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Staying on top of global news can be a challenging task for anyone. That’s why we’re here to assist you with a weekly list of some of the most remarkable events that happened recently. Click here for key headlines, or continue reading for some peculiar and fascinating stories.
This week, we have several architectural stories, including the world’s largest 3-D-printed bridge and a supposedly ancient stone circle that’s not so ancient after all. We also unravel two World War mysteries, plus explore a growing rivalry between Canada and Norway over which country is home to the biggest moose. In cosmology, we dive into two new intriguing theories—one proposes an alternative to the mysterious Planet Nine, and the other delves into the origins of black holes.
10. The Moose Wars Unfold
A rivalry is escalating between Canada and Norway over which nation boasts the world’s tallest moose statue.
In Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, stands Mac the Moose, a 9.8-meter-tall (32 ft) sculpture that held the title of the world’s largest moose for over three decades. However, in 2015, the title was claimed by Stor-Elvdal in Norway, where they erected Storelgen (“The Big Elk”), a stainless steel bull that surpassed Mac by 30 centimeters (12 inches) with the aim of becoming the tallest moose globally.
It seems the Canadians are ready to take action. Comedians Justin Reves and Greg Moore have urged the residents of Moose Jaw to fight back and reclaim the title. They’ve started an online fundraiser to raise $50,000 to hire an engineer to make Mac taller. The campaign has gained the support of the city’s mayor, Fraser Tolmie, who revealed that this battle is personal for him, as the moose is named after his wife’s great-uncle.
Meanwhile, the Norwegians are determined to hold onto their record. Linda Henriksen, the deputy mayor of Stor-Elvdal, declared that they would do whatever it takes to ensure Storelgen remains the tallest. They’re even prepared to double the size of their moose, but they’re waiting for the Canadians to make their move first.
9. The Stone Circle That Wasn’t So Ancient After All
Scottish archaeologists were stunned to discover that a stone circle they believed to be ancient had actually been constructed in the 1990s.
The “recumbent stone circle” located in Leochel-Cushnie, Aberdeenshire, had been regarded as a unique landmark due to its smaller size compared to other similar structures. It was discovered last year on a farm, and archaeologists initially estimated it to be between 3,500 and 4,500 years old, assuming it was built during the same time frame as most stone circles in northeast Scotland.
Earlier this month, researchers from Historic Environment Scotland received an unsettling phone call from the farm's previous owner. He revealed that the so-called “ancient” monument was actually a replica he created in the mid-1990s.
Neil Ackerman, a spokesman for Aberdeenshire council, expressed disappointment over the discovery but still regarded the circle as a valuable addition to the local landscape. Going forward, the modern replica will be officially recorded to prevent any future misidentifications.
8. The Shepherding Disk Theory
A recent study published in The Astronomical Journal suggests an alternative explanation for the strange observations in the Kuiper Belt that might replace the theory of the elusive Planet Nine.
The notion of an undiscovered planet in the outer reaches of the solar system arose when astronomers from Caltech noticed icy bodies moving in a peculiar doughnut-shaped formation, seemingly tethered to a massive object. Subsequently, more trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) with eccentric orbits were discovered, suggesting some external force was affecting their movements. Scientists initially theorized that Planet Nine could be the cause.
A team from the University of Cambridge and the American University of Beirut proposed that rather than a single giant planet, the cause of the disturbances might be a vast ice disk made up of many smaller bodies scattered over a wide area. They coined this idea the “shepherding disk hypothesis,” asserting that the combined gravitational forces of these objects could be enough to influence the orbits of other TNOs.
Although this idea is more plausible than an undetected planet, no observational evidence has been found to back up the theory.
7. Like A Prayer
Pope Francis has introduced a new app that enables Catholics worldwide to pray alongside him.
The app, called “Click to Pray,” was unveiled in advance of World Youth Day 2019. It is currently available in six different languages. Through this app, users can track when the pope is praying and what specific intentions he is praying for.
During a demonstration from an upper window of the Apostolic Palace, the pope prayed for Colombia and the Mediterranean Sea, referencing a car bomb that claimed the lives of 20 police cadets and shipwrecks that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of migrants in the Mediterranean, respectively.
Catholics can visit the pope’s profile on “Click to Pray” to learn about his prayer intentions and even tap an icon to show that they’ve joined him in prayer.
6. Who Was Spandau #7?
A recent DNA study has put to rest an old World War II conspiracy theory that suggested inmate Spandau #7 was not the true Rudolf Hess, but a lookalike.
Rudolf Hess, one of the leading figures of the Nazi Party, traveled to Scotland alone in May 1941. After being arrested, he was put on trial and imprisoned at Spandau Prison in 1947. He remained there as inmate Spandau #7 until he was found hanged in his cell in 1987.
Some individuals have questioned whether the prisoner was actually the real Hess. They pointed to physical differences such as the absence of chest scars from his World War I injuries or the lack of a gap in his front teeth.
Spandau #7 also declined visits from relatives until 1969 and, at one point, even claimed to suffer from amnesia. Several prominent figures, including Hess’s doctor at Spandau and US President Franklin Roosevelt, believed he had been replaced by a look-alike.
This conspiracy appeared destined to remain an unsolved mystery. No physical remains were available for analysis, as Hess’s body had been cremated and his grave destroyed after it became a site for neo-Nazi pilgrims.
