Buzz
As the week wraps up, let’s take a moment to reflect on the fascinating stories that dominated the news over the past few days. Click here for a deep dive into the major headlines. If not, continue reading for the bizarre and the extraordinary tales.
This week’s roundup features some quirky international news. There’s the Canadian iceberg heist, the German Smurf party, and the French lightsaber duel. We’ve got glow-in-the-dark spider fossils from Korea and striped horses roaming in England. Meanwhile, the Japanese embrace a centuries-old ritual in the buff, while an Australian woman takes on the role of a gorilla to catch a flasher.
10. Smurf-tacular
Thousands gathered in the German village of Lauchringen to break the world record for the largest assembly of Smurfs.
The Record Institute for Germany was present to validate the crowd size, though official confirmation from Guinness World Records is still pending. To qualify for the record, participants had to either paint their skin blue or wear blue clothing, and the signature white hat was a must, though red was allowed for those dressed as Papa Smurf.
This marked the second attempt by organizers to surpass the record. Their first try in 2016 only brought together 2,149 participants. This time, they exceeded the previous record of 2,510 Smurfs set in 2009 at Swansea University in Wales.
9. Glowing Spiders
Scientists discovered 110-million-year-old spider fossils whose eyes still glowed in the dark despite their ancient age.
A team of researchers from the Korea Polar Research Institute and the University of Kansas was investigating the Jinju Formation, a Mesozoic shale deposit in South Korea, when they stumbled upon 10 spider fossils.
This discovery was remarkable in itself, as fossils of soft-bodied creatures like spiders are extremely rare and typically preserved only in amber. However, two of the specimens were particularly exciting because their eyes continued to glow in the dark after all these millions of years.
The most likely explanation for the glow is the tapetum, a reflective layer in the eye that many animals possess. This layer aids in night vision and causes the eyes to shine in darkness. Researchers believe this could be the first time a spider's tapetum has been preserved in the fossil record.
Scientists are also intrigued by how the spiders ended up preserved in the shale. Other creatures like fish and crustaceans were found in the same deposit, suggesting they may have all perished in a catastrophic event, such as an algal bloom.
8. A Chilling Heist
One of the most bizarre heists in recent memory took place in Newfoundland, Canada, where thieves made off with 30,000 liters (7,925 gal) of iceberg water from a vodka distillery.
The criminals targeted a warehouse in the historic town of Port Union. The victim was Iceberg Vodka. True to its name, the company incorporates actual iceberg water in the production of its spirits.
CEO David Meyers notes that the stolen water could have been used to produce 150,000 bottles of vodka. However, he doesn’t anticipate significant repercussions for the company. The water was insured and valued between C$9,000 and C$12,000. The real issue is that the icebergs, from which the water is harvested, only move close enough to shore once a year.
Meyers believes this wasn’t a crime of mere opportunity. The thieves went to great lengths, bypassing a locked gate and door, and brought a tanker to carry away tens of thousands of liters of iceberg water. The original tank holding the liquid was found emptied and abandoned.
7. A Dark Mystery at Creswell Crags
At one time, something truly frightened the people of Creswell Crags, a limestone gorge on the border of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, England. Heritage experts have drawn this conclusion after discovering what might be Britain’s largest collection of apotropaic signs—symbols believed to ward off evil.
The markings include hundreds of symbols, letters, and patterns, likely carved from the 16th century onward, a period when fear of witchcraft began to spread across the region.
It’s astonishing how long it took for anyone to notice the markings, especially considering that Ice Age artwork was discovered in the cave in 2003, attracting widespread attention.
However, it wasn’t until the previous year that two sharp-eyed cavers spotted some symbols and informed the Creswell Heritage Trust about their significance. The trust’s director sheepishly admitted that they had previously thought the markings were Victorian graffiti.
This discovery led to a more detailed inspection of the cave. Researchers were amazed to find the walls entirely covered with symbols. To date, they’ve uncovered over a thousand, and the number keeps rising. Many of them are simple, like PM for Pace Maria or a double V representing Virgin of Virgins. It’s still unclear what it was about Creswell Crags that caused such fear in people.
6. The Luckiest Men in Japan
Thousands of men in Okayama, Japan, stripped down to their loincloths and gathered to search for two sticks believed to bring them good luck for the upcoming year.
This event, known as Saidaiji Eyo, has been a tradition for over 500 years, dating back to the Muromachi period. Last Saturday, approximately 10,000 men assembled at the Kinryozan Saidaiji Buddhist temple in Okayama to take part.
First, they removed their clothing and donned white loincloths. Then, they immersed themselves in the icy waters of the Yoshii River as part of a purification ceremony.
At around 10:00 PM, the main event began. The crowd of men stood by as the temple’s chief priest took position on a balcony. The lights went out, and he threw two sticks into the eager crowd. A frantic search followed to find them.
The sticks are called shingi, and it’s believed that the two men who find them will be blessed with the most luck in the year ahead.
5. Cop Kong Nabs Her Target
A determined citizen dressed up as a gorilla cop to keep watch on a man who had been exposing himself to women in a park in Perth, Western Australia.
