Buzz
Another week is behind us, which means it's time to revisit some of the odd and intriguing stories that grabbed headlines recently. If you're looking for last week's list, click here.
This week, we dive into two stories involving cryptic texts and codes. One is etched into a rock in France, while the other is regarded as the ultimate enigma in cryptography. We also have a mystery on our hands: who’s responsible for drawing penises on Melbourne's sports fields?
Additionally, there’s the discovery of a hidden chamber in Rome, a brewery in the U.S., and a Danish politician with an unconventional approach to engaging with his voters.
10. Unveiling the Sphinx Room
The Domus Aurea, a grand palace complex built by Emperor Nero in Rome, is in desperate need of preservation. Over the years, it has been closed to tourists multiple times due to safety issues. However, there is a silver lining. During the most recent restoration efforts, archaeologists stumbled upon a hidden chamber beneath the palace.
This chamber has been dubbed the Sphinx Room, as it features a large fresco of the legendary creature. Other artworks inside include depictions of a centaur, birds, aquatic animals, warriors, and the god Pan.
The artworks remain in surprisingly good condition for their age, though there may be more waiting to be uncovered. The chamber stands at 4.5 meters (15 feet) tall, though much of it is still filled with dirt. Excavation is proceeding slowly and cautiously, with archaeologists aiming to complete the work by the end of the year. They hope that other intriguing artworks and artifacts are still to be found.
9. The Scent of Knowledge
The University of Canberra’s library was evacuated after students detected a foul odor, initially believed to be a gas leak. However, it was later identified as the distinctive smell of a durian fruit.
The durian, a beloved delicacy in Southeast Asia, is notorious for its overpowering scent. In fact, many places ban the fruit specifically due to its pungency. The smell has been compared to unwashed socks, rotting food, or even turpentine. Fearing a gas leak, library staff evacuated the 550 people inside and called emergency services.
Firefighters combed through the library from top to bottom and eventually pinpointed the source of the smell. Someone had placed a durian near an air vent. Though the university resumed normal operations soon after, the lingering odor persisted for some time after the fruit was disposed of. The library had to release another statement assuring students that the building was safe, despite the lingering smell.
8. Understanding Your Audience
Denmark's general election is set for June 5. One politician has chosen a unique approach to engage voters by placing an ad on Pornhub.
Today’s successful politicians understand the importance of online visibility to share their message and image with the public. Many candidates are either digitally savvy themselves or hire experts, but none have taken it as far as Joachim B. Olsen. He recognized the untapped potential of adult websites and decided to advertise on one of the largest platforms in the world. Visitors to Pornhub were greeted with an ad featuring Olsen and his party logo, urging them to vote.
7. The Enigma of the Melbourne Penises
The city of Melbourne is currently baffled by a peculiar mystery. Someone has been drawing enormous penises on the grass of various sports fields.
It is believed the drawings began to appear late last year. Some of the parks have already replanted their grass, and though new blades have sprouted, the outlines of the phallic shapes are still visible. Only recently have these designs gained attention, as they were spotted on Google Earth.
So far, three parks in Melbourne feature penis-shaped designs, with each showcasing multiple versions of varying sizes. The most grandiose of these creations can be found in TW Blake Park in Preston, stretching over 100 meters (328 feet) in length.
Local council members have expressed their displeasure with the ‘artistic’ endeavors, noting that repairing the damage will be both expensive and time-consuming. They’ve also refrained from sharing too many specifics about the designs to prevent spurring acts of copycat vandalism. To date, no one has come forward to take responsibility for the Melbourne penises.
6. The Enigmatic Cipher Rock of Brittany
We shift from an Australian mystery to one in France. In a small village in Brittany, locals are offering a €2,000 reward to anyone who can decode a puzzling message etched into a boulder hundreds of years ago.
Along the shores of Plougastel-Daoulas, a large rock emerges only during low tide. This rock bears an inscription that was only discovered a few years ago, even though it references the years 1786 and 1787, indicating it dates back to the late 18th century.
The inscription is written in the Latin alphabet. At first glance, the letters seem to form coherent words, but a closer look reveals they are nonsense. One of the lines reads “DRE AR GRIO SE EVELOH AR VIRIONES BAOAVEL.” The carving also includes a few images of objects like sailboats. During the period mentioned, artillery batteries were stationed along the coast, offering the only hint locals have about the possible origins of the inscription.
The mayor of Plougastel-Daoulas is eager to have the message deciphered and hopes that the cash prize will motivate more professional code-breakers to try their hand at cracking the stone's cipher.
5. The Influence of Free Beer
A brewery in Charlotte, North Carolina, managed to recover its stolen van in just 42 minutes after offering free beer in exchange for tips on its whereabouts.
On Monday evening, three unidentified thieves made off with a van used by the Unknown Brewing Company for deliveries. The following day, while the brewery alerted the police, they also reached out via social media for assistance. With the van’s neon green paint and the brewery’s name clearly displayed on the side, it was bound to be spotted. To entice help, the owner added a free keg of beer to the offer.
