Weekly Weird News for 13 May 2022

Thanks for joining me this Friday the 13th. It’s not the unlucky day that’s bringing us bad news but, unfortunately, the weird news is pretty dark this week due to climate change (and the authoritarian crusade in US politics - but I’ll steer clear from that hellscape). We all have to be aware of the state of the world and what’s likely to come but I do try to find some diversions this week. Stick with me to the end. And thanks.

More found at Lake Mead

More human remains have been discovered at Lake Mead. Two ladies paddle-boarding on the lake found bones in a sandbar that was previously submerged. There is no word yet on the cause of death. https://abcnews.go.com/US/ghastly-effect-drought-bodies-emerging-lake-mead/story?id=84590523

This article from NBC news associates the bodies found in the drought-lowered lake to a similar example - the recovery of bodies in the Himalayas that have been located recently as the snow and ice levels receded. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/are-bodies-buried-climate-change-showing-us-rcna28099

Red skies

Doomsday sites salivated over news of a blood-red sky in China. The truth is far less apocalyptic. Video shows a dramatic red illuminated patch in the sky of Zhoushan, China on May 7. The glow was caused by a red light on a boat in the harbor exaggerated by the low clouds. The conditions were just right, misty and foggy, for the aerosols to refract and scatter the light. https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/apocalyptic-blood-red-sky-perplexes-locals-in-eastern-china/1186546

But, the orange sky in New Mexico is a harbinger of doom. A huge wildfire destroys hundreds of homes. Wildfires continue to rage in the southwest due to extreme drought conditions. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/largest-us-wildfire-threatens-new-mexico-town-ski-resort-2022-05-11/

Record heat in southern Asia

India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka are also experiencing record heat for weeks now causing deaths of people and animals. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/12/dehydrated-birds-falling-from-sky-in-india-amid-record-heatwave and https://www.vox.com/23057267/india-pakistan-heat-wave-climate-change-coal-south-asia

In Pakistan, meltwaters from the Shishper glacier resulted in a bridge collapse. https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/pakistan-hassanabad-bridge-destroyed-glacier-flood-1947948-2022-05-11

A severe storm battered the shore of Andhra Pradesh in India and delivered a floating gold “chariot” onto the beach. The large object wasn’t made of gold, but painted gold. It resembled a monastery. The object was dated January 2022. The news caused a bit of a stir as people thought a windfall from a foreign country landed on their shores. Where it came from hasn’t yet been determined but likely Myanmar, Malaysia, or Thailand.  https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/cyclone-asani-mysterious-gold-colour-chariot-from-another-country-washes-ashore-in-andhra-pradesh-101652253744283.html

Exploding toilet

A bolt of lightning struck the roof of an Oklahoma apartment building, traveled through the exhaust pipe, and blew up a toilet in one of the units. No one was hurt; the unit was vacant. But it does show that lightning travels in mysterious ways. Remember that it’s not totally safe to take a shower or bath during a lightning storm because the electricity can travel along the pipes. https://www.fox13news.com/news/lightning-destroys-toilet-oklahoma-apartment-fire-department-reports 

The silly “road to Atlantis” story

Weird news sites had a field day with what was really just an interesting discovery by a deep-sea camera crew studying the seamounts of the volcanic Pacific ocean floor. The camera captured a flat, patterned surface 1000 meters below sea level. The patterning and light from the camera made the surface look like uneven golden bricks, leading the researchers to exclaim that it looked like the “road to Atlantic” or the “yellow brick road” of Oz. Well, that’s all it took to get fringe believers salivating over the clay crust. The pattern, while odd, is caused by natural forces that cracked the surface crust in this brick-like pattern. It’s not man-made and it’s certainly not mysterious to the point where a non-natural origin should even be suggested. But the slightest whiff of weirdness will cause clickbait sites to exaggerate and take the images out of context. Unfortunately, even well-meaning headlines from science news sites lead people to believe they discovered a “road” under 1000 meters off Hawaii. That’s just wrong. https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-spot-a-yellow-brick-road-in-a-never-before-seen-spot-of-the-pacific-ocean

See the video of the find below.

