Fish-Punching Octopuses, Urban Escape Pods, Alien Probes and More Mysterious News Briefly — December 22, 2020

Mysterious News Briefly — December 23, 2020

Oxford University scientists have developed an experimental process they claim can turn carbon dioxide into jet fuel using an iron-based chemical reaction – a process that would result in “net zero” emissions from airplanes. For those unfamiliar with the concept, airplanes are things people used to fly in.

Using data from past pandemic, an epidemiologist says the current period of religiosity and conservatism will give way once the current pandemic is over and will be replaced by free spending and ‘sexual licentiousness’ on par with the Roaring Twenties which followed the Spanish flu. It will be interesting to see people trying to dance the Jitterbug in glittery tops and sweatpants.

“Cosmos-inspired urban escape pods” – better known as portable shelters – created by designers from Tesla and SpaceX can now be pre-ordered for $17,500 for anyone in need of a stylish, prefab 111 square foot space with an 11 foot ceiling and room for a queen-size bed, a desk, chair and ottoman. Just make sure you put an “Occupied” sign on the door so you neighbors don’t think it’s a fancy dumpster.

All seven continents now have the coronavirus as the first cases on Antarctica have been reported by the Chilean government after 36 people stationed at the General Bernardo O’Higgins Riquelme base tested positive for COVID-19. Good luck getting penguins to practice social distancing.

Environmental scientists using images from NASA satellites taken over the 34-year span from 1984 to 2018 found that one-third of all rivers in the continental U.S. have changed colors significantly, with the dominant new colors being yellow and green. “This explains a lot,” though confused rainbow trout.

Archeologists from Leiden University analyzing 10,000-year-old Mesolithic barbed weapons carved from bones were shocked to find that two of them were fashioned from human skeletons. If you’re killed by a spear carved from the bone of your brother, is it second-degree fratricide?

Octopuses are thought to be intelligent creatures with large brains, but new research has found that they resort to violence by punching fish – sometimes to “prevent exploitation and ensure collaboration” but other times just to be nasty with an 8-to-2 advantage in punching appendages. Look for Mike Tyson to challenge one soon.

Harvard astrophysics professor and avowed alien believer Avi Loeb says astronomers should quit focusing on mysterious radio signals and instead look for physical alien probes sent to us as a “message in a bottle.” Sounds interesting … unless Sting was right and they’re from a “hundred billion castaways, looking for a home.”

Marine biologists studying Weddell seals in Antarctica’s McMurdo Sound found that they makes unbelievable sounds like movie robots which make you feel like “you’re in the middle of a space battle in ‘Star Wars,’ laser beams and all.” They can’t explain how the Weddell seals learned the sounds, but they may want to change their Netflix passwords.

A cache of over 6,500 silver coins in linen pouches, silver ingots, gold rings and wedding bands found in Poland have been traced to a 12^th century Polish princess. A spoiled Polish princess who used to her position to avoid tipping at pierogi restaurants?

 

The post Fish-Punching Octopuses, Urban Escape Pods, Alien Probes and More Mysterious News Briefly — December 22, 2020 first appeared on Mysterious Universe.

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