Buzz
Once more, it's time to dive into some of the more peculiar and one-of-a-kind stories that have surfaced in the news cycle over the past few days.
This week, animals take the spotlight, featuring stories about killer chickens and scientists working to resurrect the woolly mammoth. We also bring you a cheese crafted with the rhythms of hip-hop, paired with fine Chinese wine. Plus, discussions of priceless treasures, whether lying deep beneath the ocean or hidden in a small Italian church.
10. The Milky Weigh
A study published in Astrophysical Journal reveals that scientists have used new data to provide the most precise measurement of the Milky Way, estimating our galaxy’s mass at approximately 1.54 trillion solar masses.
This updated figure comes from calculations made possible by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and the ESA’s Gaia satellite. Previous estimates ranged from 500 billion to three trillion solar masses.
Interestingly, only a small portion of the Milky Way’s mass is derived from its roughly 200 billion stars, the planets orbiting them, and the 4-million-solar-mass black hole at the galaxy's center. The majority of the mass comes from the enigmatic dark matter.
Researchers have found it easier to estimate the mass of distant galaxies, thanks to their observable velocity. To arrive at this new measurement for our galaxy, they studied dozens of globular clusters (dense groups of stars) orbiting the Milky Way’s core. After analyzing a decade of data, they were able to determine our galaxy’s spin speed, which was crucial for calculating its mass.
9. Treasure In Davy Jones’s Locker
A recent find by an English fishing crew has sparked discussions of sunken treasure. They might have come across an anchor that once belonged to a ship that sank while transporting a massive fortune in gold and silver.
The ship in question is the Merchant Royal. Launched in 1627, it vanished in 1641 somewhere off Cornwall’s Land’s End after encountering severe weather. At the time of its disappearance, it was carrying approximately 45,000 kilograms (100,000 lb) of gold and 400 bars of Mexican silver, which today would be worth over $1.5 billion.
Experts have confirmed that the anchor belongs to the Merchant Royal. However, this identification is based on size and age, making it an educated guess rather than a definitive conclusion.
As this ship could be the world’s most valuable wreck, it is bound to draw many treasure hunters. Should anyone locate the 'El Dorado of the seas,' they would need to report the find to the British government and obtain a salvage license, as it would most likely lie within British waters.
8. Murder Most Fowl
There's an old saying warning us not to let a fox watch over a henhouse. We all know that when this sly intruder manages to get into a chicken coop, it causes chaos and carnage. However, that wasn’t the case at a poultry farm in northwest France. The fox did enter the henhouse, but the chickens fought back and killed it.
Students at Le Gros Chene agricultural school in Brittany were shocked one morning to discover a dead fox in one of their coops. The animal had multiple marks, indicating that it had been pecked repeatedly by the chickens.
The chickens are free-range, spending most of their time outdoors. At night, the coop is secured by an automatic hatch door that can’t be opened from the inside.
Farmers suspect that the fox became trapped, and the chickens’ natural herd instincts took over. The fox, appearing to be a juvenile, may have lacked the experience to escape. A similar fox intrusion occurred a year ago, but that time, the outcome was much more deadly for the chickens.
7. A Volatile Feature
Toyota has filed for a new patent for a “vehicle fragrance dispenser.” At first glance, this may seem like a standard feature, as other automakers also offer systems that release perfumes or pleasant scents when drivers enter their vehicles. However, Toyota has taken a different approach, adding a surprising twist. Unlike other brands, Toyota’s dispenser can be set to release tear gas.
According to the patent, Toyota’s fragrance dispenser outshines existing systems by adding a personal touch. While current dispensers only offer a single fragrance at a time, this new invention can hold multiple scents. The vehicle can use mobile devices to detect which occupant has entered and release their preferred fragrance.
The fragrance system can also be set to deploy tear gas if the car detects an “illegitimate engine start.” This feature is designed to prevent theft by ensuring that unauthorized individuals cannot drive off with the vehicle.
At this time, Toyota’s “vehicle fragrance dispenser” remains just a patent. The company has yet to announce whether they will incorporate the feature with its “tear gas” option into any future models.
6. Back From The Dead
The woolly mammoth could one day roam the Earth again, thanks to the efforts of Japanese scientists who managed to induce “biological activity” in mammoth cells that had been frozen for tens of thousands of years.
According to Scientific Reports, researchers from Kindai University in Osaka obtained some mammoth bone marrow and muscle tissue. This sample came from Yuka, a female mammoth who had spent the last 28,000 years preserved in Siberian permafrost. They sequenced the genome to verify the authenticity of the samples they were using.
The researchers extracted cell nuclei from the mammoth tissue and inserted them into mouse cell eggs. They observed brief signs of biological activity, including a type of structural formation that precedes cell division.