Missing baby wallaby

A 5-month-old wallaby disappeared from an enclosure in the Detroit Zoo. Officials now fear that the rabbit-sized marsupial was taken by a raptor. There are native predatory birds around the park. It’s unlikely that someone took the joey. It disappeared overnight. https://www.mlive.com/news/2022/05/missing-detroit-zoo-wallaby-joey-likely-snatched-from-above.html

The swallows came home to roost in Redding

Many dozens of birds entered a California home through a chimney while the residents were on vacation and left $20,000 worth of damage. The birds were in almost every room. Homeowners’ insurance won’t cover the costs because the policy excludes “birds”. Weird. https://local21news.com/news/offbeat/california-couple-returns-home-to-find-house-filled-with-birds-redding-sacramento-swallows-state-farm

Historic Goodwill find

A woman purchased a marble bust from a Goodwill store in Austin, Texas for $35. Later, when trying to discover its history, she learned it was 2000 years old and from ancient Rome. The artwork was authenticated from photos showing it on display in Germany until WW2 when it disappeared. It was likely stolen from the items moved out during the war. It’s unclear how it made it to Texas in 2018. After display in a local museum, it will be returned to Germany. https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/07/us/ancient-roman-statue-bought-texas-goodwill-trnd/index.html

Weird Mars

Weird Mars rocks have been a perpetual clickbait topic, discovered and popularized by people with vivid imaginations, conspiratorial ideas, and a bit too much time to spare. This week, NASA released a photo that appeared to show an artificial doorway in a cliff. Shared widely on Reddit, but now removed, the photo was deceptive. The “portal” is a very exaggerated zoom-in on a distance area in the landscape from a mosaic of photos. Here is the area zoomed in considerably. The area in question is this small portion in red.

The actual “door” is only about a foot wide. As can be seen, the area is full of fractures and weathered crevasses and rock faces. Context is important. Also, never trust pro-UFO people with “evidence”. https://www.cnet.com/science/space/sorry-nasa-didnt-spot-a-secret-doorway-on-mars/

Scientists also saw images of long fault troughs on the Mars surface. ScienceAlert, a science news site, wins the award for bad headlines this week by suggesting these are “claw marks”, calling the above crevasse an “alien doorway” and repeating the “yellow brick road” remark.

Such mystery mongering in headlines by a science site is irresponsible. Most people only read headlines. When they see such words associated with a scientific site that they think is legitimate, they are misled. When you see nonsense like that - call them out on it on social media. 

Mystery balloon

An unidentified balloon was spotted over east Tennessee last week. People first thought it was a UFO. However, the object was tracked and was identified as an “internet” balloon - part of the Project Loon to increase internet access. HOWEVER, that project stopped launching balloons last year. The object is definitely a high-altitude balloon but no one has claimed ownership. https://www.actionnews5.com/2022/05/12/east-tennessee-ufo-identity-mystery/

4 yr old missing person case solved in 20 minutes

A missing person’s case from 2018 was solved in 20 minutes by an underwater sonar search team. The missing teen’s car was located in the Snake River and human remains were inside. The member of the team used the location of the last cellphone ping and searched the water there. The vehicle was 75 yards down the boat ramp in 8 feet of water. Technology reliably works when human detectives (and psychics) fail. https://www.eastidahonews.com/2022/05/lead-diver-and-investigator-talks-about-finding-jed-halls-vehicle-in-the-snake-river/

Pilot in a pinch

In a good news story, a man with no pilot experience managed to safely land a Cessna plane after the pilot fell ill and was incoherent. The man contacted air traffic control where a flight instructor talked him through the perfect landing at Charlotte, N.C. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/florida-passenger-lands-plane/index.html

Gef the talking mongoose to hit the screen

There have been rumors of bringing the bizarre story of a strange haunting from the Isle of Man to the cinema. Now, it looks like a go. The account from the 1930s was never fully explained: a family in a very remote house experienced what might be called a “haunting” that manifested as a foul-mouthed talking animal over several years, named Gef. Simon Pegg will portray Nandor Fodor, a psychoanalyst who investigated the case in person. Pegg has many paranormal-themed movie credits. https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/simon-pegg-and-minnie-driver-on-for-dark-comedy-nandor-fodor-and-the-talking-mongoose/