Weekly Weird News for August 13, 2021
Dragons, snakes, and wicked reptilian perversions
Happy August. Well, not really. Most of the US is experiencing a nasty heatwave. On top of that, those of us in southeastern PA have a plague of spotted lanternflies this time of year. It's all-around icky. Sadly, some of the news is worse. This week, there seems to be a theme about dragons and reptiles in the news. I guarantee this is not a bias because I collect these stories as I find them throughout the week.
I'll get the absolute worst news out of the way first because it made me nauseated to even read it. It's unspeakably horrific.
Insidious Reptilian conspiracy idea results in murder
The owner of a surfing school in Santa Barbara California took off with his two kids (a baby and a 2 yr old) across the Mexican border on Monday. When he attempted to come back across without them, he was questioned by the FBI at which point he admitted he had killed both children by stabbing them with a spearfishing gun. The bodies had been found by authorities. The FBI affidavit said that Matthew Coleman
"... explained that he was enlightened by QAnon and Illuminati conspiracy theories and was receiving visions and signs revealing that his wife, A.C. possessed serpent DNA and had passed it onto his children. M. COLEMAN said that he was saving the world from monsters." https://abc7.com/santa-barbara-father-children-killed/10945389/
The reference to "serpent DNA" likely means that he thought his wife was one of the "lizard people" - an outrageous idea promoted by conspiracy mongers like David Icke that says that influential leaders and celebrities are shapeshifting reptilian aliens. The concept has its origin in science fiction but entered political discussions in a big way in the 2000s. It is a concept widely promoted by paranormal and End Times media. It appeals to a population feeling disenfranchised by rapid social change. Today, QAnon and other bizarre conspiracy ideas are surprisingly popular and "reflect mass rejection of reason, objectivity, and other Enlightenment values." Only a small percentage of people really believe in reptilian aliens but, going by the media coverage, it's a mainstream idea. That has had serious consequences. This demented state of things is, sadly, not going to get better anytime soon.
More mass rejection of reality
There are people who reject evolution, who are anti-vaccination, even those who claim the earth is flat. In the wave of rejection of scientific authority, there appears to be a rise in people who do not accept germ theory - another well-established scientific model of how nature works. In order to deny the reality of COVID as a worldwide disruption, social media provided a means for some people to find others who do not believe that bacteria and viruses cause illness. This trend cannot be so simply explained by lack of education. There is a deliberate ignorance at play, and a deep-seated need to gain a sense of personal control over a very scary situation that affects everyone. We can't always stop nature from killing us but there are solid efforts we can undertake to protect ourselves. Those who reject reality are dangerous spreaders of misinformation. Uh oh, there's that viral metaphor again. https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/08/deep-dive-into-stupid-meet-the-growing-group-that-rejects-germ-theory/
Cobra missing in Texas
A cobra is still missing in Grand Prairie, Texas. Here's another case of an exotic and dangerous animal possibly on the loose in Texas. The Grand Prairie police put out notice of the escaped snake on August 4. It has not yet been found. Fort Worth news reported that the owner had a permit to keep the snake but that this conflicted with a municipal ordinance that prohibited the dangerous animal. The state has no requirements for housing exotic "pets". The owner is regretful that he let the snake escape and fears it is already dead. https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/venomous-cobra-reported-missing-in-grand-prairie/2708070/
Recall the escaped tiger that created a stir in a residential Texas community a few months back. The lax regulations in Texas have created a problem with dangerous escaped exotic animals because it is easy to obtain them and no statewide ban exists.
“Dragons” in the News
Pterosaurs are often referred to as "dragons" by the media. As with any mention of plesiosaurs, you will get an obligatory reference to Nessie, pterosaurs (flying reptiles that lived during the dinosaur era) are frequently referred to as "dragons". A recent paper on a new find in Australia demonstrated that the media takes dramatic liberties with their headlines, such as: “This terrifying 'dragon' was Australia's largest flying reptile” from CNN.
