Aussie Au

Australian man 42-year-old Mick Brown hit the jackpot with his metal detector near Wedderburn, Victoria. Only 6" (15 cm) beneath the surface of the earth, he found a 6 lb (2.7 kg) gold nugget, worth about $107,000 U.S. ($141,000 Australian). Brown describes first mistaking the discovery for a big molten blob of copper, then the realization dawned, "I thought bugger me, it is, it's bloody gold."

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Octoportrait

This is the result of an octopus turning the tables on digital media producer Ben Savard of Middlebury College in Vermont, U.S., when he was documenting the animals studied in the Neuroscience Department. He relates, "I put a GoPro in a waterproof casing, set it to take a rapid number of photos per second and, with the help of the neuroscience student behind me in the photos, placed the camera in the octopus tank. We did this a few times with different octopuses and one of the more cheeky cephalopods grabbed the camera and turned it around on me for a quick couple of pictures."

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Remote rumors

This puffin-hunting lodge, with no electricity or indoor plumbing, was built in 1953 and is now trumpeted as the most isolated house in the world. It is located on the island of Elliðaey, part of the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago south of Iceland. While native pop singer Björk may or may not have considered buying the property, and Iceland may or may not be interested in selling the islands off its coast, the fact is that it was not presented to her as a gift by the government of the country grateful for the attention she has brought it.

 

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Fetuses in fetu

Fetus in fetu is a developmental abnormality in which a mass resembling a fetus (IMAGE ABOVE) develops within the body. According to one theory the growth is a mature teratoma (a kind of tumor), but according to another theory it begins as a normal fetus but is absorbed by its own twin within the womb. The condition has been documented 200 times in the medical literature, but the case reported in the Hong Kong Medical Journal, in which a Chinese baby was born in 2010 containing two fetuses of its own, is a little atypical. The authors write:

In our case, both the twin parasitic fetuses had body weights, sizes, and fetal structures that corresponded well with a gestational age of 10 weeks. A normal ultrasound during the early antenatal period rather suggests that they might have been tiny parasitic fetuses that had grown slowly with the ‘patient’ and reached their significant sizes at term, instead of the popular theory of early normal development followed by parasitic inclusion and arrest of growth. Although with limited antenatal documentation, our case report does not support the popular monozygotic multiple pregnancy theory, and favours, by default, the traditional classification into a teratoma.

But of course the popular media is blaring headlines about a baby born pregnant with twins.

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His hysterectomy

A 37-year-old businessman from Lancashire, U.K., has been discovered to have a fully functioning womb. An MRI scan performed because he was suspected of having bladder cancer revealed a complete set of female reproductive organs. Doctors believe the man has persistent Mullerian duct syndrome (PMDS), a rare intersex condition usually diagnosed at birth or at puberty. Rather stupefied, he exclaims, "The diagnosis came as a bombshell. I’ve never seen myself as anything but an ordinary bloke who has a normal sex life. I was shocked when the consultant said I had a fully functioning set of women’s reproductive organs, and I was even having periods. It appears I could even potentially get pregnant. But I’ve been told by doctors I’ll be having a hysterectomy in the next few weeks. Bizarrely, that could lead to menopause.”

 

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Birds of (poisoned) prey

Bald eagles in Florida saved a step by eating some already dead animals at the local landfill. But this should not have caused them to sicken and die. That was the fault of shortcuts taken by the Marion County animal shelter, which by law was supposed to incinerate or bury pets that had been put down. The Ocala Post reports of one necropsy, "Test results showed the eagle had been poisoned with pentobarbital, a drug commonly used by veterinarians to euthanize animfals."

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Over-the-top

Norma F. Brewer, of Fairfield, Connecticut, U.S., was a prankster, a character trait to which her surviving relatives eagerly attest. Her most recent – and final – case in point is the first paragraph of her obituary, which she penned herself:
Norma Rae Flicker Brewer, a resident of Fairfield, passed away while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. She never realized her life goal of reaching the summit, but made it to the base camp. Her daughter, Donna, her dog, Mia, and her cats, came along at the last minute. There is suspicion that Mrs. Brewer died from hypothermia, after Mia ate Mrs. Brewer's warm winter boots and socks.

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Unboiling an egg

"Yes, we have invented a way to unboil a hen egg,” says molecular biologist and biochemist Gregory Weiss of the University of California, Irvine, of his team of colleagues and students. The University has now filed for a patent on the process, which involves adding a urea substance to reliquefy the solid material. On a molecular level, a vortex fluid device developed in Australia is used to stress the thin, microfluidic films, untangling the lysozyme proteins and forcing them back into proper form. The team claims the discovery has the potential to transform industrial and research production of proteins, with food production applications for use in farming and cheese-making, and pharmaceutical applications for cancer study and treatment.

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Tarrare tucks in

To satisfy his unnatural hunger, 17th c. French showman and soldier Tarrare would eat anything – and I mean anything. In addition to vast amounts of meat, he had been known to down corks, stones, live animals (cats, snakes, lizards, puppies, and even a whole eel without chewing), a basketful of apples at a time, and a meal intended for 15 people in a single sitting. Nothing was enough and he scavenged in gutters, through refuse piles, and outside butcher shops. Doctors tried to help him, but he attempted to drink the blood of other patients and to eat the corpses in the hospital morgue. When Tarrare fell under suspicion of eating a toddler, they kicked him out and a few years later he died and was autopsied (READ MORE HERE).

