Feed: daily odd news and crazy facts - AggScore: 47.6

Strange News: Zombie Honeybees

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A fly parasite is being blamed for an epidemic that has struck the honey bee population around the world. The parasite nests in the stomach of the bees and causes them to walk in circles, sometimes pursuing bright lights, before eventually dying.
The Parasitic Phorid Fly Apocephalus borealisis responsible for the zombie transformation, laying its eggs inside the abdomen of the honey bee.



"When we observed the bees for some time, the ones that were alive, we found that they walked around in circles, often with no sense of direction," said San Francisco State University's Andrew Core lead author on the bee parasite study in the journal Plos One.
Bees usually just sit in one place, sometimes curling up before they die, said Core. But the parasitised bees were still alive, unable to stand up on their legs.
"They kept stretching them out and then falling over," he said. "It really painted a picture of something like a zombie."
And while the parasite may be causing immense damage to the honey bees population, there is an upside to their discovery, according to the Mirror, "Scientists discovered the parasite by accident but they believe it may help them discover what is causing colony collapse disorder which is devastating honey bees in Europe and America cutting some populations in half."
The parasite is believed to be new and similar to one currently affecting the bumblebee population. Scientists are still figuring out exactly how the parasite works, but an early theory by San Francisco State Professor John Hafernik holds that the parasite changes the bees' "body clocks," which causes their erratic behavior and deaths.


Source: Yahoo

Weird News: Giant Rat Caught

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"There's no way it's a common sewer rat," Dr. Robert S. Voss, the Curator of Mammals at The American Museum of Natural History in New York, told HuffPost after reviewing the picture. "I'm 90 percent certain that it's a a Gambian pouched rat."
Voss estimated the rat to be about two-and-a-half feet in length.
Another huge Gambian pouched rat made headlines last year when it was killed in Brooklyn's Marcy houses.

Voss said it's possible this rat was once a pet that could have escaped or been released.
Gambian pouched rats were once imported to the United States for sale as pets, but abc.net.au reports that an outbreak of monkeypox in the early 2000s caused the importation of African rodents to be banned.
Despite its size, Voss said the rat is harmless and docile, so there's no need to be worried if you encounter one. He did, however, recommend walking away and calling animal control immediately.

Weird Crazy News: Robot Guards to Patrol Jail Corridors

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Robot guards will patrol jail corridors in South Korea as early as next year, lifting the burden off human prison guards. Asian Forum for Corrections Chairman Lee Baik-chul said the robots will perform simple tasks such as patrolling during night hours and this will significantly help human prison guards focus on other more complex tasks. At night the robots will watch for any signs of suicide attempts or physical attacks on prisoners instead of the human guards. This will allow the human guards to work on more difficult problems such as educational work and counseling.


When the robot sees something unusual, it will report to the central control facility which will then take action. The robots have a speaker and microphone installed on their bodies so that when a prisoner speaks, the guard at the central tower can respond and vice versa. The robots will be able to observe their surroundings through visual software installed in their face.


Source: Far East Gizmos

Weird Crazy News: "Chocolate Room"

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A shopping mall in Kaliningrad, Russia celebrated its fifth anniversary by commissioning an artist to create a room entirely of chocolate.
The idea of building a chocolate room inside Kaliningrad Plaza belonged to Lithuanian ad agency Ad Hunters, who commissioned experienced sculptor Elena Climent to carve it out of 420 kilograms of dark, milk and white chocolate. Measuring around 20 square meters, the delicious-looking room features furniture like a chocolate sofa, table and carpet, as well as chocolate cutlery, candle holders, and flowers. 40% of the room is made of dark chocolate, another 40% is milk chocolate, and the rest is white chocolate.