However, in 1982, scientists discovered a blood sample from the inmate, preserved on a microscope slide and sealed for decades. They managed to locate a male relative of Hess and compared their DNA. The result showed a 99.99 percent probability that they were related. Spandau #7 was confirmed to be Rudolf Hess.
5. For Whom The Bell Tolls
Moving from a World War II mystery to one from World War I, two historians believe they have identified the Italian soldier who absorbed the brunt of a mortar attack, unknowingly saving the life of a young Ernest Hemingway.
At the age of 18, Hemingway was volunteering for the Red Cross along the Piave River on the Austro-Italian front. He was struck by a mortar shell that severely injured him. Miraculously, he survived because most of the blast's impact was taken by an Italian soldier standing beside him.
American author James McGrath Morris and Italian historian Marino Perissinotto believe they have pinpointed the soldier's identity using the process of elimination. Eighteen Italian soldiers lost their lives that night. Fifteen of them were stationed in other parts of the front, and two others were with the 152nd regiment a few kilometers behind the front lines. The only soldier left was 26-year-old private Fedele Temperini from Montalcino.
As additional proof, the two historians uncovered a military report from an officer stationed at a Red Cross post in the Republic of San Marino. The report detailed how Hemingway received medical care alongside an Italian soldier who later succumbed to his injuries. The soldier hailed from the 69th infantry regiment, the same unit as Temperini. The researchers are now advocating for Temperini's name to be added to a memorial by the Piave River, the site where Hemingway was wounded.
4. Monty Strikes Again
After a peaceful 224-day streak in 2019, Melbourne’s notorious Montague Street Bridge has claimed its first victim of the year.
Known affectionately as “Monty,” the bridge has a low clearance of just 3 meters (10 feet). Since it was built over a century ago, it has been a constant headache for truck drivers who, unaware of its height, slam into it, leaving their vehicles stuck beneath the structure.
It's difficult to determine the exact number of crashes that have occurred. A website tracks the number of days since the last collision, but its records only go back to 2016. Even with that limited data, there are 20 entries. This doesn't even account for the most recent crash, which happened this Tuesday.
In a bid to stop these accidents, VicRoads, the Victorian traffic authority, set up height detection gantries at key points leading to the bridge, marked with black and yellow paddles. If a truck's top touches the paddles, it signals an impending collision with Monty.
There are 26 separate warning signs in place to caution drivers about the bridge's low clearance. Despite this, 14 collisions have occurred since the gantries were installed. However, a VicRoads spokesperson believes the measures have prevented many other crashes.
Some of the accidents have been more severe than others. Just last month, a bus driver was sentenced to five years in prison after crashing a bus into the bridge, leaving six passengers seriously injured.
3. Dark Matter Halos Give Birth to Black Holes
Although black holes are typically known for their elusiveness and enigma, scientists seem to be uncovering new details about these cosmic entities each week. However, this latest discovery could drastically alter our current understanding, suggesting that the first massive black holes in the early universe may have formed within dark matter halos.
Published in Nature, this study, supported by NASA, the EU, and the National Science Foundation, comes from an international team of researchers from both the United States and Ireland. It indicates that the violent and rapid formation of galaxies disturbed the usual process of star creation, which in turn led to the birth of black holes.
This newly proposed process would have been especially common in dark matter halos, given their swift expansion. As one of the study's authors, John Wise, an astrophysics professor at Georgia Tech, points out, creating large black holes necessitates being in an unusual area where matter is intensely concentrated.
If this new hypothesis holds true, it challenges the previously accepted idea that massive black holes could only form when exposed to high radiation levels strong enough to prevent star formation. Additionally, it implies that these black holes are far more prevalent than we once thought.
2. Bridge Over The Small Canal
The world’s longest 3D-printed bridge is now accessible to the residents of Shanghai.
Spanning 26 meters (86 feet), the bridge was built by a team from the Tsinghua University School of Architecture in Beijing, using only 3D-printing technology. Situated in Shanghai’s Baoshan District, its design takes inspiration from the ancient Zhaozhou (Anji) Bridge, which holds the title of China’s oldest surviving bridge.
This innovative crossing is made up of 112 individual concrete segments—44 forming the main body and 68 for the two flowing sides. It is also equipped with monitoring systems that track internal stress in real time. Designer Professor Xu Weiguo notes that the entire structure was completed in just 450 hours and cost only a third of what a traditional bridge of comparable size would have cost.
1. Toilet Snake
Australia is enduring a scorching heatwave, causing animals to seek shelter wherever possible. One snake made its way into the toilet of a Brisbane home, biting a woman when she sat down to use it.
Helen Richards was staying with relatives when the incident occurred. In the middle of the night, she entered the bathroom without turning on the lights and failed to notice the 1.5-meter (5-foot) carpet python resting in the toilet.
As soon as Helen sat down, she felt a sudden “sharp tap,” prompting her to leap up with her pants still around her ankles. When she looked back, she saw something that looked like a “longneck turtle retreating back into the bowl.”
Luckily for Helen, the snake wasn’t venomous, and the bites caused minimal harm. After receiving antiseptic treatment, she was perfectly fine, and a reptile handler came to remove the snake.
