Buzz
As the week wraps up, it's time to take a moment to reflect on some of the stories that captured the news cycle. Click here if you'd like to catch up on last week's offbeat highlights.
This week brings a fascinating mix of crime stories: from a bungling Australian thief to the scam involving Moroccan tree-climbing goats and a parrot serving as a lookout for Brazilian drug dealers. On the scientific front, anthropologists dive into the historical significance of ancient beer, while paleontologists are astounded by the discovery of the most bizarre crab ever to have existed.
10. The Florida Bunny Strikes Again
Typically, the Easter Bunny is known for spreading joy and delivering chocolate eggs, but the lesser-known Florida Bunny brought something entirely different this year— a can of whoop-ass. A viral video shows a person in a bunny suit getting involved in a brawl between a man and a woman outside a bar in downtown Orlando on Easter Sunday.
The exact reason for the altercation or who initiated it remains unclear. The video begins with the ongoing fight, capturing the bunny jumping in to assist the woman, while bystanders mostly film the chaos and cheer on.
The bunny lands a few good hits before the police show up and break up the fight. Local news reported that no arrests were made as none of the parties involved were willing to press charges.
It was later revealed that the person in the bunny costume was 20-year-old Antoine McDonald, who is wanted in New Jersey for several car burglaries.
9. Potholes That Save Lives
It’s hard to think of anything universally despised by everyone across the globe, but potholes certainly come close. However, there’s at least one man from Gretna, Nebraska, who might actually owe his life to a pothole.
On Monday afternoon, a 59-year-old man was being rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, his heart rate dangerously high at 200 beats per minute. Paramedics feared he wouldn’t survive the 20-minute ride, but then the ambulance hit a pothole. In an unexpected turn, the man's heart rate returned to normal.
The man made it to the emergency room in time and was released after making a full recovery. Dr. Andrew Goldsweig from Nebraska Medicine called the strange occurrence “rare, but [ . . ] well-described.” While an electrical shock using paddles is the classic treatment for an irregular heartbeat—often depicted on television—it seems a jolt from a pothole can achieve the same result. Authorities in Gretna withheld the location of the life-saving pothole to protect the patient’s privacy.
8. A Culture Built on Beer
Anthropologists from the Field Museum in Chicago have been examining the Wari culture and believe they have uncovered one of the key reasons for its 500-year survival: an abundant supply of beer.
The Wari Empire, which emerged around AD 600, dominated much of what is now modern-day Peru. About two decades ago, a team from the Field Museum uncovered an ancient brewery in Cerro Baul, providing evidence of the crucial role alcohol played in Wari society.
The Wari brewed a drink called chicha, which was served at taverns next to the brewery. The beverage had a short shelf life of about a week, making it unsuitable for shipping. As a result, people from all over the empire gathered at festivals in Cerro Baul to partake in chicha, including hundreds of politicians and other VIPs who drank from large, 0.9-meter-tall (3 ft) vessels decorated with Wari gods.
Researchers studied shards of these vessels to trace the origins of the clay and the chemical makeup of the beer. They found that the clay was locally sourced and that the beverage was made from drought-resistant pepper berries. Anthropologists believe brewers aimed to ensure a constant supply of alcohol, which was vital for the stability of Wari society.
7. There’s No Place Like Home
Last Saturday night, an Austrian man who had escaped prison more than a decade ago decided to turn himself in to authorities, tired of his life on a beach in the Canary Islands.
The 64-year-old man arrived at Munich Airport and took a train to Salzburg. After jumping off the train with two suitcases, he approached nearby police officers and confessed that he was a fugitive on the run. Although his identity was not publicly revealed, authorities confirmed that he had escaped from prison in Eastern Austria and was subsequently returned to jail.
In a statement to police, the fugitive revealed that he had spent the past ten and a half years evading capture, mostly living on Tenerife. Ultimately, he decided to return home, having lived there long enough, and because the once-popular tourist destination “wasn’t as appealing as it used to be.”
6. The Goat Scam of Morocco
An investigative environmentalist has revealed that the famous tree-climbing goats of Morocco are part of a fraudulent scheme.
If you spend enough time browsing the Internet, you'll likely come across images of these daring goats perched on the branches of the Argania tree in Morocco. These pictures are hugely popular and frequently shared across social media platforms.
Many are shocked to learn that these photographs are real. The goats truly are climbing the trees, but they didn’t get there on their own. It turns out this whole spectacle seems to be a scam orchestrated by local farmers to attract tourists.
