Weekly Weird News for October 22, 2021
Strange things resurface
Welcome to this week's curated round-up of weird news. I admit I passed on a lot of boring stories about lottery tickets, farm animals on the lam (no zebras this week), and a giant pumpkin or two to pick only the most interesting stories. I also try to provide useful updates to stories I listed previously. Sometimes it’s hard to find reporting of an answer to a mystery or a resolution to some question buried in the firehose of news blurbs, so I attempt to tie up the loose ends when I can. To start, we have a conclusion (of sorts) to a confusing tragedy that befell a beautiful California family.
Updates
Family death in Northern California caused by heat and dehydration
Finally, it appears we have the answer to why an entire family of four (including the dog) ended up dead while hiking Devil's Gulch Valley trail in California. Back in the August 20 issue of WWN, I linked to the bizarre story of the man, woman, toddler, and dog that were found deceased with no sign of foul play. At first, toxins in the surface water were suspected as the cause of death. Lightning was also considered. After toxicology results were examined, the Mariposa sheriff’s department has concluded the group was not prepared for the hot and strenuous conditions and died from the heat and dehydration. I’ll bet this will not be the end of the story and that we’ll see continued speculation online as more creative causes are proposed. The bottom line is Know your trail and pay attention to conditions! This is a terrible tragedy. https://abc30.com/mariposa-county-family-dead-hiking-trail-dies-california/11151063/
Reasonable skepticism over claims of Havana Syndrome
Many readers know that I am highly dubious of the claims that the mystery illness known as Havana Syndrome is caused by a secret directed weapon. Finally, some commentaries are appearing in news outlets noting that weapons claims don’t make sense. Not only have these “microwave weapons” not been discovered, but the medical evidence consistent with such weapons is also not there. Originally affecting US officials in Cuba, the reports are now worldwide, and even in US locales. These reports are evidence AGAINST the explanation of a targeted weapon. Instead, the condition looks very much like a social contagion or mass psychogenic illness. A writer in the WaPo makes the point that the effects sound very much like a panic attack, a reasonable condition that affects many people under stress. I’d also note that overuse of NSAIDs like ibuprofen can cause tinnitus - one of the characteristic symptoms associated with Havana Syndrome. It’s possible that people are experiencing multiple stress or illness-causing factors; it’s plausible that the reports have been erroneously linked under one “syndrome”. It will be difficult to dismantle this narrative as more efforts are being made to find a single, novel cause. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/10/20/case-havana-syndrome-skepticism/
Reasonable skepticism about alleged UK needle “attacks”
Last week, social media, mostly in the UK, were buzzing about reports of women being attacked with needles in bars. The victims feared they were drugged. However, there are many problems with these claims. First, it takes a significant effort to inject people with drugs, not just a quick needle prick. Second, it does not look like the evidence shows any serious injuries occurred. The features of these stories suggest age-old fears of “phantom needle attacks”.
Vice News has a review, suggesting we may be seeing another instance of social contagion. https://www.vice.com/en/article/wxdenq/heres-what-we-know-about-reports-of-women-being-spiked-with-needles-in-uk-clubs
Continued criticism of the Colossal project to resurrect the mammoth
A scientist asked to advise the Colossal project to recreate mammoths tells Nature journal why she thinks it’s a bad idea. She explains that the project doesn’t produce a mammoth as we expect it but “a new synthetic species, a chimaera of Asian elephant DNA and mitochondria, mammoth genetic code and, from the probable surrogate dam, African elephant epigenetics.” She calls this “synthetic biology meets geoengineering” and notes several problems with the project. Specifically, she said that the public was not asked if this was the right thing to do as it’s framed as a business venture. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02844-5
Fake giants, again
Beware that a hoaxed photo is making the news again via Facebook - ye old stand by for spreading fake news and pissing off your friends and relations when you cry foul. The photo was previously debunked years ago by Snopes and National Geographic, among many others. This time, the fact-checking site Politifact weighed in on the manipulated photo from 1999 that claims to show a giant human skeleton. It's a dinosaur dig site in which a large human skull has been digitally (and very sloppily) inserted. Why it has come back around, I don't know. People seem to lose all critical faculties and can’t help but share outrageous stories even when they suspect they aren’t true. People really want to believe in giants almost as much as mermaids. I’d bet Dr. Paul Sereno (in the black shirt) is really annoyed about this. https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/oct/12/facebook-posts/old-manipulated-photo-giant-skull-recirculates-onl/