It's not uncommon for news outlets to saddle animals with adjectives that reflect the editor’s personal feelings about it - scary, creepy, mutants, alien, etc. Such coarse language reveals that they have no qualified science writers on board anymore. But the worst part of this article was the researcher himself saying rather silly things like "It's the closest thing we have to a real-life dragon." Pterosaurs were not very much like dragons as depicted in fantasy fiction but the use of that word and associated dramatic adjectives can lead people to assume things about the extinct animals that are entirely incorrect. I'll fix that crappy headline from CNN linked above: “Amazing, huge new pterosaur fossil given name to represent local First Nations tribe”
More dragons! A new attraction proposed to showcase a native animal in Indonesia has created some concerns. The government of Indonesia announced a plan for Komodo National Park that would be a refuge for the native Komodo dragon - a large lizard that is not keen on having humans around and they have been known to attack. Such attacks can be fatal. The ecotourism proposal is not going over well with everyone. In addition to the concern for visitors, the animals themselves may not benefit as tourism can be highly disruptive. Even with the concerns, the plan is being rushed to completion. https://gizmodo.com/nothing-could-possibly-go-wrong-with-indonesias-plan-fo-1847429917
Asteroid threat not zero
As if we didn't have enough to be concerned about, NASA released a statement to say there is a minimal, but not zero, chance that the space rock Bennu could hit earth around the year 2300. The odds are 0.057%. I'm not going to be around. You won't either. Don't worry about it. Those who should take it seriously are the ones who must begin to design systems to deal with meteorite threats. For stories like this, it's important to not just read the headline but to understand what the research actually found. https://gizmodo.com/nasa-refines-threat-posed-by-potentially-hazardous-aste-1847468761
Haunted houses and ghost hunting
Japan celebrates O-bon, a Buddhist festival of the dead, in August. In Japan, it's believed that the boundaries between the world of the living and the dead are at their thinnest at this time of year and the spirits can cross over into our world. The festival honors ancestors who have passed on. Customs also include ghost stories and scary movies, somewhat like Halloween in the US and Christmas traditions in Europe. Haunted house attractions have exploded in popularity in Japan. This year, attractions included a zombie drive-through where people could remain distanced but still enjoy a gory fright. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/japan-summer-spooky-season-cmd/index.html
Kenilworth Lodge in Sebring, Florida is a growing hot spot for ghost hunters and paranormal investigators. The abandoned area is private property, but as we see so often, ghost hunters feel they are entitled to enter to seek adventure and scare themselves stupid. The local police have publicly warned trespassers to stay out. The warning is unlikely to do any good. The owner reiterates that there are no known ghosts here. The environment, however, is all that's needed for people to imagine incidents they will uncritically attribute to the paranormal. https://www.fox13news.com/news/paranormal-hunters-beware-police-warn-sebrings-kenilworth-lodge-is-off-limits
Tragic animal events
A tragic accident resulted from a bird defending its territory. A mother carrying an infant fell when she was set upon by a magpie in Brisbane, Australia. The five-month-old died from the injuries from the fall. Note that some of the headlines suggest that the birds attacked the baby leading to her death. That was not the case. Officials have captured and relocated the bird responsible for the attack and have placed warning signs. Magpies "swoop" at people to intimidate the intruder to leave. Ornithologists think this is a learned behavior because not all birds do it. The best response for any bird attack from the air is to protect your head with your arms and leave the area. It is not the first time that bird attacks have caused accidents resulting in a death. https://7news.com.au/news/qld/tragic-and-devastating-first-responder-reveals-new-details-after-baby-dies-following-magpie-swooping-accident-c-3646596
A lightning strike killed a herd of sheep in the Caucasus country of Georgia. The sheep, numbering about 1500, were grazing on a mountain when lightning hit the ground twice according to the owner's account. About 550 of the sheep were killed. The current from the ground strike will extend out and into the legs of the animals, killing many by stopping the heart. Similar incidents have occurred to herds of reindeer and domestic cows. https://agenda.ge/en/news/2021/2299
Discoveries from New England deep-dive project
A deep dive by biologists off the coast of Rhode Island revealed a red jellyfish that may be new to science. The unnamed jelly appears to belong to the genus Poralia which has only one species so far — Poralia rufescens. The animal was viewed via remote vehicle at a depth of 2300. It was not collected. https://www.livescience.com/blood-red-jellyfish-discovered-north-atlantic-ocean-2021.html
Another observation from the mission included what looked like a scene straight out of the Spongebob Squarepants cartoon. https://www.livescience.com/real-life-spongebob-and-patrick.html
Titanic iceberg strikes again
Five visitors to the Titanic museum in Tennessee were injured when the iceberg display collapsed. This part of the exhibit was made with real ice. That's certainly weird news but what's even weirder is why this replica and museum is located in Tennessee, which has no connection to the historic ship or its demise. However, there are a multitude of Titanic exhibits and museums across the U.S. https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/report-fla-woman-suffered-head-injuries-in-titanic-museum-ice-wall-collapse/51-b1c615db-ab2a-4f10-a7b1-bca3d5f89697
Twin City
A district in Scotland welcomes 15 sets of twins to its primary schools this year. And that's not even the record! The largest number of twins in one year was 19 in 2015 also in Inverclyde, Scotland - an area known for its prevalence of twin births. Those poor teachers! Note that these are fraternal twins, not all identical. The region has a twinning rate of 18 per 1,000 births, which is well above the Scottish average of 15 per 1,000. I could not find additional information for why this area may be prone to higher twin births. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/seeing-double-15-sets-twins-111712714.html
Crop Circle season in UK
Enjoy the latest cereal art installations
