Weekly Weird News for 24 December 2021

Wake up and smell the candles

Twas the week before Christmas
  And all through the news
    Were many strange stories
      To question and muse....

Welcome to the Weekly Weird Newsletter before Christmas. It’s been a stressful week trying to get last-minute food items when the stores are packed and some supplies are low. And we’re concerned about COVID cases surging. I have some weird stories about that at the end of this edition. First, there is some good news and some very strange news…

Murdering monkeys caught

Last week, I saw this awful story about monkeys in an Indian village who were stealing puppies and killing them, apparently in retaliation for the death of a monkey infant by a dog. I couldn’t bear to write up more bad news for the last edition. But this week, I see that the two langur monkeys, who also harassed children, were caught and will be released in a distant area. The villagers said there were no puppies left in the town. Monkeys are not to be messed with. They can think, they can plan, they can do harm. But there seems to be a lot that wasn’t explained in this story. How do small monkeys carry heavy puppies? How can they run away with the dogs if people chase them? How can one village have over 200 puppies and where were the adult dogs? I’m very skeptical that this story happened as reported. But, there is little doubt that village monkeys can be big pests. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/21/monkeys-blamed-for-hundreds-of-puppy-deaths-captured-in-india

Two babies survive tornado

In better news that came out of the terrible tornado outbreak, while at a grandparent’s house, two children were put into a bathtub under a blanket during the storm. The house was wrecked but they were found alive, under the tub that was upside down in the yard. Others had similar stories of sheltering inside a bathtub and coming out virtually unscathed. The heavy tub provides good protection if you are covered. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/12/20/babies-in-bathtub-kentucky-tornado/

Sightings of the Brocken specter

Foggy conditions in the mountains of Britain this week provided an opportunity for some to see the fabled Brocken spectre, an atmospheric phenomenon that occurs when the sun casts a large shadow on the clouds. The moving clouds can make for a startling and scary experience. There is often a rainbow halo around the shadow. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-59741101

Glowing Arctic Snow

“Like blue Christmas lights in the snow” was how one Arctic field researcher described the phenomenon documented for the first time ever. After collecting the bizarre-looking glowing snow, the marine scientists found tiny bioluminescent copepods. Normally not found onshore, the planktonic animals were likely deposited by very strong tides (and may have been dead at the time). Other types of bioluminescent can be produced by other single-celled animals. Previous visitors had reported the blue glowing snow but it had never been examined. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/ghostly-creatures-make-snow-glow-russian-arctic-bioluminescence

Steller’s sea eagle in Massachusetts

In another Christmas present from Mother Nature, residents of Massachusetts had a very unusual visitor - a giant Steller’s sea eagle, a native of Asia, with a wingspan of up to 8 feet. Birders flocked to catch a glimpse. It’s suspected that this could be the same bird seen previously in parts of the US and Canada. In one picture, a person caught the sea eagle next to a smaller bald eagle along the Taunton River. It made for an exciting Christmas bird count this year! https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/12/21/metro/weve-never-had-one-here-rare-stellers-sea-eagle-native-asia-has-been-hanging-out-around-taunton-river/

Giant millipede trace discovered

A huge millipede fossil found in northern England appears to be one of the largest arthropods ever found, with estimations that it was over 2 m in length. The remains, found in 2018, were part of a shed exoskeleton in deposits over 300 million years old. The paper on the animal has just been published. Though several headlines referred to it as a “bug” as big as a car, millipedes are not insects but animals called myriapods with many segments that live in moist vegetated environments. Of note, many headlines say that it was the “largest arthropod” but they are ignoring at least one species of eurypterid (extinct “sea scorpions”) which might have been larger. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/dec/21/largest-ever-giant-millipede-fossil-found-on-uk-beach

Instagram reveals new species of snake

As with the millipede story, scientific discoveries take a while to be confirmed and documented. Back in 2020, a student posted a photo of a snake he found around his town on Instagram social media app. Biologists couldn’t identify it. It was a new species. Two specimens were captured to confirm with DNA testing. A clarification for cryptid fans: This is NOT a cryptid. It was not “legendary” so the stories did not lead to its discovery by science. Its existence lends no support to the idea that Bigfoot or unknown sea monsters are still out there. https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/new-snake-species/2021/12/16/aaf772cc-5869-11ec-9a18-a506cf3aa31d_story.html

Runaway camels

Once upon a time (true story), I passed a farm in nowheresville, PA, and saw camels in the paddock. I wondered if they were used for Christmas “live” Nativity scenes. Such displays can be stressful for the animals. And sometimes, they escape. Apparently, it’s a common thing around this time of year, and it’s highly dangerous for the camels and to people. Police chased one down in Kansas this week. https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2021/12/17/camel-chase-kansas-city-christmas/

Surfin’ pig

As a surfer in Hawaii, you might be used to shark encounters. But wild boar? A woman surfing this past week in Oahu encountered a large pig swimming towards her and it bit her board. Considering the bizarre circumstances, the boar was likely trying to save itself from drowning. So, the headlines saying she was “attacked” by a wild boar are not accurate. Boars don’t attack people in the ocean simply because they don’t normally exist there. https://www.kitv.com/news/local/surf-board-wild-boar-attacks-o-ahu-surfer-in-waters-off-kaena-point/article_4992697c-6207-11ec-b70b-e717128eb533.html

Irony of the week: Anti 5G necklaces

Dutch authorities have issued a warning related to products people use to “protect” themselves against what they believe are harmful effects from 5G wireless frequencies. The pendants are sold, without evidence, with the claim that they protect people from an imagined danger, but they may be emitting ionizing radiation themselves. Many people noted this story as ironic. There are plenty of examples of people throughout history irrationally fearing non-dangerous things and, instead, using hazardous materials and practices as protectants or cures - such as natural radon treatments or toxic chemicals. (To go back even farther, we’ve all heard the stories of blood-letting.) There is nothing dangerous about 5G, which is non-ionizing. Wearing radioactive pendants, however, can cause cancer. If you fear something on the basis of entirely unreliable information, you are susceptible to falling for any claims via unreliable information. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/dec/17/anti-5g-necklaces-radioactive-dutch-nuclear-experts-quantum-pendants

Sick during a COVID pandemic? Anthrax should not be your first guess

Or your tenth. In the “you can’t make this shit up” category, a large gathering of anti-vax conspiracy theorists in Texas earlier in December resulted in many of them becoming ill with COVID symptoms. But, because they don’t “believe” the reality of COVID, and because they are entirely disconnected from reality, they concluded they were attacked with anthrax. None have tested positive for anthrax. There is, obviously, zero evidence for these claims. But these are upside-down times. Never underestimate the wicked evil power of belief and how it can blind you to your utter blindness. https://www.vice.com/en/article/k7wz5a/people-got-sick-at-a-conspiracy-conference-theyre-sure-its-anthrax

Yankee candle test

A crazy experiment first done during the initial COVID surge has been repeated and is making news again. It seems that people tend to give bad reviews for Yankee Candles during times of increased COVID infections. If people can’t smell the scents, they give the products negative reviews. The results are not rock-solid, just suggestive. But you came here from weird news, right? There you go - the Yankee Candle test to predict COVID infections. https://www.protocol.com/bulletins/amazon-yankee-candle-reviews-omicron

The same idea was tested last year at the same time with similar results. Unscented candles didn’t show this pattern. The results, however, are anecdotal, not scientific. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/12/01/covid-scented-candle-reviews/