The good oil

Maybe the earth won't run out of oil

When the world will run out of oil is anyone's guess. But what if oil is constantly being created by the Earth as a natural product? That's the "abiogenic" (spontaneous generation) theory on autoblog.com by Thomas Gold and J.F. Kenney, US research scientists. Gold and Kenney theorise that new oil is made when methane from the Earth's interior hits steam and condenses into hydrocarbons, or oil. Decayed (biogenic) life forms, they say, simply couldn't generate the amount of oil in today's reserves. But the geologic community mostly disagrees, although BP geophysicist David L. Tett concedes: "I cannot refute the abiogenic theory [but] even if most of the world's hydrocarbons are indeed abiogenic in origin, there is the question of the rate of its generation."

Actor gives van to animal workers

Paul Newman has bought a Citroen Berlingo van for volunteer Queensland wildlife charity Fauna (Foster care of Australia's Unique Native Animals). The van, the first of three from the Newman Own Foundation, the charity company he set up from his salad dressing sales, will be used as a mobile education unit. The foundation has given more than $8 million to Australian beneficiaries.

It's so ugly it's beautiful

Britain's ugliest car is the SsangYong Rodius, nicknamed the "Odius". The four-wheel-drive people-mover is sold in New Zealand as the Stavic. Around 30 per cent of 1500 visitors to an "ugly car" poll run by website cardata.co.uk reckoned the Rodius was repulsive. They didn't like the second-placed Fiat Multipla much either, despite it being a previous award-winner in the people-mover segment. The ugly top 10: Rodius (30 per cent); Multipla (19); Maybach (10); Ford Scorpio (8); Chrysler PT Cruiser (8); Suzuki Liana (6); Rover 75 (3); Kia Rio (3); Renault Megane (1); Kia Sedona (1). Said cardata spokesman Andrew Sobell: "Naturally, the results are subjective. For example, everyone always notes the Multipla, but its design quirks continue to be a major appeal for many observers and buyers. One man's ugliness is another man's beauty."

We are the world

Police in Greenwood Village, Colorado, told 18-year-old Sonja Aguirre to move her car, which was parked in a disabled drivers' space. She got stroppy. The police got suspicious. Aguirre had 120kg of marijuana in the boot, worth around $750,000.