Laying the ghost in ancient times
A 3,500-year-old cuneiform tablet revealed a secret, a faint image seen only at an angle depicting what a scholar says is a ghost. Just in time for Halloween, Dr Irving Finkel, curator of the Middle Eastern department at the British Museum says the tablet was part of a guide to getting rid of annoying ghosts. The instructions suggested to accomplish this are rather hilarious. Check out the article. https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/oct/16/figures-of-babylon-oldest-drawing-of-a-ghost-found-in-british-museum-vault
Iwo Jima ghost ships
Thanks to geologic activity around Mount Surabachi in Japan, old World War II ships scuttled after the war have resurfaced. The islands and seafloor in this area are experiencing elevation due to the seismic and volcanic activity. The area once under water has risen to reveal the ghostly hulls of the broken ships. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2021/10/19/volcanic-activity-raises-japanese-ghost-ships-deep/
Wrongly accused, by letters on a t-shirt
Did you ever wonder if those automatic license plate cameras ever make mistakes? Oh, yes they do. In the UK, a man was issued a citation because the camera read the letters off the shirt of a woman walking in a bus lane that were matched to his license plate. As the plate owner was nowhere near the site, he still was surprised to see that the computer had made such an egregious error, not only about it not being his car but that it wasn't a car at all. He didn't have to pay the fine. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/oct/18/motorist-fined-number-plate-t-shirt
Huge hailstones in Australia
Hail the size of tennis balls fell on North Queensland in Australia. The hailstones were the largest ever recorded here and caused vehicle and structural damage. Most of the hail was pellet-sized. So much fell, it looked like snow on the ground. Where the larger hailstones were recirculated vertically in the storm, multiple stones remelted and clumped together into larger conglomerates. One piece collected was 16 cm (6.3 inches) in diameter, a new record. The area experiencing more severe storms in this weather pattern. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-19/record-hailstones-falling-on-tropical-queensland/100551710
Star university student dies after hot dog eating contest
A tragic story - Madelyn Nicpon, a successful student and athlete at Tufts University, died after choking during a charity event contest for eating as many hot dogs as fast as possible. Emergency responders could not revive her and she died at the hospital. For various reasons, perhaps these kinds of events should be ceased. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tufts-university-lacrosse-player-dies-after-choking-during-hot-dog-n1282055
Heads up! Rain of sewage coming down
Back in July, a man working in his garden in Windsor, England, had a very unpleasant experience from a rain of sewage. This very strange rain is not unknown but is unusual since planes have vacuum toilets these days that almost never leak. Except when they do. The warm weather caused the frozen waste to melt on the way down and splatter the man and his property. Though the man didn’t receive compensation, he and the local council are “pissed” that the airline was not fined for the pollution. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-berkshire-58968692
Rare Mississippi piebald catfish
A piebald blue catfish was caught in the Mississippi in Missouri. The blueish body of the 36 lbs fish had dark spots. This genetic variation is quite rare. The angler released the fish after documenting the catch in photos. Very cool!
Smarter than the average bear
A black bear entered a house in Alberta, Canada and checked out a kid’s computer. The bear was first spotted in the garage. When the owner returned to find the bear missing, he assumed it left the premises. Instead, it went into a bedroom window and examined the computer monitor. The owner and neighbors safely ushered the bear back out the same window. https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/10/19/canada-bear-house-Fort-McMurray-Alberta/2941634676969/
Patterson lights
Finally, I don’t usually do UFO sightings but this one was interesting and I suspect sightings like this will become increasingly common. Residents in Patterson, NJ spotted an array of lights on Monday night, October 13. The lights were said to “change shape” and moved in a constant steady (but slow) motion until they disappeared over the mountain. The local news looked into the possiblity that they were drones flying in formation. But to me, they look very much like sky lanterns caught by the upper air stream. The “changing shape” is caused by your eye (or the camera) trying to focus on tiny points in the sky. https://pix11.com/news/local-news/new-jersey/mysterious-flying-white-circles-over-nj-spark-conspiracy/
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