Buzz
Another week has flown by, and once again, it's time to revisit some of the most outlandish stories that made the headlines. For those interested in more serious news, click here.
This week’s roundup has a festive tone as we discuss beer, cannabis, and the world’s largest glory hole. Meanwhile, a snake slithers into Scotland, a crusader meets a gruesome end, and sumo wrestlers shave their beards.
10. The Story of Two Realities
The reputation of author Charles Dickens took a significant blow recently as newly uncovered letters reveal the cruelty he inflicted upon his wife, Catherine.
Dickens is celebrated as a literary legend and arguably the greatest writer of the Victorian age. However, his marriage was far from idyllic. He married Catherine Hogarth in 1836, and the couple had ten children. After nearly twenty years of marriage, Dickens seemingly began an affair with a young actress named Ellen Ternan. This led to their separation in 1858, which caused quite a scandal at the time.
Publicly, Dickens vehemently denied any affair. He even penned a private letter claiming that the split was Catherine's decision due to her mental health struggles. Despite being a private matter, this information eventually reached the public and shaped the narrative of their separation. Some Victorian scholars argue this may have been Dickens's plan all along.
Newly discovered letters now suggest that Dickens went even further, attempting to have his wife committed to an insane asylum. The letters were uncovered and examined by Professor John Bowen from the University of York. They were written by Edward Dutton Cook, a close friend and neighbor of the Dickens family. Cook reveals that Catherine confided in him shortly before her death that her husband had tried unsuccessfully to persuade a doctor to label her mentally unstable.
Professor Bowen believes he has identified the doctor involved: Thomas Harrington Tuke, an asylum director and Dickens's friend. However, the two fell out a few years after the separation.
9. Snake on a Plane
A Scottish woman returned from her vacation in Australia with an unexpected souvenir. A spotted python managed to sneak into her luggage and travel the nearly 15,000-kilometer (9,300 mi) journey back to her home in Glasgow.
Moira Boxall traveled to Queensland to visit her daughter. Although she was nervous about the snakes in Australia, her son-in-law, Paul Airlie, reassured her that they weren’t as common as people might think. Still, one crafty snake curled up in one of Moira’s slip-on shoes and peacefully rested there during the entire flight back to Scotland. It even shed its skin during the trip.
Naturally, Moira was shocked when she unpacked her luggage and found the snake. At first, she thought someone had placed a toy in her bag as a prank. Once she realized it was real, she carefully moved it outside, still inside the shoe, and covered it with a box. Thankfully, the snake was calm and nonvenomous. The Scottish RSCPA came to collect it, and the snake is currently in quarantine.
The grandmother later disclosed that the snake might have been hiding in her shoe for weeks. She first spotted the reptile one morning at her daughter’s home in Queensland. However, by the time a snake catcher arrived, the serpent had vanished, and they couldn't locate it again.
8. Beer That’s Magically Absurd
A brewery from Norfolk, Virginia, is set to release a limited-edition IPA that will taste just like a bowl of Lucky Charms cereal.
Dubbed “magically absurd,” this upcoming brew is a creation of the Smartmouth Brewing Company and will be called Saturday Morning IPA. A representative from the brewery explained that they achieved this whimsical flavor by adding “pounds of marshmallows, some of which we toasted” during the brewing process, alongside Calypso hops, known for their fruity qualities. The result is said to be a sweet beer that will bring back memories of the iconic childhood cereal.
The IPA will have an alcohol content of 6.6 percent by volume (ABV) and is set to be released on March 2. Unfortunately, it will only be available within Virginia, so beer enthusiasts may need to make a special trip.
7. Florida Man Steals Coins
A strange crime took place in Florida when a thief stole rare coins valued at tens of thousands of dollars, then ran most of them through change machines, exchanging them for regular coins worth only their face value.
Shane Anthony Mele, a 40-year-old from Riviera Beach, made off with commemorative presidential dollar coins and other valuable coinage, totaling an estimated $33,000. At first, he did what you might expect from a criminal – he pawned some of the coins for thousands of dollars. But then, he took the remaining coins to grocery stores with change machines, where he exchanged them for ordinary coins worth only a small fraction of their original value.
Mele was eventually apprehended, although the reasons behind his actions remain unclear. Perhaps he simply wanted to offload the coins because he couldn’t find a buyer. In a potentially related matter, he was also charged with multiple drug-related offenses at the time of his arrest.
6. Swift Evolution
According to a recent study published in Scientific Reports, researchers observed single-celled organisms evolve into multicellular life within less than a year.
The transition from basic single-celled organisms to more complex forms is one of the key stages in the evolution of life on Earth. Scientists from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Montana successfully documented this evolutionary leap over the course of 50 weeks, or around 750 generations.
The organism in question was a green alga called Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. It began its evolutionary process with one simple environmental change—the introduction of a predator. Paramecium tetraurelia, a single-cell filter-feeder, was added to the environment to observe the outcome. In response to this new threat, two out of five experimental populations of the algae evolved into multicellular life forms. This experiment not only provided a rare insight into early life on Earth but also supported the idea that predation played a significant role in the evolution of early organisms.
5. Live In The House of Tomorrow . Today
The iconic “House of Tomorrow,” first introduced at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, is now available for lease to anyone willing to invest in a few million dollars' worth of renovations.