Coauthor Kei Miyamoto believes that the next step in their research is cell division, with the ultimate aim of bringing mammoths “back from the dead.” However, he acknowledges that while this is a significant achievement, it is just a small step, and there is still a long road ahead.
Meanwhile, the Japanese team is collaborating with Russian scientists who have taken a different approach. They aim to use a technique called somatic cell nuclear transfer to clone the woolly mammoth.
5. Wine Party In China
Over 2,000 people in China gathered on a Sunday in Haidong, Qinghai Province, to set a remarkably specific record—the largest number of people drinking wine while crossing their cups.
The participants linked arms and formed a human chain. A Guinness World Records official was present to count the 2,020 people involved in the event and confirm they had surpassed the previous record of 1,373. After verification, the organizers were presented with an official certificate.
For an added touch of flair, the wine drinkers wore traditional Tu people (also known as Monguor) attire and arranged themselves to form the shape of a sunflower.
4. Mobile Phone Blocks Arrow Attack
An Australian man’s life was saved when his mobile phone stopped an arrow from piercing his head.
Although rare these days, an altercation between two men in Nimbin, New South Wales, turned violent when one of them escalated the situation by attacking with a bow and arrow. The victim, a 43-year-old man, had confronted the other individual outside his house.
The aggressor, a 39-year-old man, came armed with a bow and arrow for reasons that remain unclear. When the resident began recording the incident on his phone, the assailant fired an arrow. It was aimed directly at the victim’s face but was intercepted by the phone, which acted as a shield.
The arrow struck the phone with such force that it knocked the device into the man’s head. Despite piercing the phone’s case and screen, the impact was lessened, and only a small cut was inflicted. The 39-year-old was arrested and charged with assault and property damage.
3. Cheese Loves Hip-Hop
Four months ago, we shared the story of a Swiss cheesemaker's experiment to find out if different types of music could influence the aging process of cheese. Now that the cheese has had enough time to mature, an official tasting has been conducted, and the results are in: Hip-hop delivers the best flavor.
In September, Beat Wampfler placed nine 10-kilogram (22 lb) wheels of Emmental cheese in wooden crates. One wheel was left to mature naturally as a control, while the other eight were each exposed to a different genre of music, broadcast continuously via mini transmitters, to see if it affected their flavor, aroma, and overall taste.
Five of the cheese wheels were subjected to different musical genres: rock, hip-hop, techno, classical, and ambient. The remaining three wheels only received sound waves at low, medium, and high frequencies.
After the cheese had matured, a culinary jury conducted a blind taste test to determine the winner, and the 'hip-hop' cheese triumphed. This wheel had been exposed to the track 'Jazz (We’ve Got)' by A Tribe Called Quest on a loop for nearly eight months.
To ensure the results were consistent, the jury repeated the taste test, and the results were almost identical the second time. One member of the jury remarked that the differences were unmistakable in terms of 'texture, taste, [and] appearance.'
Wampfler now plans to repeat his experiment, this time focusing exclusively on hip-hop music, experimenting with a variety of songs to determine which one produces the most exceptional cheese.
2. Lincoln Takes Charge
This week, Fair Haven, Vermont, officially welcomed its new mayor: Lincoln, a three-year-old female goat.
The inauguration ceremony took place on Tuesday at the Fair Haven town offices. Lincoln arrived dressed in a sharp black sash reading 'Mayor' in white felt. Several local officials, including town treasurer Suzanne Dechame, attended and administered the oath. While it took some effort to get Lincoln to sign the official paperwork, she finally agreed to press her front right hoof onto an ink pad and stamp the document with it.
In a decision that may raise some eyebrows among her supporters, the mayor's debut act in office involved making a mess on the floor and leaving the police chief to handle the cleanup.
Lincoln the goat is not the first animal to take on an honorary mayoral role. This position is more ceremonial than official, as the town of 2,500 residents doesn't actually require a mayor. What began as a playful fundraising idea for a playground later turned into an engaging civics lesson for the local children.
1. The Italian Art Caper
In a daring heist on Wednesday, thieves targeted the Santa Maria Maddalena church in Castelnuovo Magra, Liguria. They used a hammer to break into a display case and made off with a painting titled The Crucifixion by Pieter Brueghel the Younger. However, the stolen artwork turned out to be a counterfeit.
In a plot straight out of a Hollywood thriller, it was revealed that the authorities were already one step ahead of the criminals. A month before the heist, they had swapped the original artwork, worth millions, with a replica. Additionally, cameras were discreetly placed in the church to capture the culprits during their crime.
Only a select few knew about the covert operation, with Mayor Daniele Montebello among them. However, he still had to maintain the façade that the theft of the artwork was a devastating loss for the community.
The genuine painting had been stolen once before, in 1981, but was recovered shortly thereafter. As of now, no arrests have been made in this latest incident. Investigators are carefully reviewing the footage in hopes of identifying and apprehending those behind the theft.
