Archive for May, 2008

3-year old boy hasn’t slept…ever

Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

Three-year-old Rhett Lamb from St. Petersburg, Florida has something called a “chiari malformation”, a rare protrusion of brain tissue in the spinal canal. Part of the skull is also smaller than usual. This combination puts pressure on his brain.
One of the effects of Rhett’s condition is that he’s stayed completely awake for all of his […]

Strange Science Myth Busted: Drinking Bleach vs. HIV/AIDS

Monday, May 12th, 2008

Today on Strange Science News we’re featuring another weird scientific myth debunked by the good folks at Snopes.com.
Drinking bleach will protect you from HIV and AIDS?
(Can’t believe I have to say this) NO!
The myth gained popularity when an Associated Press article about a sex-education bill in Florida mentioned that some Florida teens believed that swallowing […]

Big butt: good for you?

Sunday, May 11th, 2008

A recent study published in the scientific journal Cell Metabolism suggests that having subcutaneous fat around your hips and bottom might actually be good for you, acting as a kind of protection from diabetes.
The study by Dr. Ronald Kahn of Boston’s Harvard Medical School found that subcutaneous fat had positive metabolic effects when transplanted into […]

Eagle to get bionic beak

Saturday, May 10th, 2008

In the picture above is a rescued Alaskan bald eagle named Beauty. She was shot by hunters and as a result lost most of her beak. But the good news is that Beauty will be fitted with a new prosthetic beak soon. The operation is scheduled for this month. Meanwhile, she will remain in a […]

Denver resident wants citywide panel to prepare for space alien visit

Thursday, May 8th, 2008

54 year old Jeff Peckman wants his city council to set up an 18-member commission for the purpose of dealing with the presence of space aliens on this planet.
Peckman will make his proposal at next week’s “review and comment” meeting. He would then need to collect four thousand signatures in order to get his proposal […]

Largest squid has largest eyes

Wednesday, May 7th, 2008

When marine scientists thawed out the corpse of a colossal squid caught off Antarctica–the largest squid specimen on record–they were surprised by how huge its eyes were.
The eyeball measured about 11 inches across, making it larger than a dinner plate. The lens was about the size of an orange.
That makes the deep-sea hunter’s eyes the […]

Billy goats five–quintuplets, actually

Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

The chances, according to scientists, are one in ten thousand, but farmer Ralph Burge’s nanny goat Honeybear bucked those odds and gave birth to five baby goats, or kids.
As rare as the quintuplet birth is, goats have been known to bear up to six or seven kids at a time.
Burge and his wife Helen are […]

Dino Doo fetches almost $1000 at auction

Monday, May 5th, 2008

“How much does this s$#t cost?”
Try $960, if it’s 130 million year-old dinosaur s$#t .
71-year-old Steve Tsengas, owner of a pet company specializing in dog and cat waste, bought the Jurassic turds at a New York auction. They basically look like rocks, it was reported, and inside they look like… mineral rock.
Tsengas said he wanted […]

Game show host Ben Stein slams science

Sunday, May 4th, 2008

In a strange and slightly surreal tirade aired on a Christian TV network, Ben Stein, host of the game show Expelled, blasted scientists and science in general, claiming that scientists were responsible for gassing people, referring to WWII concentration camps.
“Science leads you, ” Stein later added, “to killing people.”

Explaining David Blaine’s 17 minutes

Saturday, May 3rd, 2008

So here’s what he did:
On the set of the Oprah Winfrey Show, Blaine immersed himself into a sphere-shaped tank of water after inhaling pure oxygen. He then stayed underwater holding his breath for a recordbreaking 17 minutes and four seconds.
And here’s how he did it:
Training, willpower, and good hard science.
Mental training to go into self-induced […]