The anonymous woman claimed to have been targeted by the flasher multiple times. After talking to other women in the park, she discovered they had all faced similar encounters. The man typically rode his bicycle with his shorts pulled high, leaving his genitals exposed. On occasion, he would even stop and approach women on foot.
Refusing to stand by, the woman took action. She put up flyers around public spaces warning of the flasher, then began watching the park he often visited. To avoid recognition, she wore a gorilla costume disguised as a cop.
The unexpected strategy worked. The undercover hero managed to spot the culprit and follow him back to his residence without being seen. She then reported the information to the police, who arrested him on four charges of indecent public behavior.
4. Radiation Scare at the Grand Canyon
For nearly 20 years, visitors to the Grand Canyon National Park museum may have unknowingly been exposed to radiation due to uranium ore being stored nearby.
Recently, park employees received a concerning email which read, “If you were in the Museum Collections Building (bldg 2C) between 2000 and June 18, 2018, you were ‘exposed’ to uranium according to OSHA’s (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) guidelines.”
The revelation came from safety manager Elston Stephenson. He uncovered that three 19-liter (5 gal) buckets of uranium ore had been stored near the taxidermy exhibit for almost 20 years.
However, the situation wasn’t as dire as it initially appeared. The ore contained only minimal radiation. The levels were below what would typically raise public safety concerns, though they were higher than natural background radiation. Legally, this is why staff had to be notified. OSHA inspectors believe there’s no health risk and currently label the area as ‘no risk.’
That said, the staff could have handled the disposal of the uranium more appropriately. It was finally removed last June. Using gardening gloves and mop handles, they transported the buckets to the Lost Orphan uranium mine, which was the original source of the material.
3. The Mystery Behind the Zebra's Stripes
A recent study published in the scientific journal PLOS One by researchers from the University of Bristol suggests that the zebra's distinctive striped pattern serves to confuse and repel flies.
Coauthor Dr. Martin How explained that the stripes disrupt the flies’ landing process. Close-up footage revealed that flies would zoom toward the zebras quickly. Some would completely turn away, while others collided with the animals instead of landing smoothly.
The stripes seem to only be effective as a deterrent up close. Researchers believe that the flies' poor vision causes them to perceive zebras as ordinary gray horses from a distance. When the stripes suddenly appear, it may startle the flies into veering off or interfere with their ability to judge the speed of the approaching animal.
To confirm that the stripes were the cause of the flies’ avoidance, and not some other factor like scent, scientists dressed horses in zebra coats to observe whether they experienced the same results.
They also outfitted other horses with plain white and black coats as controls. The results were clear: flies landed far less frequently on the horses in striped coats than those wearing the other colored garments.
2. May The Foil Be With You
In a distant galaxy, the French Fencing Federation has officially sanctioned lightsaber dueling as a formal competitive sport.
Fencing clubs throughout France have now been outfitted with lightsabers and offer training for those eager to live out their Star Wars dreams. Serge Aubailly, the federation’s Secretary General, explained that this initiative is aimed at encouraging young people to become more active, as he believes many lead sedentary lives, spending too much time sitting and only exercising their thumbs.
Historically, sword-and-cape films have played a significant role in promoting fencing. Characters like Zorro and Robin Hood sparked much interest, drawing newcomers to the sport. Aubailly views the Star Wars universe as the natural next chapter in this evolution.
The rules are largely akin to those of traditional fencing, with a few tweaks to make the sport more visually captivating, as one might expect from a cinematic duel. The arena is dimmed so the glow of the lightsabers stands out.
For a strike to count, the tip of the saber must first be drawn behind the fighter’s head. This modification encourages dramatic, over-the-head swings like those seen in Star Wars duels, in contrast to the rapid, tip-first thrusts typical of traditional fencing.
1. A Joker On Mars
We all have an image of what astronauts should embody—tough, mentally and physically, intelligent, focused, and unflappable. As Tom Wolfe put it, they must have “the right stuff.” But studies indicate that if humanity hopes to colonize Mars successfully, at least one astronaut on the team should be more of a jokester than a straight-laced leader.
The key lies in improving team morale and diffusing stressful situations. Anthropologist Jeffrey Johnson of the University of Florida has spent four years studying overwintering teams in Antarctica to explore the role informal roles play in helping teams collaborate effectively. He identified several essential characters, including the leader, the peacemaker, the counselor, and the clown, the latter of which plays a crucial role in fostering group cohesion.
Johnson puts it succinctly: Teams that feature the right mix of personalities thrive, while those that lack this balance struggle. He points to the famous Amundsen polar expedition as a case in point. Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen understood the value of a friendly presence and chose the jovial and round chef Adolf Lindstrom to join his team. Amundsen later remarked that Lindstrom “rendered greater and more valuable services to the...expedition than any other man.”
Johnson is now collaborating with NASA to observe groups of astronauts in a simulated space habitat in Houston, Texas. The goal is to determine if the same informal dynamics that help teams thrive on Earth can be replicated in a space environment.
