Buzz
The world is packed with strange and incredible tales, but it’s nearly impossible to keep up with everything. Thankfully, we’re here to catch you up. In this list, we bring you some of the more unusual stories that made headlines.
This week featured April Fool’s Day, bringing a host of odd and peculiar stories to the forefront. But after the pranks faded, we found that not all of them were jokes. Among the week's real bizarre news were lemurs practicing yoga, a march of funny walks, and a debate over the title of the world’s tallest politician.
10. Hot Sauna Leads to Naked Arrest
A fascinating arrest occurred in Stockholm, Sweden, last Friday. An off-duty police officer apprehended a wanted fugitive while both were enjoying a sauna, completely nude.
The officer was spending his day off relaxing at a Swedish sauna known as a bastu. Naturally, he was nude, as were the others in the crowded sauna. It wasn’t long before he recognized one of his fellow sauna-goers as a convicted criminal sought for multiple drug offenses. Despite being unarmed, the officer managed to apprehend the fugitive without any major trouble.
Rinkeby Deputy Police Chief Christoffer Bohman found the situation amusing but also praised the officer for staying calm and handling what could have been a dangerous situation with control.
9. Skrillex vs. Mosquitoes
A recent study published in the journal on infectious diseases Acta Tropica suggests that dubstep music may be an effective mosquito repellent.
If you ever find yourself under siege by these annoying insects, try playing some electronic dance music. Specifically, the track “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” by Skrillex. This was the song chosen by scientists in a recent experiment to observe its effect on the behavior of adult Aedes aegypti, commonly known as yellow fever mosquitoes. They picked this particular track for its unique combination of both high and low frequencies.
Insects use sound to navigate much of their surroundings, which led researchers to hypothesize that music could disrupt their usual behaviors. Indeed, female mosquitoes attacked hosts less frequently and later than those in the control group.
Moreover, they also mated less often. However, since only one track was used in the experiment, it's unclear whether music in general repels mosquitoes, or if Skrillex’s particular sounds have a special effect on them.
8. The Tallest Politician In All The Land
A new political debate has emerged over who holds the title of the tallest politician in the world.
Last week, New York City councilman Robert Cornegy Jr. was officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s tallest politician. A former basketball player for St. John’s University, Cornegy stands at an impressive 208 centimeters (6’10”). Three doctors from a Brooklyn medical center provided the measurements.
It didn’t take long for others to dispute the title. Jon Godfread, North Dakota’s insurance commissioner, claims to be 212.7 centimeters (6’11.75″). He also played basketball for the University of Northern Iowa and for a professional team in Germany. Even taller is Brad Sellers, the mayor of Warrensville Heights, Ohio, standing at 213 centimeters (7’0″), and was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1986.
If we’re also considering former politicians, then NBA Hall of Famer Yao Ming would claim the title. After retiring from basketball, the 229-centimeter (7’6″) Chinese athlete served as a delegate in the advisory body of the National People’s Congress.
7. What Moon Poop Could Tell Us
Humans might find their way back to the Moon sooner than expected. If that happens, scientists hope they can bring back some of the waste that’s been left on the lunar surface for decades.
There are more than 181,000 kilograms (400,000 lb) of human-made trash on the Moon. Among that, nearly 100 bags contain the waste left by the astronauts who visited. It wasn’t planned as an experiment; rather, it was just a natural by-product of human biology. However, for astrobiologists, those bags may now be the most fascinating feature on the entire Moon.
Scientists are eager to examine the human waste to check for any signs of life. Normally, poop consists of about 50 percent bacteria from over 1,000 different species. On Earth, these resilient microbes survive in every possible environment, no matter how extreme.
Given that this waste has been exposed to the harsh conditions of the Moon for decades, it would be the most extreme environment these microbes have ever encountered. While researchers are cautious with their expectations, they’re not dismissing the idea entirely.
Under the right conditions, microbes might still be alive or even capable of revival. Even if the microbes are long gone, researchers still find the bags worth investigating to understand how long the bacteria may have survived and whether they made any adjustments to their harsh environment.
6. The Pacific Mastodon
For the first time in over 80 years, scientists have announced the discovery of a new species of mastodon.
Mastodons are the extinct relatives of elephants. They belong to the genus Mammut, which, despite the name, does not include mammoths. Instead, they are part of the closely related genus Mammuthus. Mastodons were widespread across much of North and Central America and vanished around 11,000 years ago.
Until recently, the prevailing belief was that North America was primarily home to a single widespread species known as the American mastodon. However, a new study published in PeerJ, led by Dr. Alton Dooley, suggests that all the specimens found in California actually belong to a distinct species called the Pacific mastodon.
