Unusual News
First Wedding Performed by a Robot
A couple in Japan became the first to be married by a robot, according to manufacturer Kokoro Co. “I-Fairy,” four feet tall and with flashing eyes and plastic pigtails, performed the wedding ceremony for Tomohiro Shibata, 42, and Satoko Inoue, 36,... read more
Men Who Marry Younger Women Live Longer; Women Do Best with Spouse of Same Age
Big age differences between husbands and wives are great for men’s longevity, but not for women’s. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock, Germany, found women are better off marrying spouses of the same age, b... read more
Istanbul Opens School for Out-of-Tune Calls to Prayers
Bad singing is never pleasant to the ears, and when it involves the daily call to prayer in the Muslim world, it’s all that more tough to stomach. That’s why religious authorities in Turkey are now requiring some of Istanbul’s muezzins and imams t... read more
FBI Runs Ad in Plastic Surgery Newsletter in Search for Mobster Murderer
With the trail of gangster James “Whitey” Bulger gone cold, the FBI is now trying a novel approach to locate the fugitive by pursuing his girlfriend, Catherine Greig, who’s had some nip-tuck over the years.
By placing a full-page ad in a recen... read more
Does the Federal Government Need More Women’s Toilets?
As far as Representative Steve Cohen (D-Tennessee) is concerned, the Restroom Gender Parity in Federal Buildings Act—aka the “Potty Parity” bill—is nothing to joke about. Too many U.S. government buildings lack sufficient bathroom facilities for w... read more
The Ever-Growing Problem of Space Junk
So much debris has collected in orbit around the earth that British scientists are now predicting collisions involving operational satellites could occur every five years in the coming decades.
The growing problem became glaringly apparent las... read more
Piece of Isaac Newton’s Apple Tree to be Sent into Space
When the space shuttle Atlantis makes its final voyage on May 14, it will carry into space a symbol of a scientific hallmark from the 17th century. The symbol will be a tiny piece of Isaac Newton’s apple tree…the one that inspired the famed mathem... read more
Hold the Fries: Israel Blocks Chocolate, Sage and Fries to Gaza
Even food is used as a weapon in the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict.
Since Hamas came to power three years ago in the Gaza Strip, the government of Israel has maintained a strict blockade of goods from reaching Palestinians. The list of contrab... read more
First Heart Surgery Performed by Remote-Controlled Robot
What ordinarily takes eight hours was done in only one when the world’s first robot-performed heart surgery took place last week in the United Kingdom. Kenneth Crocker, 70, had a catheter inserted into his body at Leicester’s Glenfield Hospital by... read more
Baton Rouge Teacher Sues for the Right to Give Students “F”s
Are fourth-graders too young to fail? Prevented from flunking her students, Sheila Goudeau of Louisiana is suing local school officials in East Baton Rouge for interfering with her duties as a teacher. Goudeau, a 20-year veteran instructor who tea... read more
5 Minutes Exercise in Nature Boosts Mental Health
“Green exercise” can do wonders for people, even just a few minutes of it. Researchers in the United Kingdom have determined that short stretches of outdoor exercising, such as walking or cycling, can improve mood and self-esteem. The findings cou... read more
South Pacific Tribe Prepares for Visit from Son of God…Prince Philip
In the United Kingdom, Prince Philip may play second fiddle to his wife, the Queen of England, but on the tiny South Pacific island of Tanna, he’s a god. And the people of Yaohnanen can’t wait for his return.
Prince Philip’s deity status began... read more
Nasal Spray May Make Men More Empathetic
Modern medicine may have found the answer for the insensitive jerk. Researchers in Germany and the United Kingdom claim it’s possible to make men more empathetic and caring by using a nasal spray which increases the level of oxytocin in the human ... read more
Global Warming Isn’t All Bad…If You’re an Archaeologist
In the frozen reaches of Canada, warmer temperatures brought on by climate change have yielded a bounty of historical information for archaeologists. Using the new discipline of ice patch archeology, scientists in recent years have uncovered in th... read more
Vermont Towns Settle 345-Year-Old Border Dispute
It took 346 years, but the Vermont towns of St. George (population: 698) and Shelburne (population: 6,944) finally have an established border between them. The neighboring communities, chartered in 1763, were given overlapping maps during colonial... read more
Stephen Hawking Warns against Meeting Aliens
For renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, there’s no question that life does exist beyond earth in the universe. But whether we want to actually meet up with other beings, that’s another question, Hawking argues.
In a new documentary produced fo... read more