In 1933, Chicago hosted the World’s Fair with the theme “Century of Progress.” The event was meant to celebrate the city’s centennial while offering a vision of the future to a nation still reeling from the Great Depression. Among the futuristic exhibits was a groundbreaking structure called the House of Tomorrow, which showcased innovative designs and ideas for the homes of the future.
Designed by George Fred Keck, the House of Tomorrow was a striking three-story, twelve-sided polygon. True to its name, the structure was an innovative showcase of features that would later become standard in future homes. Many aspects were ahead of their time, such as the floor-to-ceiling glass walls, central air conditioning, a push-button garage door opener, and the first-ever dishwasher from General Electric. However, there were also some oddities, like the inclusion of a personal airplane hangar.
After the World’s Fair concluded, the House of Tomorrow, along with several other exhibits, was moved to Indiana. In the 1970s, they became part of the Indiana Dunes National Park. As time passed and the buildings deteriorated, Indiana Landmarks stepped in to lease the exhibits from the National Park Service, then subleased them to private individuals willing to fund the much-needed renovations.
The House of Tomorrow is now the last of these exhibits to become available for lease. According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, it could cost anywhere from $2.5 to $3 million to restore the home to its former glory. In exchange for this significant investment, the new occupant will be granted a 50-year lease.
4. Crusader Lost His Head
An 800-year-old crusader's head was stolen after being beheaded in a crypt located in Dublin, Ireland.
On Monday afternoon, a tour guide was preparing for a session at St. Michan Church when they stumbled upon a horrifying scene. Thieves had removed a heavy steel gate designed to secure the vaults, gained access to the crypt, and defiled several mummies. Among the worst of the damage was the complete decapitation of the crusader's remains. The site has been temporarily closed to visitors due to the incident.
Church officials are focusing on recovering the stolen head and repairing the damage inflicted on the other mummies. However, their greatest concern lies in the potential disintegration of the remains, which have now been exposed to open air.
In reaction to this disturbing act of vandalism, Archdeacon David Pierpoint labeled the incident as a “sad day for humanity.” This is not the first time the crypt has been targeted, as a similar act of desecration took place in 1996 when teenagers stole several mummies and used their heads for football games.
3. The Cannabis Brew
Researchers from the University of California Berkeley took a yeast strain commonly used in beer brewing and altered it to allow for cannabis production.
The yeast used is known as Saccharomyces cerevisiae. According to lead researcher Jay Keasling, the process is essentially “just like brewing beer.” However, they modified the yeast’s DNA with numerous genes from the cannabis plant. Now, when galactose, a type of sugar, is added to the mix, the yeast produces cannabigerolic acid instead of ethanol. This modification could pave the way to extracting various cannabinoids.
One of the compounds produced in this process is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive component of cannabis. Another significant compound is cannabidiol (CBD), which is currently being studied for its potential therapeutic benefits.
The yeast also created compounds that are typically present in only very small quantities in marijuana. The hope is that this method will make it easier to obtain cannabinoids for research purposes. Furthermore, using yeast may prove to be a more cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and efficient way to produce cannabis in the future.
2. Beardy Sumo Ban
Sumo wrestlers are now required to clean up their appearance after a new ban on beards was put into place to enhance the sport's image.
The Japan Sumo Association (JSA) explained that the sumo ring, known as dohyo, holds sacred significance and that spectators must not be exposed to anything considered unpleasant during the event. As part of this, the JSA has enacted a ban on items they consider inappropriate, such as beards, tattoos, and long nails.
The beard ban is likely to upset many wrestlers. Sumo, an ancient sport rich in tradition, sees many fighters adhering to the belief that shaving during competition brings bad luck. Despite this, current yokozuna Kakuryu Rikisaburo has shown his approval of the new regulations, emphasizing that maintaining a good appearance is crucial and that all wrestlers “must absolutely follow it.”
This move is the latest in a series of efforts to restore the reputation of a sport that has suffered from several scandals in recent years. Among the controversies, there have been accusations of match-fixing, and in late 2017, Yokozuna Harumafuji Kohei resigned after admitting to assaulting a fellow wrestler. The situation worsened in 2018, when a referee experienced a stroke in the middle of the ring. Despite the severity of the medical emergency, the referee seemed more focused on ensuring the female medics were evacuated, as women were prohibited from entering the dohyo.
1. Largest Glory Hole In The World
The Glory Hole at Lake Berryessa in Northern California has been put to use for the second time in two years, despite expectations that it would only be needed a couple of times per century.
Officially known as the Morning Glory Spillway, but simply referred to as the Glory Hole by locals, this massive structure features a 22-meter-wide (72 ft) opening that funnels water into a 75-meter (246 ft) pipe. It holds the title of the largest spillway of its kind in the world. The US Bureau of Reclamation built it over 60 years ago to handle water after powerful storms. Initially, they anticipated it would be used once every 50 years or so, but this is the second activation in just two years, following weeks of heavy rainfall. The Glory Hole had previously spilled over in 2006 and 1997.
The sight of the Glory Hole in operation often evokes comparisons to a giant toilet flushing, though some optimists have referred to it as an inverted fountain. The Glory Hole functioned smoothly this time, but that's not always been the case. As Napa County's largest body of water, Lake Berryessa is a popular destination for various water activities. However, during the 1997 overspill, a tragic incident occurred when 41-year-old swimmer Emily Schwalek was tragically sucked into the spillway and lost her life.
