Buzz
A lot can unfold over the course of a week. With so much going on, it’s tough to stay updated on all the key headlines. Thankfully, we’ve got your back. Click here to dive into some major global events, or simply keep reading to discover the oddest stories from this week.
This week’s collection includes some bizarre sports stories, like tipsy curlers and gassy dart players. We’ve also got two strange animal tales and a couple about individuals with a need for speed. To top it off, we take a look at one of the darkest years in human history.
10. Gamma-Ray Burst In The Milky Way
A study published in Nature Astronomy suggests that, for the first time in our galaxy, humans could witness a gamma-ray burst (GRB), one of the most intense and catastrophic events in the cosmos.
The doomed star, located in a binary system 8,000 light-years away from Earth, has been dubbed “Apep” after the ancient Egyptian serpent god of chaos. It piqued the interest of astronomers due to the pinwheel nebula surrounding two metal-rich Wolf-Rayet stars.
Researchers observed something unusual. Using the Very Large Telescope in Chile and the Anglo-Australian Telescope in Australia, they found stellar winds racing at an astounding 12 million kilometers per hour (7.5 million mph). In contrast, the dust particles carried by the gas moved at a much slower pace of 2 million kilometers per hour (1.2 million mph).
This observation suggested that the winds at the poles of the star were much faster than at the equator, a phenomenon that occurs when a star is spinning so rapidly that it starts to tear itself apart. This process could trigger a GRB.
A GRB is one of the universe’s most massive explosions. It’s thought to happen when a massive star goes supernova and collapses into either a black hole or a neutron star. These bursts can last from milliseconds to hours and, during that brief period, can release as much energy as the Sun emits throughout its entire lifetime.
For a long time, scientists believed that a GRB could never occur in the Milky Way, since all of our galaxy’s massive stars were too metal-rich and decelerated as they shed mass. Apep is proving this theory wrong. Luckily, Earth lies outside the path of the GRB, but we still get a front-row seat to witness one of the universe’s most thrilling events.
9. Darts Match Disrupted by Controversy
A strange incident has unfolded in the world of darts, as two players have accused each other of farting during a match.
Last week, Scotsman Gary Anderson faced off against Dutch player Wesley Harms in the 2018 Grand Slam of Darts quarter-finals. Anderson emerged victorious with a 10–2 win, but Harms later made an unusual accusation. He alleged that Anderson had repeatedly farted during the match, and that the smell was responsible for his poor performance.
Following the classic rule of “he who smelt it dealt it,” Anderson then accused Harms of being the one responsible for the unpleasant smell, which he claimed resembled rotten eggs.
Both players have denied any wrongdoing. Their defense appears to be that they’ve both admitted to farting during previous matches, so why not own up to it now? Harms firmly stated that his accuser was “1,010 percent wrong,” while Anderson, with a bit more flair, responded, “You can put your finger up my arse, there’ll be no smell there.”
After a week of back-and-forth accusations, a security guard stepped forward and admitted to being the true source of the distracting scent.
8. The Acquetico Grand Prix
Acquetico, a small village with only 120 residents, is located in the northern part of Italy, close to the French border. Back in September, the mayor decided to test a speed camera near the town’s main pedestrian crossing after numerous complaints about speeding drivers. After two weeks, the data came in—58,568 speeding offenses.
On average, a vehicle was caught speeding, exceeding the 50 kilometers per hour (31 mph) limit, every few minutes. The most extreme offender was caught zooming at 135 kilometers per hour (84 mph).
Mayor Alessandro Alessandri described the findings as “madness.” However, he believes he has pinpointed the main reasons why his tiny town attracts so many speeders.
He believes that the road’s poor quality, narrowness, and constant curves make it an appealing track for races between larger towns, particularly for motorcyclists. More importantly, it serves as a shortcut for drivers heading to Italy’s northern coast, as it allows them to avoid speed radars, tolls, and speed bumps. At this point, the mayor is considering making the speed camera a permanent fixture.
7. Why Wombats Have Cube Poop
Scientists have discovered that wombats create cube-shaped poop due to the varying elasticity within their intestines.
This phenomenon is unique to wombats in the animal kingdom. They can produce up to 100 cubes each night, arranging them in piles to mark their territory and communicate with other wombats. The cube shape helps prevent the droppings from rolling away.
Curious about the biological process behind this, researchers led by Patricia Yang from the Georgia Institute of Technology analyzed the digestive tracts of wombats killed in car accidents in Tasmania. They compared them to pig intestines and discovered that the last eight percent of the wombat intestines have variable elasticity, allowing the poop to form distinct cubes.
Dr. Yang believes that this unique mechanism could be applied in manufacturing processes as an alternative method for producing cubes.
6. False Alarm
Firefighters in Daventry, Northamptonshire, England, responded to an emergency call, only to find that the source of the alarm was a parrot mimicking the sound of a fire alarm.
Steve Dockerty, a retiree, has two parrots named Jazz and Kiki. Jazz, an African grey parrot, is famous for its impressive ability to imitate various sounds, including human speech.