The post quickly gained traction, and soon a woman contacted the brewery to inform them that the van was parked on her street. The owners acted fast and retrieved the vehicle in just 42 minutes after making the initial online appeal.
The successful strategy garnered even more attention than the actual theft, sparking speculation that it might have been a marketing stunt. The brewery assured the public that the theft was real, and according to the police, the van had been used in a series of car break-ins before being abandoned near a park.
In gratitude for the help they received, the brewery announced plans to create a special beer called Van Theft Auto and to host a celebration where each pint would cost only 25 cents to cover taxes.
4. What We’ve Discovered About Drugs
The 2019 Global Drug Survey was released this week, revealing, among other findings, that the British lead the world in binge drinking, getting drunk more often than any other country included in the survey.
The study, conducted by researchers in London, involved over 120,000 substance users from 36 countries. On average, participants reported getting drunk 33 times over the past year. Britons, however, averaged 51.1 times. This is despite reports of a general decline in drinking in Britain, particularly among young adults. As Professor Adam Winstock, founder of the Global Drug Survey, noted, more Brits are abstaining from alcohol, but those who do drink, do so heavily.
Following Britain, the US, Canada, and Australia had the highest rates of binge drinking. This report focused not on total alcohol consumption, but rather on how many times people drank to the point of severe intoxication. In contrast, countries in South America showed fewer instances of binge drinking, with Chile in last place, followed by Colombia.
The survey also covered data on many other substances. Unsurprisingly, cannabis was the most commonly used drug, followed by MDMA and cocaine. The most hazardous substance, based on the rate of users seeking emergency medical care, was heroin, with meth and synthetic cannabis tied for second place.
3. The Enigma of the Voynich Manuscript
The Voynich manuscript is considered one of the greatest mysteries in the world. Known as “the book that no one can read,” it is written in an indecipherable language. Yet, one British scholar claims to have cracked its code after only two weeks of analysis.
Cryptographers have been attempting to decode it for over a century, with some labeling it as a hoax. However, the vellum used in its creation has been carbon-dated to around 600 years ago, making a hoax seem improbable.
Gerard Cheshire, a research associate at the University of Bristol, proposes that the manuscript is a medical guide written by Dominican nuns for Maria of Castile, Queen of Aragon. It is said to include details on herbal remedies and astrological charts. In his paper, published in the journal Romance Studies, he argues that the text is in a lost language called proto-Romance.
Naturally, Cheshire’s theory has faced criticism and skepticism from the academic community. Dr. Lisa Fagin Davis, executive director of the Medieval Academy of America, dismissed it as “circular, self-fulfilling nonsense.” Other scholars argue that his translation makes too many assumptions about language structure. Bristol University has distanced itself from Cheshire’s work, stating that it requires “further validation.”
Cheshire remains steadfast, confident that other linguists will validate his findings once they have the opportunity to fully translate the Voynich manuscript using his method.
2. Down In The Deep Blue Sea
For the third time in history, humans have reached the deepest part of the Earth’s seabed: the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean. The most recent dive, led by American explorer and entrepreneur Victor Vescovo, set a new record for the deepest descent, surpassing the previous mark by 11 meters (36 ft). Even in the most isolated, darkest corners of the planet, the research team discovered life, including four potentially new species of amphipods. They also encountered a plastic bag and candy wrappers, highlighting the far-reaching impact of human pollution.
Vescovo descended nearly 11 kilometers (7 miles) and spent four hours exploring the depths in a specialized submersible known as the DSV Limiting Factor. Built by Triton Submarines, this vessel accommodates two passengers and is constructed with a 9-centimeter-thick ( inches) titanium hull, engineered to endure the extreme pressures of the ocean’s bottom during repeated dives.
One of the first to congratulate Vescovo on his record-breaking dive was Don Walsh, who was aboard the research vessel. In 1960, Walsh and Jacques Piccard became the first humans to reach the Mariana Trench.
The dive was the fourth in a series known as the Five Deeps expedition, financed by Vescovo. The mission’s objective is to reach the deepest points of all five oceans. Prior to this, dives were made to the Puerto Rico Trench in the Atlantic, the South Sandwich Trench in the Southern Ocean, and the Java Trench in the Indian Ocean. The final stop on the list is the Molloy Deep in the Arctic, planned for August. Once complete, Vescovo intends to pass on the submersible for other research institutions to use in their own scientific studies.
1. The Quakes Of The Shrinking Moon
New data from NASA indicates that the Moon is shrinking, a process that is also causing moonquakes.
This shrinkage is due to the Moon’s interior cooling. Over the past few hundred million years, the Moon has shrunk by about 45 meters (150 feet). NASA scientists liken the process to a grape shrinking into a raisin: as it contracts, wrinkles form. The grape’s skin is flexible, so no issue arises, but the Moon’s crust is brittle, and as sections of it break and push against one another, moonquakes occur. Seismometers placed on the Moon during the Apollo missions allow NASA to closely monitor its seismic activity. Most of these quakes, resulting from the Moon’s shrinkage, register between 2 and 5 on the Richter scale.
