Weekly Weird News for 11 February 2022
This stuff isn't disturbing at all...
This week, I found a number of scientifically interesting stories about natural anomalies and quite a few unnatural ones. But let’s start off with some strange “finds”.
Really old weapons found
Archaeologists found 15 Revolutionary War-era cannons in Georgia’s Savannah River. The US Army Corps of Engineers periodically dredges the channel to keep it clear for supertankers to navigate. Historians are trying to figure out where the canons came from. At least some appear to be British. https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/08/us/savannah-river-cannons-discovery/index.html
Not murders
Two stories appeared this week regarding mannequins that were mistaken to be real people. First, we return to Shah Alam, Malaysia (home of the oily man in the last newsletter), where people passing by a trash area spotted a body wrapped in plastic. Police were called and it was a relief to see what it was. Granted, it did look very gruesome and suspicious. https://www.thesundaily.my/local/stir-after-body-found-among-rubbish-CG8844062
Police were called to Hitchiti National Forest in Georgia after a report of a body found. Instead, they found a life-sized doll “complete with accessories”. Don’t even tell me what that last bit means. Also, don’t wanna know how the Deputy “quickly recognized” it. https://www.wbtv.com/2022/02/08/suspected-human-remains-turn-out-be-life-size-doll-found-ga-hiking-trail/
A third story I spotted from a British tabloid (which I won’t link to) says that a man found a headless “corpse” on a Dorset beach that turned out to be a sex doll. I imagine this is now a thing and such stories will be more common.
They’ve got that going for them
The greenskeeper at a Fife, Scotland golf club discovered a 95-year-old message in a bottle. The generic message was dated 1926 and was signed by people who used to work at the club. It’s been suggested they keep the tradition alive and bury another bottle. https://www.bunkered.co.uk/golf-news/greenkeepers-unearth-95-year-old-message-in-a-bottle
A community where no one bothers you
A woman who lived alone in Lake Como, Italy, died alone and no one noticed. Her body was discovered sitting in a chair after the fire company investigated complaints about overgrown vegetation and tree that had fallen in the yard. It’s estimated the body was there for two years; no relatives have come forward. https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/09/europe/italian-woman-two-years-dead-intl-scli/index.html
You’re not from around here, are you?
A man standing on the beach in Littlehampton Harbour in Goring, U.K. took a photo of what he thought was the fin of a great white shark. A man had been surfing there at the time. The photo was “authenticated” by a local shark fisherman and the tabloids ran the sensational story. But, it wasn’t a shark, it was the end of the Ferring Outfall pipe, visible at low water and marked by a buoy that is also visible in the photo. There are some, however, who continue to think (I use that term very generally, here) that it was a shark and that this is a cover-up story so people won’t be scared away. Why does everything have to be a conspiracy? https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/19914172.great-white-shark-sighting-off-sussex-coast-debunked-littlehampton-harbour/
Giant wave recorded
Massive waves that came out of nowhere used to be the tall tales of old sailors. But they have been since observed directly, named “rogue waves”, and, most importantly, mathematically modeled in order to predict their formation. Released this past week in (Nature) Scientific Reports, scientists present an observation of an extreme rogue wave 7 miles off Vancouver Island, B.C. in November of 2020. The observation of the Ucluelet wave was recorded by a sensor in a buoy designed to record surface elevation. The 4th crest (of about 10) of a wave that passed the buoy was 17.6 m high (57.74 feet). The typical high waves at the time were 6 meters. Rogue waves (where the height is more than twice the height of the waves around it) can occur under typical conditions, not just during rough seas. They are products of currents, winds, and interaction between waves in the ocean - in other words, physics. Calculations predict they appear about every two days in the ocean somewhere. The height of the largest wave is a result of a drawing of energy from neighboring waves. Predictive models are useful to assist ships in avoiding the waves that can cause major damage or hazards to cargo and passenger ships. There are not many sensor buoys deployed for this research so much is unknown about rogue waves. Just to be clear, rogue waves aren’t tsunamis or giant waves that rise up and crash onto the shore. They are hazards of the open sea. Nature link to paper. https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/record-breaking-rogue-wave-recorded-off-the-coast-of-vancouver-island-830202783.html
Was this bird killed by ball lightning?