Recently, Steve was on the phone with his carers, who heard what sounded like a smoke alarm in the background and promptly alerted the fire department. Firefighters arrived but couldn’t find any fire. After inspecting all the smoke detectors, they kept hearing the “alarm” sound. Eventually, they realized it was Jazz making all the noise.
5. The Once-Leaning Tower Of Pisa
Visitors to Italy may need to rethink their typical photos of pretending to push, as the Leaning Tower of Pisa is now standing tall and straight.
The construction of the tower began in the 12th century, originally intended as a standard bell tower. However, the foundation was laid on soft ground that couldn’t support the weight, which caused the structure to tilt. While this seemed problematic at first, the tower eventually stabilized, becoming one of Italy’s most famous landmarks.
For 800 years, everything proceeded as normal. But in 1990, the Italian government closed the tower to the public due to concerns it might collapse. A restoration team was assigned to address the tilt, which had reached 5.5 degrees. By 2001, after repairs, the tilt was reduced to 3.97 degrees, and the tower was reopened.
In recent findings, however, the Leaning Tower of Pisa has continued to straighten even after restoration efforts. Over the past two decades, it has lost an additional 4 centimeters (1.6 inches), or half a degree of tilt.
Rest assured, this doesn’t mean the tower will eventually stand perfectly straight. It has simply found a new balance and stabilized itself once again.
4. Lost In 49 Minutes
A German teenager made a brief record when he lost his driver’s license a mere 49 minutes after earning it.
After passing his driving test, the 18-year-old was caught speeding at nearly double the speed limit in the town of Hemer. The police clocked him driving 95 kilometers per hour (60 mph) in a 50-kilometer-per-hour (30 mph) zone, with four friends in the car. Officers believed he was showing off his new driving skills.
The young man faces a €200 fine and two penalty points on his license. In addition, he has been banned from driving for four weeks, and will only be able to reclaim his license after undergoing costly retraining. To make matters worse, his probationary period as a new driver has been extended from two years to four.
3. Missing Submarine Located
Argentine authorities have reported that they have located the submarine that vanished in the South Atlantic over a year ago, with 44 crew members onboard.
The ARA San Juan went missing on November 15, 2017, while en route to Mar del Plata. A huge rescue operation was launched, involving ships and planes from 11 nations. The mission was called off after two weeks when it became clear the crew had run out of air, but the search efforts persisted.
The submarine was ultimately located by Ocean Infinity, a US-based company that specializes in deepwater searches. The ARA San Juan was discovered 870 meters (2,850 feet) beneath the surface on the ocean floor.
Argentine officials have stated that they do not have the necessary equipment to retrieve the submarine from such a profound depth but may hire a private company to handle it. While much of the submarine's hull remains intact, it has suffered some deformation. This aligns with the prevailing theory that the sub experienced an implosion.
One of the final communications from the ARA San Juan was a report from the captain about a short circuit in the vessel's battery system. Several days later, an American international nuclear weapons monitoring station recorded a sound that resembled an explosion in the same region.
2. The Most Catastrophic Year in Human History
Next time you're feeling down, just remember that at least you're not living in the year AD 536. A team led by Harvard archaeologist and historian Michael McCormick has labeled that year as the worst time in human history.
What made 536 so disastrous? It set the stage for a series of mysterious weather phenomena that triggered the most intense short-term cooling event in the Northern Hemisphere in thousands of years. Extreme events included droughts, dense fog, and even snow in the summer.
These weather anomalies led to widespread crop failures, causing famine from Ireland to China. Just a few years later, the world was hit by the Plague of Justinian, the deadliest pandemic ever up until that point.
Most scientific explanations point to a massive volcanic eruption or a meteorite impact as the likely causes of the extreme weather events. Ice core samples from the era reveal significant sulfate deposits, which lend support to the volcanic winter theory.
McCormick believes he has found the cause: a catastrophic volcanic eruption in Iceland in 536 that blanketed the Northern Hemisphere with ash. This eruption was followed by two more in 540 and 547, which caused European progress to stagnate for nearly a century.
1. Tipsy On The Ice
A Canadian curling team was disqualified from the 2018 Red Deer Curling Classic for being too drunk to compete.
The team, led by Jamie Koe and including Olympian Ryan Fry, was set to play a match on Saturday afternoon. It remains unclear whether they arrived at the Red Deer Curling Center already drunk or indulged in a bit too much while waiting. Regardless, by game time, all team members were in no condition to play.
Realizing he was too intoxicated to participate, Koe pulled out of the match, leaving his team shorthanded. Throughout the game, the other members became a major distraction to the matches being played nearby.
Fry, in particular, became increasingly unruly, cursing loudly and smashing three brooms. His outbursts didn’t stop there, as the team continued their rampage in the locker room, kicking around other players' bags, with Fry even punching a hole in a wall.
The team has since issued public apologies for their misconduct, both to the curling club and the public. As a result, they’ve been disqualified from the remainder of the bonspiel (curling tournament) and all future Red Deer Curling Classic events.
