A small amount of water and a piece of an Alka-Seltzer tablet are placed in a plastic film canister. The lid is quickly snapped on and the canister turned upside down. Within a few seconds the canister explodes with a loud pop, sending the bottom of the canister flying through the air.
At just under 25 inches tall, Jyoti Amge of Nagpur, India, is the world's shortest woman. She's a college-bound student, with dreams of making it as an actress. Still, she weighs just 12 pounds -- only nine pounds more than she did at birth. Even among dwarfs, Amge is tiny.
While Ms Pankratova might have the longest legs in the world, she is not the tallest. Last month, Sandy Allen, at 7ft 7in, recognized as the world's tallest woman, died aged 53. In July 2007, Pingping, an internet phenomenon, met with the world's tallest man Bao Xishun.