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Saturday on Mytour means it's time for a roundup of some of the week's most strange and unusual news. If you're looking to dive into more serious stories, you can find the full list right here.
It was a thrilling week for space lovers. Keep reading to discover the first-ever images of a dust storm on Titan, plus the groundbreaking video filmed on an asteroid.
We also have some intriguing historical mysteries on the table, with some clarified and others newly uncovered. We'll explore the identity of the model from Gustave Courbet’s provocative painting and the letter that landed Galileo in hot water with the Inquisition.
10. Hitler’s Bid for Mayor in Peru
Hitler is running for reelection as mayor in a small Peruvian town, facing off against a challenge from Lennin.
From 2011 to 2014, Hitler Alba served as the mayor of Yungar, a farming town nestled in the Central Andes. Now, he's aiming for a second term after overcoming opposition from political rival Lennin Vladimir Rodriguez Valverde, who failed in his attempt to block him from the ballot.
Alba is well aware of the “colorful” history tied to his name, though he asserts that his father had no idea when he named him. While he briefly considered changing it, he ultimately chose to embrace it. Alba emphasizes that he shares nothing in common with his infamous namesake other than the name itself, branding himself as 'the good Hitler.'
9. How To Think Like A Human
A study by MIT and the University of Pennsylvania researchers revealed that the word most likely to differentiate a person from a robot is 'poop.'
In 1950, British computer scientist Alan Turing introduced the Turing Test, which defines any machine that passes it as demonstrating intelligent behavior indistinguishable from human beings. Now, psychology researchers have developed a 'Minimal Turing Test' where a single word is all it takes to tell humans apart from machines.
The researchers conducted a large-scale experiment with 3,000 participants. Initially, 1,000 of them submitted words they believed could convince others that they weren’t robots. These 400+ suggestions were categorized into ten groups. Popular choices included 'love,' 'compassion,' 'mercy,' 'empathy,' and surprisingly, 'banana.'
Next, the researchers selected the most popular word from each category and presented these random pairings to the remaining 2,000 participants. Their task was to decide which word came from a human and which came from a robot. The word most often identified as 'human' was 'poop.'
Just to clarify, the Minimal Turing Test didn’t involve any actual artificial intelligence. Instead, it focused on human psychology, not AI behavior.
8. Put A Spell On It
Beyoncé is facing claims of 'extreme witchcraft,' leveled by her former drummer, Kimberly Thompson.
Thompson initially sought a temporary restraining order against the singer, but it was denied by the Los Angeles Superior Court on September 19. Following this, she filed for a civil harassment restraining order, accusing Beyoncé of using witchcraft and black magic to spy on her and manipulate her finances. Additionally, Thompson alleges that Beyoncé used spells for sexual assault and even killed her pet kitten. Thompson has yet to provide a motive for these alleged actions.
A hearing regarding the restraining order is set for October 11. Thompson has stood by her accusations after the story was made public. As of now, Beyoncé's representatives have not commented on the matter.
7. Nude Model Identity Revealed?
In 1866, French Realist Gustave Courbet created one of his most famous (and controversial) masterpieces: L’Origine du Monde. The painting depicts a close-up of a woman's abdomen and genitalia as she lies on a bed with her legs spread apart. Her head is out of view, leaving the model's identity a mystery . . until now.
For many years, it was assumed that the woman in the painting was Joanna Hiffernan, an Irish model who inspired both Courbet and James Whistler. Another likely candidate was courtesan Marie-Anne Detourbay. However, historian Claude Schopp has uncovered documentary evidence suggesting the woman is Constance Queniaux, a former ballet dancer from the Paris Opera.
At the time of the painting, Queniaux had retired from dancing and was the mistress of a Turkish-Egyptian diplomat. Schopp discovered her identity while perusing letters exchanged between writers George Sand and Alexandre Dumas about the dancer. Dumas wrote: “One does not paint the most delicate and the most sonorous interview of Miss Queniault [sic] of the Opera.”
Perplexed by the word “interview,” Schopp revisited the original manuscript and realized Dumas had actually written “interior.”
Further supporting the idea of a close relationship between Queniaux and Courbet is the fact that, upon her death, the former ballerina left behind a painting by the French artist depicting red and white camellias. The camellia, a flower often associated with courtesans, led historian Sylvie Aubenas to believe that Courbet gave the painting to Queniaux as a gesture of gratitude for modeling for L’Origine du Monde.
6. The Largest Bird In The World
Researchers from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) have identified Vorombe titan as the largest bird to have ever existed. This giant bird roamed Madagascar between 500,000 and one million years ago, weighing up to 800 kilograms (1,760 lbs) and standing as tall as 3 meters (10 ft).
V. titan was part of a group known as elephant birds. While it has long been known that one of these massive birds held the title of the largest bird in history, there has been much debate over which one that was. The ZSL team examined hundreds of specimens from museums worldwide, prompting a taxonomic reevaluation. Previously, it was thought that elephant birds were made up of 15 species across two genera. However, the ZSL researchers' findings suggest there were three genera and at least four distinct species.
This discovery meant that some previously recognized elephant birds were actually the same species recorded twice. V. titan, formerly known as Aepyornis titan, was first described by C.W. Andrews in 1894. It was later dismissed as merely a large version of Aepyornis maximus. However, the ZSL researchers concluded that it was not only a distinct species but also the largest bird, leading to its renaming as Vorombe titan.
