Weekly Weird News for July 23, 2021
There were not as many interesting weird stories this week. I wonder if the dearth of truly remarkable stories is a prelude to August when the silly season kicks in. Historically, late summer means little is going on in terms of real news, so the mass media focuses on trivial strangeness to get people's attention. The quality is often poor and the angle taken by poorly-informed reporters is often misleading. But, sometimes those stories are a whole lot of fun. Let's remember that the Montauk Monster was found in July, 2008. Maybe we'll get lucky again with a mysterious carcass. But it is not this week.
In perusing the usual unusual sources, I found a number of straight science stories represented in overly dramatic fashion with tricked-out misleading headlines. Then there were the typical speculative stories that came through dubious tabloids or "oddity" sources. These cannot be trusted. I could tell the other paranormal news pages were also feeling the famine of juicy news because they were posting some rather weak stories about haunting claims and monster sightings. I'm afraid these were nothing notable for those who are looking for valuable information. So, after sifting through the dreck, here's what I came up with of interest for this week that warrants a closer look.
Weather anomalies continue to dominate the news
Smoke from wildfires in the Western US now affects everyone in the lower 48 states causing air quality issues.
Alaska thunderstorms
It's not usual to see strong thunderstorms in the Arctic but with global warming, they are happening now. Three successive storms with accompanying lightning passed through northern Alaska last week. If climate trends continue, predictions are that three times the average number of such storms will occur in the upcoming years. Lightning threatens to start fires that can add to the trouble of warming temperatures. Anyone who continues to doubt global warming and the problems it will bring for every place around the world is deliberately ignorant. It's happening now. https://www.newsminer.com/scientists-surprised-to-see-3-rare-successive-thunderstorms-north-of-alaska/video_c957cb8b-3f6d-576b-b162-537db1952b50.html
UAE cloud seeding produces rain
In the past two weeks, the UAE has had constant rain and claim that the process worked. There are plenty of clouds produced naturally, but the seeding process allows the clouds to release moisture. The desert country has been testing cloud seeding techniques for decades and has had some success. Current cloud seeding is done by salt crystal flares launched into warm clouds. In March 2021, the country began testing rain-enhancement efforts using drones that involved changing the balance of electrical charge on cloud droplets so they would condense and fall. https://www.khaleejtimes.com/news/cloud-seeding-how-the-uae-is-enhancing-rainfall-through-technology
That's not a drone, it's a planet
Well, this is embarrassing. A Scottish police officer reported that she was being pursued by a drone. It turned out to be Jupiter which appears very bright, but stationary, in the night sky. It's not the first or last time a planet has been misidentified as a moving object. In fact, it's not the thousandth time. It happens very frequently. No observer is fully objective or skilled to the point that they don't make identification mistakes. The lesson here may also be to familiarize yourself thoroughly with natural surroundings - animals, plants, sounds, and the sky - to minimize the chances that you will misinterpret normal things as unusual. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/police-officer-followed-by-jupiter-24554188
Yellowstone earthquake swarm
The Yellowstone area experienced a swarm of over 100 small tremors in the past week. The activity, centered under the lake, is not uncommon in the caldera. Such events happen with some regularity and do not indicate the ancient volcano will explode. The USGS explains that the quakes are caused by small faults readjusting in the complex structure or by movement of molten rock through the crust below. A huge eruption that could be produced by a volcanic complex like Yellowstone takes hundreds or thousands of years to build up. This structure just doesn't suddenly explode. https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/nation-world/national/article252835908.html
In other news, the Steamboat geyser seems to be erupting less, revealing that the plumbing of these natural wonders can temporarily change. Some scientists attribute the change to the drought. But when the behavior does alter, scientists can learn more about how they work. https://www.kbzk.com/news/outdoors/yellowstone-national-park-steamboat-geyser-is-erupting-less
50-ft tall ripples
Scientists have discovered mega ripple marks preserved on a lake bed in Louisiana. An energy company was collecting information using seismic surveying when the unusual structures were discovered. Geoscientists have interpreted the ripples as land effects from the asteroid impact that occurred near the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico 66 million years ago. This impact has been implicated in the mass exinction of many large reptiles including dinosaurs. The ripple marks would have been created in loose marine sediment when the tsunami waves road over the area that was underwater at the time. The scope of this impact is nearly incomprehensible. Nothing compares in current human history. https://www.livescience.com/megaripples-tsunami-dinosaur-asteroid.html
God wouldn't drive like an idiot
This is an amazing story with a perfect headline about "Jesus take the wheel". An Ohio woman tested her faith by driving fast through a red light. She hit someone and then wrecked. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt. While the woman was said to not be impaired or mentally unstable, one could argue that she indeed was not in the right mind. She faces charges including felony assault, endangering a child, and driving under suspension. She had her child in the car. Good Lord! https://fox8.com/news/woman-lets-god-take-the-wheel-as-a-test-of-faith-in-beachwood-high-speed-crash/
30 years searching for Nessie
Thirty years ago, Steve Feltham gave up pretty much everything to search full-time for the Loch Ness monster. Today, the evidence for an unknown creature in the Loch is even worse than it was then. In fact, the chances that there exists a mystery animal to account for the legend is basically nil. But one can't feel bad for Steve even though Nessie is mythical. He has lived his life doing what he loved and is an expert on the legend. People come to him for advice. He made a living being the resident expert and selling Nessie trinkets lake-side. https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/highlands/3318316/nessie-hunter-why-im-still-searching-for-the-loch-ness-monster-after-30-years/
15,000 years old viruses discovered in Tibet
Plant and animal viruses unlike anything seen before were collected from a glacier ice core over 1000 feet deep in Tibet. Viruses are ubiquitous on earth so the discovery of unique ones preserved in the ice is not surprising but it’s neat. Also, the viruses are not worrisome. It’s not a new plague that will be unleashed. Unfortunately, people have “viruses” on their minds and fear that every one is deadly. Viruses affect all life forms all the time. Viruses are the world’s most common biological entity on earth. Only a few can really hurt us. It’s important to wisely assess risk. Don’t fret about ancient viruses that won’t harm you, worry about the ones spreading rampant right now. Get vaccinated! https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/23/asia/climate-ancient-viruses-glacier-scli-intl-scn/index.html
As someone who uses a text-to-speech program to read this, it would be helpful to place the links to the stories in a hyperlink. That would make for better and easier reading for me. Please and thank.