 

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Beaver bombardier

Elmo Heter was an Idaho Fish and Game officers tasked with relocating beavers from an area of the state that was growing in population. He soon learned that horses and mules are easily spooked when loaded with live beavers. He conceived, tested, and implemented a plan to drop 76 beavers in the backcountry using surplus World War II parachutes and boxes that broke open when they landed. "The savings in man hours, and in the mortality of animals, is quite evident. Sex ratios are maintained. The beavers are healthier, and in better condition to establish a colony," Heter boasted in the Journal of Wildlife Management. Thus, the great 1948 Idaho beaver airlift went down in state history.

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T-Boned

This object had been lodged in the forearm of Arthur Lampitt of Granite City, Illinois, U.S., until it was surgically removed last month. The car accident 51 years ago that caused the injury was so severe it was first reported as a fatality, and resulted in a broken hip that drew attention away from his arm. "We see all kinds of foreign objects like nails or pellets, but usually not this large, usually not a turn signal from a 1963 T- Bird," says hand surgeon Timothy Lang. Asked what he may do with it, Lampitt replied that he may turn it into a keychain.

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Collision/explosion

On the eve of my post about an exploding fireworks factory in Columbia, news of more impromptu fireworks displays on a snowy highway in Galesburg, Michigan, U.S. Hazardous weather conditions yesterday caused a pileup of 123 vehicles, killing one person and injuring 16 others. The series of crashes included a truck carrying 440,000 pounds (200,000 kg) of hazardous materials and another truck hauling fireworks, both of which subsequently caught fire. A haz-mat team determined that the hazardous materials burned off, and the fireworks resulted in a spectacular display captured on video.

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Goes boom

A cameraman from a local TV station was knocked to the ground but continued filming as a series of spectacular blasts occurred in Granada, Columbia, over the weekend (VIDEO IN LINK). A fireworks factory caught fire and its contents erupted, rocking neaby houses but only causing minor injuries. It took a team of 30 firefighters 6 hours to put out the blaze, and arson has not been ruled out as the cause.

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Molten marshmallow

After New Zealand volcano experts Bradley Ambrose and Simon Turner descended 1,312ft (400m) deep into the Marcum Crater on Vanuatu, they paused near the lava lake so that Turner could toss back a beer and toast a marshmallow on a tent pole. But it was more than just the world's most extreme photo op, according to Turner: "It ended up being one of the most perfectly-cooked marshmallows I have ever tasted. 'Perfect and crusty on the outside without being burned - it had just the right amount of a gooey centre but without getting it all over your fingers."

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Owl interaction

Japanese trends have moved beyond cat cafés and bunny cafés to eateries featuring live owls. Owl cafés and teahouses have sprung up in both Tokyo and Osaka. Blogger La Carmina visited the Fukuro no Mise ("Owl Shop"), where staff assisted in placing an owl on her head (IMAGE ABOVE, MORE HERE) as she sipped coffee. She describes, "All the birds are tame, and have a leg attached to the perch by string. I had an hour to enjoy their company and sip a drink that is included with the cover charge. The café doesn’t serve food, so I didn’t have to worry about beaks pecking at my plate."

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Hippopotamusaurus

Last week, a hippo was injured (not killed) when it panicked and jumped through the window of a truck in which it was being transported. The animal is a star attraction at a farm in Taiwan, and the noise when it jumped from the vehicle, landed on a parked car, and fell to the ground drew attention. Crowds gathered and some confused residents reported to the authorities that a dinosaur was on the loose.

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Monkey business

In Bali, a woman attempted to take a selfie with a monkey, but it yanked on her hair, leaving them both screaming (IMAGE ABOVE). Meanwhile, in Marseilles, France, a feral monkey had to be subdued with a taser when it began menacing elementary school children who had been feeding it chocolate.

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Eighteen lives lived

Sadly, Frank and Louie, the two-faced cat of Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S., passed on Thursday. Living longer than any other Janus cat on record, Frank and Louie reached the incredible age of 15. While reeling from the unexpected death of the cat she raised from a kitten, owner Marty Stevens admits, "I would love to do it again."

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Water closet waterfall

A Chinese trade show for pottery and porcelain products has commissioned an art project. Composed of some 10,000 recycled toilet bowls, urinals, and sinks, the 328' (100 m) long and 16' (5 m) tall monstrosity will remain a permanent installation in Foshan, Guangdong Province.

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Brahma baby

"Hundreds are crying in the streets, hundreds of others are praying and setting up camp here. Some are even panicking and believe this is a sign of the end of the world. I have never seen anything like this in my whole career," says a police spokesperson in Baruipur, West Bengal State, India, about the throngs of pilgrims arriving to see a child born with 4 arms and 4 legs. Although the condition is due to an incompletely formed conjoined twin, it is viewed as divine. Because multiple limbs are common among Hindu deities, the parents have named him God Boy.

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