Strange. True. Today.
The unusual, unexpected, bizarre, funny, fascinating, and occasionally inexplicable stories happening around the world.
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Stories getting attention now
After 359 days, 71 falls and a brief hospitalization, Tennessee hiker Dale Sanders has completed the Appalachian Trail and regained the title of oldest person to finish the roughly 2,190-mile route. He first set the record in 2017, at age 82.
2 sources reporting
Prediction-market platform Kalshi has permanently banned former congressman George Santos and fined him $71,356 after an investigation into trades linked to his attendance at Donald Trump’s State of the Union address. The company said Santos did not fully cooperate with the inquiry.
2 sources reporting
A NASA sounding rocket has given scientists the first simultaneous, multi-point measurement of a sporadic E layer, revealing an uneven structure shaped by atmospheric turbulence. The metallic clouds can redirect radio signals and contribute to errors in communications, radar, and GPS technology.
Fresh From the Feed
Researchers studying tobacco hornworm caterpillars in an anechoic chamber found that the insects reacted to airborne sounds even when platform vibrations remained below their response threshold. Experiments also suggest that tiny body hairs may help the earless-looking caterpillars detect sound.
Researchers found that young poplar trees can respond to the curvature of their stems even when light direction and gravity are removed as cues. The trees formed tension wood on different sides of the stem, allowing them to first bend upward and later return toward a straight shape.
Apple Maps now displays “Lake America” instead of Lake Ontario for users in the United States, following an executive order from Donald Trump. Users elsewhere continue to see the traditional name, while Canada has rejected the attempted renaming.
Hubble images have revealed a previously unseen, enormous ten-sided cloud formation circling Saturn’s south pole. Researchers say the structure may be shaped by atmospheric currents, but its changing appearance suggests it could still be developing.
The NBA has imposed one of the largest penalties in league history on the Los Angeles Clippers, accusing the team of circumventing salary-cap rules during its pursuit of Kawhi Leonard in 2019. The sanctions include five lost first-round draft picks, a $30 million fine and suspensions for several executives.
A West Loop bar brought together 1,969 people to simultaneously drink shots of Jeppson’s Malört, according to UPI. The event sought a Guinness World Record while raising money for Ravenswood Community Services.
Researchers in Italy have released at least 130,000 lab-hatched common octopuses into the Adriatic Sea as part of an experimental effort to curb a rapidly expanding blue crab population. The project is still a controlled pilot, and its effectiveness remains unproven.
Archaeologists excavating Egypt’s Saqqara necropolis have uncovered a 4,000-year-old tomb belonging to an official named Sekhentiu-Ptah. Inside were a symbolic false door, an offering table, a purification basin and more than 100 small funerary figurines found in nearby burial shafts.
Astronomers using years of Hubble observations have identified a previously unseen, evolving 10-sided atmospheric wave around Saturn’s south pole. The structure resembles the planet’s long-known northern hexagon but appears to be a newer and changing feature.
Deliberations in Lindsay Clancy’s Massachusetts murder trial resumed for a fifth day after a woman was arrested and accused of recording jurors leaving court. The judge questioned jurors individually before instructing them to continue working toward a verdict.
A 2025 proposal for producing a laser-like beam of neutrinos from an ultracold atomic cloud has been ruled out by a new MIT analysis. Researchers identified two fundamental problems: the atoms recoil too violently during decay, and neutrinos’ fermionic nature would prevent the required quantum amplification.
A new U.S. Mint coin featuring Donald Trump’s likeness is being sold for about $2.44 despite its $1 face value. The coin is legal tender, but scholars and lawmakers question whether its production complies with restrictions on depicting living people on U.S. currency.
