Stonhenge, located in Wiltshire, England, is probably the most famous henge in the world. Photo by Diego Delso [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia CommonsStonehenge is one of the world’s most mysterious places. The ancient structure, located in a field near Wiltshire, England, brings to mind images of druids and mysterious rituals. What if Stonehenge is really just an overture? What if there was something bigger…much, much bigger?Researchers have recently uncovered a series of standing stones that dwarfs Stonehenge. It’s called the Durrington Walls, and lies about 3 kilometers (1.86 miles) northeast of Stonehenge. People have been aware of the structures, but it’s not until recently that underground imaging helped us to see the scope of it all. This dramatic video by the Irish Times shows how the full structure might look if it was all unearthed and restored.
Some people take these sorts of mysterious sites pretty seriously. A story from the Irish Examiner tells of a grave warning given by local lorekeeper, Eddie Lenihan, if the West Pharmaceutical Services factory destroys an ancient fairy fort in Waterford. He portends a run of horrible luck that will bring the new facility to ruins, along with all who work there. With that on the line, perhaps the construction could account for a little fairy park? It would be a nice place to have lunch!
Very little is truly known about the origins and uses of these structures. Perhaps we will never know. In the mean time, we look forward to learning more about the Superhenge.
Artist rendering shows how an unsuccessful gun selfie might look before the final moment.
In a previous article from July we highlighted some of the amazing ways that people have died while taking selfies and the steps the Russian government took to warn people of the danger. Apparently these tips have gone unheeded.
A Reuters report describes how a 19-year old Houston, Texas man fatally shot himself while posing with his gun for social media.
Houston police spokeswoman said “A witness told police he was taking a selfie with a gun. The gun accidentally discharged.”
We regret any unnecessary death and our heart goes out to this young man’s family. We hope that anyone reading this will take the following steps if choosing to take firearm pictures.
Make sure that the firearm is not loaded.
Do not point the gun at your head or at anyone. Treat it as if it were loaded.
MAKE SURE that the firearm is not loaded.
Use a timer to free yourself to give proper focus to the firearm so you are not distracted. Treat it as a dangerous thing that can hurt you if you’re not careful.
MAKE SURE THAT THE FIREARM IS NOT LOADED.
Of course, accidents do happen. Even people trained with firearms can have unfortunate incidents, as we are reminded by this footage from January, 2015 where a Kentucky police officer accidentally shot himself in an elevator
We hope that all of our readers take heed and are exceedingly careful with weapons. Guns aren’t the only danger. This story from the Rakyat Post tells how a man from Kuala Lumpur had a similar accident, shooting himself with a steel arrow!
The first ones are a welcome site for someone who has had two much beer at the festival. The next one is a welcome sight for someone who wants to leave their humdrum life behind and go adventuring through time and space with The Doctor.
A woman who attended the Newlyn Fish Festival in Cornwall may not be able to tell the difference any more. She stepped into a porta-potty to take care of some personal business. While she was inside a forklift picked the unit up and moved it to a new location on the other side of the harbor. The woman was not injured, but confused about how she got to the new location.
She must have been very confused. How could someone not be aware that the “little room” they were in was being hoisted and rolled to a new location? Perhaps it’s one of the new, smooth-riding forklifts. The incident was reported by BBC news, so we know it’s true!
Will we be able to see these magnificent creatures in the flesh? Photo by Joseph Martinez [cc-by-nd 2.0]If you read our article from 2011, you may have been wondering when that woolly mammoth clone would be available? It may be closer than you think.
A new laboratory in the icy wastelands of Siberia is devoted to cloning extinct animals, including the woolly mammoth. Located in Yakutia, the facility may have the largest collection of remains from prehistoric animals—everything from prehistoric dogs and horses to the enormous precursor to the elephant that once roamed the earth.
An article in Russian magazine, Ogonek (see original or English translation), reports that the lab is very focused on cloning mammoths as their first project in collaboration with the Sooam Biotech company, which has already had success in dog cloning. They’ll never do it, though. Right?
This article from the Telegraph tells how Harvard University researchers have already copied 14 woolly mammoth genes into the genome of an Asian elephant. While their work has not yet been published, and the genes have only lived in a lab at this point, it’s an important step toward a living, breathing mammoth.
While it would be fantastic to be able to see these prehistoric creatures in the flesh, there is always the question of whether this is a good idea. Should creatures whose time on the planet has come and gone be allowed to rest in peace? In the mean time, we’ll keep an eye on developments.
The word pareidolia has been bandied about quite a bit as a result of the strange pictures coming from Mars that seem to depict everything from a jedi woman to machinery. Now we have a strange picture that appears to be a spoon floating on Mars.
