10 things we didn't know before the 13th week of 2008

1. Up to one quarter of the sand on shorelines can be composed of plastic particles.
2. nakes can give you salmonella poisoning.
3. Barack Obama was known as "Barry O'Bomber" at school because of his basketball prowess.
4. Lions were kept in the Tower of London in the 14th century.
5. In Brighton and Hove, there are 46 takeaway outlets and sweet shops for every secondary school.
6. Sharks can be used to predict storms.
7. Italy produces 33,000 tonnes of mozzarella each year.
8. Somalia, ranked the third most unstable country in the world in a recent stability index, has eradicated polio.
9. Hillary Clinton, Madonna, Angelina Jolie and the Duchess of Cornwall are all distantly related.
10. Human beings can detect danger through smell.

(Source: BBC)