There are some clear distinctions. The Pacific mastodon has narrower teeth, a thicker femur, and an additional sacral vertebra compared to its American counterpart. Most notably, the Pacific mastodon lacked mandibular tusks. Dooley also observed that no fossils were discovered in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts or the Sierra Nevada, theorizing that these regions acted as natural barriers, preventing the two species from mixing.
5. The Parade Of Silly Walks
Hundreds of Hungarians took to the streets of Budapest for a parade featuring “silly walks.” This event served as both an April Fools’ Day celebration and a tribute to a well-known comedy sketch by Monty Python.
The idea for the march came from a 27-year-old education assistant named Benedek Petrok. He thought it would be a fun way for people to momentarily escape the stress of daily life. Many seemed to share his sentiment, as they joined Petrok for a silly walk through the heart of the city.
His inspiration stemmed from the iconic 1970s sketch “Ministry of Silly Walks,” which featured John Cleese as a government worker in the ministry. In the sketch, Cleese evaluates an application from Michael Palin’s character, who seeks a government grant to develop his absurd walking technique.
4. A New Look Into Tiwanaku
Archaeologists believe that items discovered in a reef within Lake Titicaca are relics of the ancient religion practiced by the Tiwanaku civilization.
Around 1,200 years ago, the Tiwanaku empire was at the height of its influence, extending across parts of present-day Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. The civilization faded about 1,000 years ago, overshadowed by other pre-Columbian cultures that are more familiar to us today. As archaeologist Paul Goldstein remarks: “The Tiwanaku is the greatest Native American empire that many Americans have never heard of.”
This obscurity only adds to the intrigue surrounding the Tiwanaku. In 2013, archaeologists made a groundbreaking discovery when they uncovered a trove of Tiwanaku artifacts in Khoa reef. They spent six years analyzing these items and recently shared their results in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Among their findings were metal ornaments, gold decorations, semi-precious stones, and incense burners. Two medallions depicted a deity with rays emanating from its face, while several plaques featured an animal hybrid of a puma and a llama.
The divers also recovered items crafted from Spondylus mollusk shells, which are not found in Lake Titicaca but originate from the Pacific Ocean. Additionally, they found llama bones, which had been used for ritual sacrifices. These discoveries suggest the site was once a significant location for religious rituals, likely a place where offerings were made to the gods.
3. The Russian Globetrotter
A young boy from Astrakhan, Russia, set out on an ambitious journey to “travel around the world.” Fortunately, police found him a few hours later, already tired and ready to return home.
After discovering a note left by her son, the boy’s mother contacted the authorities. The note revealed his plans to embark on a global adventure. The boy had emptied his piggy bank and boarded three different buses before deciding to walk, until the police eventually found him.
The little explorer had packed wisely for his adventure: encyclopedias to learn about the destinations, some spending money, a toy for amusement, and even a banana to eat along the way. However, after his trek, he realized that traveling around the world was more exhausting than he expected and longed for home.
The boy’s determination earned him the admiration of the online community, who shared their own childhood adventures. They affectionately nicknamed him “Konyukhov” in honor of a famous Russian explorer.
2. Say Hello to Yogi Lemur!
A hotel in the scenic Lake District of England has introduced yoga classes featuring lemurs.
Guests at Armathwaite Hall can now participate in a unique yoga experience called “lemoga,” where they can relax and bond with a few adorable lemurs. This activity is part of the hotel’s range of “meet the wildlife” experiences, as it is located next to a wildlife park.
The concept was inspired by the lemurs’ natural tendency to adopt a position resembling the “Lotus Position” to bask in the sun and warm their bellies. Additionally, many people find spending time with animals an effective way to unwind and de-stress.
Animal yoga has seen a rise in popularity in recent years. After goat yoga gained traction, there were even classes where participants could bring their dogs to practice alongside them.
1. From Glen to Glen, and Down the Mountainside
Ross Jennings, a Scotsman, has a simple but ambitious objective: to play the bagpipes in every country around the world. This week, he reached a significant milestone, as the United States became the 100th stop on his journey.
On Tuesday, Jennings performed in New York's iconic Times Square. He chose this location because of its status as one of the most famous landmarks in the U.S. Previously, he has serenaded crowds in front of other world-renowned sights, such as the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, and the Taj Mahal.
The musician embarked on this extraordinary journey in 2014, playing the bagpipes from a cliff in his homeland of Scotland. His passion for both travel and bagpipes sparked the idea to combine the two in a way that no one had done before.
