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A zoo employee was bitten recently by a large poisonous snake called an African puff adder. He was trying to put the snake into a bag so that it could be moved to a new snake house. The snake handler was wearing thick gloves and thick boots, but the adder still bit him in his arm. The handler squeezed the snake's neck tightly, forcing the snake to withdraw its fangs. He then put the snake into the bag and tied the bag.

He called the emergency services to report that the adder had bitten him; when doctors arrived at the new snake house, they could not find the snake or man. They started walking back toward the old snake house. A few moments later, they found the handler lying unconscious on a pathway. Curiously, the bag with the snake still in it was covering the man's head and part of his chest.

The paramedics handed the bag to another zoo employee, who delivered the snake to its new home. They then transported the handler to the city hospital. Later, a hospital spokesman said that the handler was in good condition. He said that viper bites can cause a lot of damage in the immediate area of the bite if not treated properly and quickly, but it looked like this man would recover completely.

The zoo director said that this particular adder had a nasty reputation. This was the fifth time in six years that it had managed to bite someone. Fortunately, the previous victims also recovered fully. Although the penultimate one now has a fear of snakes which is why the new handler that was bitten was working with the snakes. In the future, the director joked, they might call the bomb disposal unit to handle the snake.

It seems as though Iron Man fans can rejoice. The flight suit that transforms Tony Stark into a superhero is now a reality. Called Daedalus Mark 1, after the mythical Greek craftsman most famous for the feather wings he and his son Icarus, used to escape from the kingdom of Crete, it is the brainchild of British inventor Richard Browning.

The 99-pound exoskeleton is fitted with six small jet engines which together provide enough thrust for a vertical takeoff. Once airborne, the flight can be controlled using small, precise body movements. Browning, who likens the process to riding a bike, says while it takes a little practice to propel the jet-powered limbs, it is not difficult. The animators who did all that in CGI obviously did some pretty big thinking. It was kind of a funny moment when we realised we should have just watched the film and done that homework." The helmet, which accompanies the flight suit, protects the user and provides real-time fuel level and safety performance statistics. It is also Wi-Fi enabled to allow for ground monitoring.

Daedalus Mark 1 first came to the world's attention in November 2017, after Browning set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest speed in a body-controlled jet engine power suit for his 32- miles-per-hour flight. The inventor, who has since demonstrated the suit at 45 events across 16 countries, says that while it is theoretically capable of flying up to 280 miles per hour and reaching an altitude of 12,000 feet, however, he has yet to test that. In an interview with Redbull.com, Browning said, "The suit can fly in most locations. Despite being capable of flying at several hundred miles per hour, and at thousands of feet, normal operation sees the wearer flying at no more than a couple of meters."

Given the high fuel consumption rate of about a gallon a minute, it is not surprising to hear that the real-life Iron Man can currently stay airborne for a maximum of only 9 minutes. Browning hopes to extend the flight time in future versions by improving the fuel efficiency of the jet engines and adding wings!

Despite the limitations, Daedalus Mark 1 and its inventor have gained tremendous popularity worldwide. The former oil trader and ultra-marathon runner now spends his days giving corporate keynote speeches, demonstrating his jet suit, and training potential buyers to fly. Among his biggest fans is Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise, who purportedly began learning how to use the suit in early August. Browning is also really excited by possibly working in concert with the British military and is in talks with the James Bond and Mission Impossible movies' stunt coordinators for possible use of the suit in future films.

(1) The study of human origins, or beginnings, involves figuring out how and when human beings began to exist. Scientists have many different theories about human origins. But they agree that humans developed over many millions of years from early ancestors that were like apes. The process by which one type of living thing develops into another type is called evolution.

(2) Modern humans evolved in stages from a series of ancestors, including several earlier forms of humans. The bodies of these ancestors changed over time. In general, their brains became larger. The jaws and teeth became smaller. Human ancestors also began walking upright on two feet and using tools. As they did, the shape of their legs, feet, hands, and other body parts changed. Humans did not evolve from apes. Instead, modern humans and apes both developed from the same apelike ancestor.

(3) Modern humans and apes are still closely related. In fact, most scientists consider humans and great apes—chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and (orangutans—to belong to the same scientific family. But there are many important differences between humans and apes. For this reason, scientists have divided the family into smaller groups. Orangutans belong to a group called the Ponginae tribe. Gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos belong to a group called the Gorillini tribe. Humans belong to the Hominini tribe.

(4) Early forms of humans first existed more than 2 million years ago. All species of humans belong to a scientific group within the hominin tribe called Homo. The scientific names of all human species begin with the word Homo, which means “man”. These early humans had larger brains and mostly smaller teeth and jaws than the australopithecines. Their behaviour was probably also more like that of modern humans. For instance, an early human species called Homo habilis used stone tools to butcher animals. Later human species included Homo erectus and Homo heidelbergensis. Scientists believe that these humans used fire to cook food.

(5) The humans called Neanderthals were alive for part of the same time as modern humans. The Neanderthals died out about 28,000 years ago. They were closely related to modern humans. But most scientists think that these humans were not the direct ancestors of modern humans.

(6) Modern humans probably developed about 300,000 years ago. The scientific name of the species is Homo sapiens. Many scientists believe that the first modern humans evolved in Africa and then spread through Asia, Europe and later the Americas. Exactly how modern humans emerged is a question that scientists are still studying.