Strange. True. Today.
The unusual, unexpected, bizarre, funny, fascinating, and occasionally inexplicable stories happening around the world.
Worth a Look
Stories getting attention now
A confirmed H5N1 case in a dead long-nosed fur seal and a second suspected case have prompted warnings about the virus’s potential impact on Australia’s seals and sea lions. Scientists say the country’s estimated 12,000 Australian sea lions could be especially vulnerable.
Petrified wood taken from Petrified Forest National Park is illegal to remove, but the park’s reputation for a curse has given some visitors another reason to send souvenirs back. Their apology letters are examined in Brian Bolster’s mini-documentary, The Conscience Files.
New York police are investigating a TikTok video showing three people climbing out of a manhole near Madison Square Garden at 4:19 a.m. The footage follows similar videos posted months earlier, though authorities have not established whether the incidents are connected.
Fresh From the Feed
Around 1,800 people in northeastern Japan took turns hauling Hirosaki Castle’s 360-tonne keep along rails with ropes and rollers. The unusual community effort is part of a long renovation project to return the historic structure to its original position.
Humanoid robots competing in Beijing have reportedly set striking athletics marks, including a 100-meter time faster than Usain Bolt’s world record and a high jump beyond the human record. The competition also featured the awkward falls and mishaps expected from machines still mastering bipedal movement.
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A new museum in Pompano Beach, Florida, is dedicated entirely to jellyfish, displaying up to 25 species alongside 3D projections and a mini laboratory. The facility was founded by Ukrainian aquarium developers who relocated after the Russia-Ukraine war.
Police in North Richland Hills, Texas, rescued a kinkajou discovered sheltering behind a trash can outside a Mod Pizza. The animal had burns on its paws from the hot concrete and was later transferred to a wildlife rescue organization.
David Rush and his 10-year-old son, Jeremy, have set a Guinness World Record by throwing and catching a water balloon across 141.07 feet without breaking it. The attempt required repeated tries and a carefully controlled throwing technique.
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Jodie Foster, a 110-pound reticulated python at England’s Chester Zoo, developed a recurring malignant jaw tumor that threatened her ability to eat. After surgery combined with electrochemotherapy, the snake has recovered and is reported to be free of cancer.
A severe hailstorm in the French Pyrenees brought the third stage of the Vuelta a España to an early end on Monday. Riders abandoned their bicycles and sought shelter as large hailstones covered the road near the mountainous finish.
About 150 people took part in the 65th German Finger Wrestling Championships in Pflugdorf-Stadl, Bavaria. Competitors used leather loops to link middle fingers and tried to pull opponents across a table, with Ferdinand Seitz winning the senior division.
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Researchers have reconstructed a devastating sequence of 16 floods that hit Europe between late 1341 and 1343, including the catastrophic Magdalena Flood of 1342. The findings suggest the disasters arrived so close together that each event may have compounded the damage left by the one before it.
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Researchers used AI models to create viruses that can attack E. coli, including antibiotic-resistant strains, marking a milestone for synthetic biology. The same capability is raising biosecurity concerns, although the study’s authors say safeguards were used to prevent designs aimed at humans and other complex organisms.
A toddler wandered onto the field late in Minnesota United’s 5-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes at PayPal Park. Play was stopped while a stadium official carried the child off and handed them to a woman believed to be the toddler’s mother.
Astronomers have identified S301, an otherwise ordinary-looking star that reaches up to 8% of the speed of light while orbiting a black hole. The observation makes it the fastest star yet seen, according to Boing Boing.