British photographer Aaron Gekoski uncovered that the goats are being placed in the trees by people so they can charge tourists for photos. With their natural agility, the goats can remain in the trees for hours without falling. When they get exhausted, the farmers swap them with another set of goats. At the end of the day, they remove them and start the process again at dawn.
5. Selling Air
Next week will be a historic moment for Japan as Emperor Akihito steps down from the throne, and his son Naruhito ascends the Chrysanthemum Throne. This will mark the end of the Heisei era and usher in a new period known as Reiwa, meaning “beautiful harmony.” For those who wish to reminisce about the old days, they can do so by purchasing cans of ‘air from the outgoing era.’
The cans of air went on sale this week for around 1,000 yen ($9). The air itself is sourced from Henari village in Gifu Prefecture, as the kanji characters for Henari match those of Heisei, the name of the current period.
Minoru Inamoto, the president of the company behind the air cans, revealed that the initial plan is to sell 1,000 of them. These cans are meant to serve as keepsakes or for those who want to continue “breathing the fresh air of Heisei after the new era begins.”
4. Parrot Turns Into Jailbird
Clever Brazilian drug traffickers have enlisted an unexpected ally in their illegal activities: trained parrots that alert them to approaching police.
Recently, authorities conducted a raid on a drug operation in Vila Irma Dulce, in northern Brazil. However, the criminals were tipped off by a parrot who squawked, “Mama, police,” in Portuguese as law enforcement closed in.
The police detained both a man and a woman, along with their feathered accomplice. The parrot has been described as “incredibly obedient” and, so far, it’s kept its silence, refusing to sing like a canary. The bird was handed over to a local zoo, where it will spend several months learning to fly properly and re-enter the wild when ready.
3. The Weirdest Crab That Ever Existed
A recent study published in Science Advances introduces a newly identified species of ancient crab, which researchers have dubbed the “strangest crab that has ever lived.”
While most crabs feature strong claws, wide shells, small tails tucked beneath their bodies, and eyes perched on stalks, this particular species stands out. Its claws are bent like a frog crab, its carapace resembles a lobster’s with a visible tail, its mouthparts are leg-like, similar to a shrimp’s, and it boasts enormous, socket-free eyes. The creature is named Callichimaera perplexa, or “perplexing beautiful chimera.”
Paleontologist Javier Luque refers to this unusual animal as the “platypus of the crab world.” It defies all expectations of what a crab should look like.
Luque discovered the first fossil in 2005 and has since dedicated considerable time to studying it to understand its nature. C. perplexa lived in the Americas and Western Africa about 90 million years ago, likely in aquatic environments rather than on land, due to its legs being more suited for swimming. Luque speculates that this crustacean belonged to a new branch of the crab family tree.
2. A Not-So-Clever Disguise
The “Criminal Mastermind of the Week” title goes to a robber from Queensland, Australia. Wearing a shopping bag over his head to hide his identity, he attempted a robbery at a gas station. However, he soon removed the bag to fill it with packs of cigarettes.
The robber entered the store with a blue recyclable bag on his head, lifting it repeatedly due to his inability to see, thus revealing parts of his face to the security camera. He grabbed cash from a drawer placed on the counter by the clerk, then demanded the second cash drawer, which turned out to be empty.
Frustrated by his lack of success, the thief had a brief exchange with the clerk. The clerk then handed over a handful of cigarette packs, and the robber proceeded to remove the bag completely, filling it with the cigarettes before leaving the scene.
As of now, the criminal remains unidentified, and police are seeking assistance from the public to locate him.
1. A Night At The Potato Hotel
For those visiting Boise, Idaho, there's a quirky lodging option available: the chance to sleep inside a massive potato.
Kristie Wolfe, a developer known for her tiny home projects, has turned a 6-ton fake potato into a cozy living space and listed it on Airbnb.
The structure was originally created by the Idaho Potato Commission for a nationwide tour aimed at promoting potatoes. After completing its mission, the commission decided it was time to retire the giant tuber.
Wolfe saw an opportunity and took it. She made use of the hollow interior, installing a wood floor, a queen-size bed, a bathroom, and some stylish touches to create a bohemian atmosphere.
Apparently, people are eager to experience a night in the potato hotel, even with a $200 price tag. May is already fully booked, and June is quickly filling up.