It seems that we are to believe that Mars is filled with nothing but rocks and dirt! Perhaps it’s true, but where is the fun in that? I didn’t spend all my time reading H. G. Wells and watching Devil Girl from Mars to have my hopes dashed. It’s…it’s just disappointing!
Actually, it’s fascinating how our minds are so geared to find meaningful patterns. It’s what allows us to appreciate art. It’s what makes emoticons work. 🙂
“As soon as the infant can see, it recognizes faces, and we now know that this skill is hardwired in our brains. Those infants who a million years ago were unable to recognize a face smiled back less, were less likely to win the hearts of their parents, and less likely to prosper. These days, nearly every infant is quick to identify a human face, and to respond with a goony grin.”
Recognizing your parents is good, but it’s probably also helpful to see the potential for anything that might eat you. While we are less concerned about sabre tooth tigers today, haven’t we all had a moment where we saw something that looked like an intruder? The heart pounds, the body prepares to fight or fly. It ends up being a pile of clothes. From a defensive position, though, wouldn’t you rather that your body geared up for action and discovered it was a false alarm than to only activate as something was reaching out for you?
So, this fascinating ability of our brains causes us to recognize all sorts of thing, and keep the NASA public relations team up nights trying to fend it all off. Or…they really are out there and it’s all a big cover-up. Fortunately we still have pictures like this, which appears to show the silhouette of a man doing maintenance on the rover.
Now, tell me what kind of rock that is! To help you keep the dreams alive, here is a trailer for Devil Girl from Mars. You might even be able to find a full version to watch!
This bottle, discovered on a German, may contain the world record for a recovered message.
April 17th, retired postal worker, Marianne Winkler, was walking along the shore of the German island of Amrum on the North Sea coast when she found something very curious on the beach. It was a well-sealed bottle with a message inside. The Winklers tried to get the bottle opened, but were finally forced to follow the directions to extract the paper: BREAK THE BOTTLE.
It turned out to be a post-paid postcard from The Marine Biological Assocation of the UK with instructions to send the postcard back for a 1-shilling reward.
Front of postcard found in the bottle. Photo by Marine Biological Association of the UK
Back of postcard found in the bottle. Photo by Marine Biological Association of the UK
It’s likely that the price of postage has gone up since this bottle was dropped into the water sometime between 1904 and 1906. It was one of nearly 1,000 bottles released as part of an study on currents.
“We were very excited,” Guy Baker, a spokesman for the group, told AP, London. “We certainly weren’t expecting to receive any more of the postcards.”
Example of a 1906 Shilling Coin
To reward the Winklers for their find, the Association sent them a shilling from the period which they found on E-Bay.
Information about this find is currently being reviewed by Guinness for a possible world record.
Today’s story combines two powerful ideas: Nazis and treasure.
Nazi villainy is legendary. They were a powerful, invasive force. They were responsible for unspeakable horrors that can never be forgotten. Their leaders were genuinely interested in tapping into supernatural forces to achieve victory.
Gold, jewels, the promise of treasure have excited countless generations. Some tales of treasure hunting are inspiring. Others are more horrific. People are capable of amazing things when they believe it will lead to riches.
So, here is the scene. There is a legend of a Nazi train filled with guns and gold that disappeared in Poland about 1945. If stories are to be believed this ghost train contains 30 tons of gold along with jewels and other valuables. Did such a train actually exist? Is it still findable?
See this video about a startling ground radar discovery:
https://youtu.be/nw99jY071EQ
If this is the real thing, Polish law entitles treasure hunters to receive 10% of anything found. I imagine a mere 3 tons of gold could make one pretty comfortable.
Of course, there is an ethical question. If these valuables were taken from Polish Jews by the Nazis, then is it right to take a “finder’s fee?” This question is at the heart of the controversey as people explore the best way to excavate the possible train. It’s currently buried in rock that will require careful blasting to reach.
If this is a Nazi train, even one carrying only military cargo, this is quite a find. The artifacts are likely well preserved and would be valuable in their own right.
If this ends up being a treasure train then it’s even more incredible. We will have to see how this all progresses. We’ll share more as news becomes available.
Photo by Ana Maria Catalina (Own work) [GFDL or CC BY-SA 4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia CommonsThe building, standing alone in Transylvania, looks unassuming. It’s a little artsy building which could be a museum or a gallery. Indeed, there is art inside. Then, you step into the elevator and descend into an amazing site, an underground amusement park.
This is Salina Turda, a medieval salt mine that was in operation as early as 1075. It ceased mining operations in 1932.
In 1992, people began using the mine as halotherapy center, attracting tourists. The salt atmosphere is considered healthful and the air in the mine may be some of the purest on the planet due to the many layers of natural filtration.