5. The Thieves In The Weeds
It seems the weed industry isn't exactly attracting the most careful criminals. Earlier this month, we shared the story of three robbers attempting to hold up a Canadian cannabis dispensary, only to be thwarted by a bong-wielding clerk. Now, we bring you two more bizarre thefts worth mentioning.
The first case involved a smash-and-grab at Native Roots, a marijuana store in Colorado Springs. Two teenagers drove a stolen van through the front of the store, broke open the display cases, and made off with bundles of marijuana. They abandoned the van and fled in a different getaway car, where one or two other accomplices were waiting. However, the shop's owner later revealed that the display cases contained no real marijuana. Instead, the thieves had stolen premium-quality oregano.
Then there’s Humble Roots Horticulture located in Colchester, Vermont. Since the state legalized weed, they’ve encountered several incidents, mostly due to robbers mistaking hemp for marijuana.
4. The Storms Of Titan
Saturn's moon Titan has now become the third known world to experience dust storms, joining Earth and Mars.
This fascinating discovery comes from the Cassini spacecraft, which spent years studying Saturn and its moons. While its mission concluded in 2017, scientists are still analyzing the data it sent back to Earth. According to a paper published recently in Nature Geoscience, Titan has an active dust cycle, with organic dust being lifted from vast dune fields around the moon’s equator.
Only a few years ago, Titan was shrouded in mystery due to its dense atmosphere. Now, however, we know that this moon has vast bodies of liquid methane across its surface. This methane evaporates, forms clouds, then condenses and rains down, repeating the cycle. During equinoxes, huge cloud formations can give rise to intense methane storms near Titan's tropical regions. Cassini observed several of these storms during its flybys.
Sebastien Rodriguez, the lead author of the paper from Paris Diderot University, initially thought he was seeing one of these methane storms when analyzing images from Titan’s 2009 northern equinox. However, further investigation revealed that these formations weren’t clouds or surface features like ice lavas. Given their location over Titan’s dunes, the only reasonable explanation was dust storms.
3. Galileo’s Letter
A remarkable piece of scientific history was recently discovered by accident when a researcher found the original letter in which Galileo rejected the geocentric model advocated by the Catholic Church.
Italian polymath Galileo Galilei was a strong advocate for Copernicus' theory that the Earth revolved around the Sun. This belief led him into conflict with the Church, and in 1633, he was found guilty of heresy and sentenced to house arrest.
Things could have been far worse for Galileo, though—he could have been burned at the stake. When the Church got a hold of his letter supporting heliocentrism, he knew he was in danger. There was a softer version of the letter that used gentler phrasing. For example, instead of outright calling certain Biblical passages “false,” he suggested they “appear different from the truth.” Galileo circulated this version among his friends, claiming it was the original. He later argued that the more extreme version was altered by the Inquisition to strengthen their case against him.
For centuries, both versions of the letter were known, but the true original remained a mystery. Who was responsible for editing it—the Inquisition or Galileo himself? It now appears that Galileo was the one who made the changes. The newly discovered document is believed to be the original, dated December 21, 1613. It bears Galileo’s signature, matches his handwriting, and is filled with corrections, suggesting it was indeed the first draft.
This letter had been sitting in the archives of London’s Royal Society for more than 250 years. Historian Salvatore Ricciardo from the University of Bergamo in Italy stumbled upon it by chance while reviewing a misdated catalogue.
2. A Movie That’s Out Of This World
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has made history by releasing the first-ever movie filmed on an asteroid.
Just last week, the Hayabusa2 spacecraft reached asteroid 162173 Ryugu after a nearly four-year journey. It also deployed two rovers to explore the asteroid's surface. Though there were initial concerns about the roughness of the asteroid’s exterior, the rovers successfully landed and began transmitting images. Rover 1B even sent back the first-ever video footage recorded on an asteroid’s surface.
The 'movie' comprises 15 frames taken over an hour and 15 minutes. The lower part of the screen shows the rocky surface of Ryugu, while the upper section mostly features a sunlit lens flare.
Unlike many other spacecraft, Hayabusa2 is focused on collecting samples and is expected to return to Earth by the end of 2020. Ryugu is a particularly significant asteroid—a primeval relic from the early solar system. Analyzing samples from it could offer valuable insights into the origins of Earth and other planets.
1. The Mystery Of The Hand Of Preles
Swiss archaeologists are baffled by the discovery of an artifact known as 'the Hand of Preles,' named after the village where treasure hunters uncovered it. This hand is believed to be Europe’s oldest metal body part.
The artifact is crafted from bronze and features a gold cuff. It is slightly smaller than life size. Scientists successfully radiocarbon-dated a bit of glue used to secure the cuff, and determined that the hand is approximately 3,500 years old.
In 2017, two treasure hunters discovered the artifact near Lake Biel, along with a bronze dagger and a rib bone. They handed the items over to authorities and returned to the site with them the following spring for further investigation. A team from the Bern Archaeological Service spent seven weeks excavating and found a grave containing the remains of a middle-aged man, along with several bronze accessories, pieces of gold foil matching the cuff, and one of the bronze fingers from the hand. It was clear that this was the burial site of the 'Hand of Preles.'
The hand will be on display next month. In the meantime, archaeologists are still debating its purpose. The inside of the hand features a socket, which could suggest it was once mounted on a statue or a scepter. Some have even proposed that it might have been used in rituals or possibly served as an ancient prosthesis.
