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Claudio de Oliveira has a rare condition - called arthrogryposis - which causes bones to fuse, and means his head is upside down on his back, his arms are withered and he has to walk on his knees. But Claudio has not let any of this get in the way of living a fulfilling life. Today he is 38, has a degree in accountancy and a burgeoning career as a public speaker.

Tanzin Norbu grew up in the ancient Himalayan kingdom of Zanskar, now part of the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir. His village is so remote that it is cut off from the rest of the world for seven months of the year. In 1981, when Tanzin was seven years old, his parents decided it was time to send him to school. But the nearest one was five days walk away, across a notoriously dangerous mountain pass.

Some 40,000 years ago a woolly mammoth fell into a Siberian peat bog and died. It lay frozen in the permafrost until it was discovered by tusk hunters last year. The British palaeobiologist Dr Tori Herridge was part of the team of scientists that defrosted and dissected the body. It was so well preserved that - in theory at least - its DNA could be used to clone it - bringing back an animal that hasn't walked on earth in 10,000 years.

In 1984 the last group of Aboriginals living a traditional nomadic life entirely separate from the outside world were found in the desert in western Australia. The group had become separated from other members of the Pintupi tribe in the late 50s, when many of them were rounded up to be resettled in camps. The Pintupi Nine - as they became known - lived off the land and in isolation from the rest of their tribe.

Siphokazi Mdlankomo works for a family in Cape Town. After months of fierce competition, she came second in the final of the South African version of Masterchef. The judges and audience were wowed by her creative flair in the kitchen - and her warm personality.

Photo: A woolly mammoth; South African Masterchef; The Pintupi Nine
(Credit: Mammoth and Chef, Getty Images)