Paul Seaburn December 31, 2021

Mysterious News Briefly — December 31, 2021 (Happy New Year!)

If you’re looking for the ultimate goth home, an octagon-shaped Illinois home listed for $250,000 has an all-black exterior and interior, but the owner says he’s not goth and the house is actually bright on the inside due to natural and overhead lighting. Then why do the doorknobs look like piercings?

Botanists studying wild Begonias in Tibet, China, found one measuring 3.6 meters (11.8 feet) high which has now been confirmed to be a new species and the largest Begonia ever. Shame on you if reading this news about the biggest Begonia makes you go “Heh-heh … he said begonia.”

Researchers studying the wreck of a Carthaginian ship sunk 2,2000 years ago in a battle with the Romans found at least 114 animal species living on the ship’s ram — a beak-shaped battering weapon on the front used to damage an enemy’s boat. Bad news – it took 2,200 years for a fight for supremacy to finally turn into a haven for diversity.

Harvard and Nanyang Technological University experts have developed a new clear biodegradable ‘smart pack’ that keeps fish, meat and vegetables fresher longer by slowly releasing antimicrobials to kill E. coli and salmonella. How about a one for cookies that kills the desire to eat the whole package?

Michael ‘Rich’ Clifford, a NASA astronaut who flew three space shuttle missions in the 1990s including one where he hid the fact that he had Parkinson’s disease, died this week at the age of 69. Astronauts still have the right stuff – at least the NASA ones do (we’re looking at you, Bezos).

A new study at The Ohio State University shows how cell membranes curve to create the “mouths” that allow the cells to consume things that surround them – solving a 40-year-old mystery on the mechanics of cell eating. Now is it time to study how cells belch?

A trail cam in southeastern Ohio photographed five bobcats together in a wooded area — an uncommon occurrence for the animals that usually roam in solitude. Who had “bobcats” in the lottery to predict who will lead the animal takeover?

It rained fish on December 29 during a storm in Texarkana, Texas, but officials assured residents it was just a natural phenomenon caused by wind or a waterspout. “Next time use bigger fish” said the year 2021 to 2022.

More good news from the James Webb Space Telescope – the effort to unfold it so far used less fuel that expected and NASA thinks this could double its lifespan. “Don’t count your chickens,” warned Hubble.

Archaeologists from the National Museum of Costa Rica found another mysterious 1.23 meter (in diameter) pre-Columbian stone sphere in perfect condition and in its original place covered with earth from a nearby canal – these huge perfectly-rounded stones were human-made beginning in 600 CE and thought to be used for decorations. Feel embarrassed yet about your plastic flamingos?

Tico Archaeologists Find a New Pre-Columbian Sphere in Palmar Sur de Osa
Archaeologists from the National Museum of Costa Rica identified a new pre-Columbian stone sphere located at a p…

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