A Canada goose was killed in Knutsford, England park by what observers say was a case of ball lightning. People inside an office building notice a “ball of flame” about 10 m above the ground after a normal forked bolt of lightning hit a tree nearby. It’s unclear if this really was a case of ball lightning or regular bolt lightning that causes a fire. Undoubtedly, the bird was dead. The article was accompanied by a photo of the bird with a hole in its side and parts of its internal organs expelled. (Not going to post it but click the link to see.) Ball lightning has yet to be well documented or explained by a well-tested theory because of the dangerous conditions under which it forms and the fact that it is very rare. Several reports of ball lightning are not authenticated and those posted to YouTube are usually not as described. https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/19901203.freak-ball-lightning-kills-goose-booths-park-lake/
Satellites in a storm
Space plasma was responsible for killing 40 out of 49 satellites launched by Space X just last week. A geomagnetic storm, which is plasma ejected from the sun, created increased drag that disrupted their orbit. The now unstable devices will fall back to the earth and burn up. No parts are expected to reach the ground. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-60317806
This town stinks
The town of Hattiesburg, Mississippi is becoming known for its bad smell that officials can’t locate. Residents say the stench that is described as “sewage”, “carcass”, or “ammonia” is not new. Several industrial sites in the area - a chicken plant, sewage lagoons, a yeast factory - all smell pretty nasty but, according to the department of environmental quality, those aren’t the source. https://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/2022/02/03/whats-smell-downtown-hattiesburg-residents-offer-up-theories/9291794002/
Pile o’ chicken
You can bet this didn’t smell good - a pile of dead chickens were found in the North Carolina woods. No one knows why they were dumped there. An anonymous source said they were destined for a landfill but were dumped instead. Obviously, that’s illegal, and not too smart as a large pile of carcasses will attract attention. https://www.wral.com/mysterious-hundreds-of-dead-chickens-found-in-sampson-county-woods/20119963/
Brown rain
Residents in a Las Vegas neighborhood have noticed brown splotches falling on their homes and property. The oily drops have rained from the sky and now the neighbors are highly displeased. Some suspect the substance is falling from planes. Authorities from the FAA and the state environmental agency have not responded but it’s likely they will soon due to media coverage. https://www.ktnv.com/news/no-explanation-for-mystery-liquid-falling-from-sky-over-neighborhood
Bee-napping
A Pennsylvania grocery store chain had 60,000 honey bees stolen from colonies established at their corporate headquarters. None of the articles I’ve been able to find have cited the evidence that they were stolen, as opposed to missing. However, bees are not active in January meaning it’s unlikely they dispersed and, in the cold conditions, would have been easier to remove and transport. While the number of bees seems high, this is normal for one large hive. Bee-napping can be a lucrative crime. https://www.abc27.com/news/top-stories/60000-bees-stolen-from-giant-headquarters-in-carlisle/
A pregnant woman’s desperation
A woman in Pakistan sought aid from a quack “faith healer” in order to ensure she gave birth to a boy. The desperate woman allowed the practitioner to insert a nail into her skull (or she did it herself, details are unclear). She later could not extract the 2-inch nail so she went to the hospital where she was treated and left. The hospital staff did not report the event to the police but after the case appeared online, police began investigating. The nail did not reach her brain but such a practice is clearly potentially fatal. An Indian news source reports the hospital staff were told that the woman’s husband threatened to leave her if her fourth child was another girl. https://indianexpress.com/article/world/nail-pakistan-woman-baby-boy-7766058/
Moose attacks sled dogs
A woman and her sled dog team training in Alaska had a terrifying encounter with a huge bull moose. The moose charged them. She managed to free some of the dogs but the moose attacked the remaining dogs and didn’t leave. She shot the moose several times but it didn’t leave. Finally, help arrived and the moose was put down. The injured dogs are recovering. More people are attacked by moose than bear in Alaska. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/moose-attacks-iditarod-sled-team-4-dogs-injured-bridgett-watkins/
Latest mystery booms - Indiana and New Jersey
I’ve been tracking the mystery booms in the news. It looks like some places may be experiencing frost quakes from the cold weather. But some mystery sounds are more widespread. In Tipton, Indiana, loud booms at night, sometimes accompanied by a flash, have been reported for weeks. Authorities can’t pinpoint the cause. https://www.niagara-gazette.com/news/mysterious-booms-grip-indiana-town/article_8fffe2f7-b813-5351-866b-0305a5c61939.html
A significant event was noted in southern New Jersey that most people thought was an earthquake or sonic boom. The noise was loud enough to shake homes. Some reported a double boom while others experienced several seconds of shaking. No seismic activity was recorded so it did not come from the ground. https://6abc.com/nj-earthquake-mysterious-booms-new-jersey-cape-may-county/11549482/
Frites perfume
Finally, here’s an idea for your foodie Valentine: sponsored by the Idaho potato commission https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2022/02/10/Idaho-Potato-Commission-Frites-perfume/6501644518013/