Weird Crazy News:"Golden"Christmas Tree

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Japanese jeweler Ginza Tanaka has created the ultimate Christmas tree –  made of pure gold and worth a whopping $2 million.
After making a 24-karat gold horse for Japan’s newborn prince, and creating another tree worth $850,000, Ginza Tanaka decided to step it up even more and came up with a solid gold Christmas tree for this holiday season. Measuring 2.4 meters high and weighing around 12 kilograms, the luxurious tree is decorated with golden plates and around 60 heart-shaped ornaments, and covered with ribbon. It’s the most expensive thing Ginza Tanaka has ever made, but while I do appreciate the craftsmanship and the effort that went into it, I’m not sure gold is right for such an important symbol. After all, what kind of presents are you supposed to put under such a tree, anyway?


Source: Oddity Central

Weird Crazy News: Nails and Threads Portraits

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It’s amazing how someone can recreate organic shapes so well from thousands of angles created with nails and thread. Designers Pamela Campagna and Thomas Scheiderbauer take up to a month to work on each of their complicated artworks, but the outcome is certainly worth the time they put in. After analyzing an old photo they begin hammering nails into the canvas until they come up with a pixelated outline of the artwork, after which they start connecting the dots with thread. 

Weird Crazy News: Masterpiece Created from Thousand Naked Bodies

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New York-based artist Angelo Musco is taking the photography world by storm with his incredible mosaics made up of thousands of naked bodies.
Touching themes like birth, procreation and gestation, Angelo Musco creates complex structures of the natural world from an ant colony and beehive to a school of fish, using thousands of human bodies. “A swarm of fish captures a profusion of life, the safety of a symbolic nest, and a connection of one being to another. ’It’s the strength derived from this collective force,” the artist says on his website. “The nests, as well, relate to the safe geography of birth and early life.”

But Angelo Musco also draws inspiration for his unique mosaics from his traumatic early life experience.

Source: Oddity Central

Weird Crazy News: Zombie Training Course Now Offered

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Zombie Boot Camp, a recently inaugurated one-day training course, promises to teach people specialized zombie-fighting skills for only 90$.
Whether you’re one of those crazy folks who believes a zombie apocalypse is imminent, or just a big fan of zombie culture, Zombie Boot Camp sounds like the perfect experience for you. The unusual training course taking place in the UK’s Droitwich, Worchestershire, sees would-be zombie hunters take part in specialized training exercises with experienced military instructors, before putting on special armor and taking on a group of brain-eating zombies to prove they’ve mastered the skills necessary to survive during a zombie crisis.

Weird Crazy News: Man Run Out of Toilet Paper, Trashes Hotel Room

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CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 13 (UPI) -- A man caused more than $2,000 in damage to a Charlotte, N.C., hotel after discovering he had run out of toilet paper in his room, police say.
Police say between late Sunday and early Monday at the Charlottetown Manor, Dereck MacDonald, 43, became very upset upon discovering he ran out of toilet paper, The Charlotte Observer reported.
MacDonald allegedly walked into a vacant room at the hotel and clogged the toilet, causing water damage to the room, a police report states.
"The suspect then went back to his room and damaged additional property by physical force," the report says.
MacDonald reportedly caused more than $2,000 in damage in the two rooms combined.

Weird Crazy News: $10,000 Engagement Ring Threw out on Garbage

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MARGATE, Fla., Nov. 12 (UPI) -- A Florida man who accidentally threw out his wife's $10,000 engagement ring said he waded through more than 8 tons of trash to find it.
Brian McGuinn of Margate said he accidentally threw the ring away with a disposable razor and dreaded telling his wife of five years, Anna, WTVJ-TV, Miami, reported Friday.
"I just started crying and I would stop crying, and remind myself that jewelry is replaceable," Anna said.
Anna called waste management company Wheelabrator and within an hour Brian was suited up at the dump and wading through more than 8 tons of garbage to find the precious ring.
McGuinn said workers identified the trash from his collection route, making his job a little easier, and he was eventually able to locate the ring.

Pacquiao vs Marquez 3: "Who Will Fall this Time?"

