Things get really weird in deep space. The universe is almost infinite, meaning that if it's possible for something to happen, it's almost certainly happening out there somewhere. Burning ice, for example.
First things first, what's an exoplanet? That's easy to answer - it's any planet that exists outside our own solar system, and so far, scientists have discovered thousands of them. This particular one, Gliese 436 B, is relatively close to us - a mere 30 light years away. Around the size of Neptune, the massive density of the planet forces its surface water to remain solid, even though the temperature is in excess of 570 Fahrenheit. Unable to melt, the water boils off as vapor and escapes back out into space, drifting towards the same Gliese sun that boiled it.
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.