits on a piles of the new book while Pankratova stretches out her long, long legs

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Schoolgirl smashes the world record

There will be no need for a slow-motion replay to confirm this record-breaking feat.

Schoolgirl Tiana Walton has slithered into the record books - for having the most snails on her face at once.

Nine-year-old Tiana, who loves animals, bravely allowed 25 of the slimy creatures to cover her eyes, nose and mouth.
Snails face: Tania smashed the previous record of 15 snails set in Australia while the most she had had on her face before was nine.

She smashed the previous record of 15, held by Australian Liam Kenny, and her unusual feat will appear in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Her previous personal best was just nine.

The rules state that competitors have just one minute to put the snails on their face before tipping their head forward for 10 seconds.

Tiana, of Alvanley, Cheshire, said: "I am not squeamish. It is relaxing but it feels a bit cold. They are quite smelly and you can see their big long eyes facing you. I think my friends at school will say 'urgh'."

Local vet Ken Robinson witnessed the attempt and ensured no snails were harmed. He said: "It is a superb achievement and all the snails have been treated to a gourmet meal."

Tiana said her next ambition is to become an Olympic gymnast.

Setting records runs in the family as Tiana’s mother, Tommy, herself appeared in the Guinness Book Of World Records in 1980 for growing the largest lemon in the world weighing 3Ib 14oz..

The first of many: This was just the beginning...
Slither: Tiana had to sit up for 10 seconds with the snails still on her face to make sure none of them slimed their way out of her record-breaking feat

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The new cool ice vehicle in action

It may look like it was made from a Lego Meccano kit, but this 'Concept Ice Vehicle' from Lotus is built to withstand temperatures as low as -72C, travel up to 84mph and still be kind to the environment.

The innovative ice buggy, which will be used in a bid to trek 3,000 miles across Antarctica, runs on biofuel. The adapted supercharged BMW 1150 motorcycle engine gives off around 70 per cent less greenhouse emissions compared with ordinary petrol.

The CIV can skate across the snow and ice at up to 84 mph on its three skis

'Antarctica remains one of the world's great mysteries' said Kieron Bradley, an ex-Formula 1 designer who built the buggy out of microlight parts.

'The process has been one big learning curve.'

The CIV will track a path to the South Pole for two explorers who want to highlight the importance of the ice caps to planet Earth. It has a radar that lets it detect dangerous crevasses under the ice and weighs just 350kg allowing the crew to pull it by hand over bumpy areas.
The vehicle was built to operate in temperatures down to -72 degrees centigrade

Andrew Moon and Andrew Regan will follow with their crew and equipment in low emission six-wheel drives.

'If you can run biofuels successfully in the most harsh and extreme environment in the world, then there is no reason why you can’t use them to get to the supermarket,' Mr Regan said.
Click to see how the buggy works it detail

The adventurous pair have both journeyed to the North and South Poles before but this is the first time they will attempt a coast to coast crossing in the name of education.

Mr Regan explained: 'I’ve got six kids and I really hope that this expedition will spark some genuine interest in schools.'

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