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On November 12, 2011, watch Pacquiao and Marquez battle it out for the 3rd time. Who will fall? Would this be the end of Marquez's career? or will this be Pacquiao's ticket to retirement? You'll be the Judge!

Weird Crazy News: World's Largest Bra Unveilled

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The makers of a stain removal product in England are showing their support for breast cancer research in the most titillating way possible: By making the world's largest bra.
As part of a "Wear It Pink" campaign by the British-based Breast Cancer Campaign, the makers of Vanish stain remover, supported the creation of a brassiere big enough for a brontosaurus, according to WorldRecordsAcademy.com
When it was finally unveiled on Oct. 28 at the ITV Southbank Tower, the pink bra -- which has a size 1222B cup -- measured nearly 102 feet around the chest.

If shrunk down to human proportions, the bra would fit a woman with a 34B bust.

Getting the bra ready for the big unveiling took at least four weeks by M Putt Sailmakers, which is actually in the business of making sails for ships, not bras for buildings, FieldMarketing.com reported. The company used more than 4000 square feet of lightweight spinnaker nylon and the final product measures It measures 88 feet under the bust and 101 feet around it. The fabric alone weighed 165 pounds and the metal fasteners bumped up the bra's weight to nearly 200 pounds.As might be expected, a spokesman for Vanish stain remover is happy that the bra made a mark on history.

"Raising awareness of our sponsorship of Wear It Pink via a Guinness World Record-breaking stunt has proved to be a great success," said Stefan Gaa, a marketing director for RB, the parent company of Vanish. "It really captured the interest of the nation.

Weird Crazy News: Another Dies Due to Falling Television

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Weird Crazy News: Rare Breed of Spider Found

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"I nearly fell over when I saw its white head," Mark Harvey, senior curator at the Western Australian Museum, said via email.
The newfound trapdoor spider isn't a true albino, since it still has some pigment—its body is brown, like those of other trapdoor spiders.
But the 1.2-inch-wide (3-centimeter-wide) arachnid has been dubbed the albino trapdoor spider until it's formally described as a new species.

A person in a small town in western Australia found the strange-looking spider near his house, captured it in a jar, and sent it to the museum.
"Unfortunately we know nothing about its life history. We presume that they live in burrows for their entire lives—like all trapdoor spiders—and when males mature, they wander in search of females in their burrows," Harvey said.

Spiders That Pop Out for Prey

Trapdoor spiders get their name because they use soil, vegetation, and silk to construct doors to their burrows that are hinged with silk. The arachnids then pop out when they feel the vibrations of passing prey, which include insects, other arthropods, and small invertebrates.

The spiders also mate inside the burrows, where "males of all species probably have to lift the female body up to access her genital opening, which is located on the underside of the abdomen," he said.

The newfound spider is considered rare, Harvey added—it's currently the only known specimen of its kind.

"Spiders are a diverse group of animals that fascinate and terrify many people," though they're crucial in keeping insect populations in check, he said.

"The world would be a poorer place without spiders."

Weird Crazy News: Devil Image Found in Fresco by Giotto

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Art restorers have discovered the figure of a devil hidden in the clouds of one of the most famous frescos by Giotto in the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi, church officials said on Saturday.

The devil was hidden in the details of clouds at the top of fresco number 20 in the cycle of the scenes in the life and death of St Francis painted by Giotto in the 13th century.The discovery was made by Italian art historian Chiara Frugone. It shows a profile of a figure with a hooked nose, a sly smile, and dark horns hidden among the clouds in the panel of the scene depicting the death of St Francis.

The figure is difficult to see from the floor of the basilica but emerges clearly in close-up photography.

Sergio Fusetti, the chief restorer of the basilica, said Giotto probably never wanted the image of the devil to be a main part of the fresco and may have painted it in among the clouds "to have a bit of fun."

The master may have painted it to spite someone he knew by portraying him as a devil in the painting, Fusetti said on the convent's website.

The artwork in the basilica in the convent where St Francis is buried was last restored after it was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1997.