Pope Francis was delivering a homily but a little boy stole the show.

When the boy appeared during Pope Francis’s presentation during a summit on the family Saturday, the pope welcomed him gently, even seating him atop the papal chair when security was unable to shoo the child offstage .




Francis was speaking in St. Peter's Square about the important role grandparents play when a little boy walked up behind him and confidently climbed up and sat down on the pontiff's white chair.

The Vatican says Francis was surrounded by elderly faithful and their grandchildren Saturday night at a rally to encourage family life when the boy came up, wearing a striped shirt, jeans and sneakers.

Acting like an indulgent grandpa, Francis let the boy explore the area undisturbed before tens of thousands of people. The pope smiled while reading his speech as the boy sat in the empty chair, gazed up at him and even at one point clung to the pontiff's legs.

Old Couple


An old man calls his son and says, "Listen, your mother and I are getting divorced. Forty-five years of misery is enough."

"Dad, what are you talking about?" the son screams.

“We can't stand the sight of each other any longer,” he says. "I'm sick of her face, and I'm sick of talking about this, so call your sister and tell her," and he hangs up.

Now, the son is worried. He calls his sister. She says, "Like hell they’re getting divorced!" She calls their father immediately. "You’re not getting divorced! Don't do another thing. The two of us are flying home tomorrow to talk about this. Until then, don't call a lawyer, don't file a paper. DO YOU HEAR ME?” She hangs up the phone.

The old man turns to his wife and says, "Okay, they’re both coming for Christmas and paying their own airfares.

Sea Lion 'Pancho' Steals Trophy Fish From Unsuspecting Fisherman

Local fisherman call him Pancho WHILE FILMING THE CHEF ON THE WATER AT LOS CABOS FOR THE MEXICO TRAVEL CHANNEL


This sea lion is named Pancho, and for good reason.

Presumably in homage to the 19th-century Mexican revolutionary leader Pancho Villa, this sea lion, who spends his days in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, apparently makes a habit of redistributing the wealth brought in by fishermen. Instead of giving it to the poor, though, as Pancho Villa might have done, Pancho redistributes it directly to his stomach.

In the above video, uploaded in early October, Pancho can be seen making quick work of the catch by a professional fisherman on the show "Chef on the Water." While the two men proudly display their fresh-caught Mahi Mahi for the camera, Pancho pops his head out from behind the boat, swiftly snags a massive fish out of one man's hands, and then disappears under the water.

A pelican just behind the boat watches the whole scene unfold, seemingly with mild amusement.













Waves by Clark Little [via Nina Reznick]

These incredible images of waves in the Hawaiian Islands were taken by Clark Little, the number one photographer of surf.






Plants use underground fungus network to send ‘distress signals’ to each other [via Nina Reznick]

Plant scientists in laboratory via ShutterstockBritish researchers released a study saying that plants can communicate with each other by using an underground network of fungi. According to the BBC, the study, published in the journal Ecology Letters, said that plants signal each other when they are under attack by aphids to that other plants can secrete chemicals that repel aphids and attract the wasps that are the aphids’ natural predators.

Scientists from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, the James Hutton Institute and Rothamstead Research joined forces to devise an experiment to test what role these threadlike fungi, called mycorrhizae, play in aiding communication between plants in distress.

The type of distress they chose to inflict on the plants and test their response was an attack by aphids. Aphids are tiny insects that feed on a variety of plants and many plants have developed an arsenal of chemical defenses to use against them.


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The completely bizarre Venezuelan poodle moth [via Nina Reznick]

This little critter has been compared to everything from a cross between "a miniature gargoyle and a Furby" to a puzzling new "Pokemon character." But whatever people think of its looks, the Venezuelan poodle moth is, apparently, the real deal. The photo, snapped in 2009 by zoologist Arthur Anker of Brazil's Federal University of Ceará, has become something of an overnight sensation after Anker posted it onto his Flickr page.


 
He first spotted the tiny insect with a 1-inch wingspan while walking through Canaimá National Park in Venezuela, and is now asking other zoologists to help identify its genus. A few experts believe the poodle moth is related to the furry muslin moth (Diaphora mendica), which gives scientists hope that there are still fantastical creatures out there we haven't even seen yet. "Thousands of new insects are discovered every year in the South American rain forests," says cryptozoologist Kark Shuker. "So it would be by no means unusual if [Anker's] Venezuelan poodle moth proved to be one, too."