Beginning in 2008, the Romanians undertook a massive renovation project, transforming Salina Turda into a wonderland. The park features table games, boats to paddle around an underground lake, a Ferris wheel, an amphitheater, and more, engulfed in the surreal, subterranean atmosphere of the gigantic caverns. It’s not exactly Six Flags. It’s not built for thrills, but I can’t imagine anyone coming down here without getting goosebumps.
This video shows the architecture and many of the sites. There is a wonderful gallery of photos on their web site and any image search will turn up beautiful, haunting pictures.
Here are additional photos:
Entrance tunnel Photo by Cristian Bortes from Cluj-Napoca, Romania (Salina – Turda) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
The main hall with salt stalactites on the left side By Strainu [CC BY-SA 3.0 ro], via Wikimedia Commons
Rudolf hall is 80 m (260 ft) long, 50 m (160 ft) wide and 40 m (130 ft) high. Photo by Cosmin Danila [CC BY-SA 3.0 ro], via Wikimedia Commons
The Crivac hoisted salt to the surface. Photo by Cosmin Danila [CC BY-SA 3.0 ro], via Wikimedia Commons
View of the underground lake and UFO-shaped constructions Photo by Adymark [CC BY-SA 3.0 ro], via Wikimedia Commons
Alvin, a bearded dragon, was our official lucky lizard. He was 8 years old.
This has been a sad week for us at the Museum of the Weird. Our official lucky lizard, Alvin, succumbed to old age and went to wherever it is that good lizards go. You might not think that you would grow affectionate for a lizard, or that you would miss feeding him cockroaches, but you would be mistaken. I will miss everything about him terribly.
So, in tribute to Alvin, we’re going to talk about dragons today.
You might been told that dragons are all made-up stories, but there are some that suggest that it’s not as simple as that. We may not have the exciting, fire-breathing dragons of Harry Potter, but it’s possible, perhaps even probable, that ancients had contact with large lizard creatures that have been distorted by time. This article, on the Forbidden History site, references accounts by such names as Herodotus, Pliny the Elder, and Marco Polo. While it’s easy enough to pass off early writings as possible fiction or exageration, the city of Troy, once believed to be fiction, was discovered thanks, in part, to information provided in the Iliad by Homer. We often think of historical people as being gullible or not observant. It’s true that they did not have some of the references or tools that we have to capture and describe things today. It’s also true that they helped us to develop what we use today. They weren’t fools. So, it’s possible that there is more to these stories than we imagine.
This image from livepterosaur.com shows a sketch of what might be a living dinosaur.
Of course, if it’s living dragons that you are interested in, there are stories of giant flying lizard reported around the world. The Ropen, a flying creature said to resemble a pterosaur, has been reported around Papua, New Guinea. Other reports come from around the United States, including Texas. Other investigators believe that these are not creatures that resemble pterosaurs, but actually dinosaurs that have survived to the modern day.
While this is a fantastic idea, it would not be the first time that a creature has emerged from the clouds of myth. We’ve done plenty of stories lately about newly discovered species. Is it impossible that these creatures might still exist in some capacity? Time will tell.
Finally, we’ll share one example of a living, flying dragon. He doesn’t breath fire, but this amazing lizard, Draco volans—actually commonly called the “flying dragon”—has folds of skin that open up into wings that carry it away from predators. It’s able to glide the length of a football field and come to a graceful landing at the end. Watch this National Geographic Video.
Regardless of which type of dragon captures your imagination, fantastic, historical, cryptid, or natural, we hope that you will help us all raise a toast to the sweetest dragon we ever knew and wish him wings—and maybe even a little fire-breathing—as he travels beyond our reach.
So, what is this Blood Moon anyway? Let’s see what NASA has to say about it.
Basically, it’s a lunar eclipse, but the corona of the sun around Earth casts a reddish light. I like the phrase they use in the video. From the moon’s perspective, you are simultaneously seeing every sunrise and sunset happening on Earth at that time.
What makes this unusual is that this is the 4th eclipse like this within a year. (A group of 4 is called a tetrad.) Humans have always gotten excited about things that connect with the numbers 2, 3 and 4. It is special that we are getting such a grouping of this event. It’s unclear how such a thing will affect you directly.
Should you prepare for this final eclipse in the tetrad, coming in September? You most certainly should consider setting your alarm clock so that you have a chance to view it. Outside of that it really depends on your traditions.
I’m not a big believer in global apocalypse scenarios, but if enough people are tensed for something to happen it won’t take much to push things over the edge. I predict that some people will have a pretty bad day on September 28. Some will have a day of growth and prosperity. Which one of those people do you want to be?
I think that we all make have free will and we get to choose a lot of things in our life. Also, my numerology calculations tell me that for me this will be a day of exploration and curiosity, so I will probably try to plan some sort of excursion or dig into something new and interesting.
I hope that you will spend that day enjoying the marvels of being alive, regardless of your own traditions.
