The ghjattu-volpe, also known as a ‘cat-fox,’ was once a mythological being among shepherds. However, thanks to a project on Corsica, this being has been proven to exist! According to a genetic analysis, the cat-fox could actually be a previously unrecognized species of wildcat.
Researchers hope that its genetic information will be distinct enough to be recognized as a new subspecies, at least.
Image credit: Pascal Pochard-Casabianca /AFP
When a puppy in Thailand ended up getting lost, he managed to make his way to the perfect "help desk." It happened to be the Putahracsa Veterinary clinic, where the puppy had received his vaccines months earlier. The pupper sat outside until the staff recognized him and proceeded to call his family.
Leave some space for fruits and vegetables on your diet, please. No one said anything about a fast-food ban!
A teenage boy became blind after a long period of eating just Pringles, fries, plain white bread, and occasional processed meat. According to Dr Denize Atan, who treated him at Bristol Eye Hospital, "his diet was essentially a portion of chips from the local fish and chip shop every day," In addition, the doctor states that "he also used to snack on crisps – Pringles – and sometimes slices of white bread and occasional slices of ham, and not really any fruit and vegetables."
With the boy’s lacking diet, he developed vitamin B12 deficiency, which can lead to reduced color vision and other eye problems. In addition, he suffered from Arfid, also known as avoidant restrictive food intake disorder. His vision deteriorated after not continuing his supplements, which was against medical advice.
Image credit: Fernando Andrade
The Ark of the Covenant is one of the holiest artifacts in religion. It’s been referenced in different forms of media, from books to movies, yet most people don’t know what exactly it is. From its portrayal in the 1981 Indiana Jones film Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Ark is depicted as a chest that should not be in the hands of evil people.
Alternatively called the Ark of the Testimony or the Ark of God, the artifact was a movable sanctuary for the Israelites. According to the Jewish Encyclopedia, the Ark was like a place for God to sit until they arrived in the promised land and could establish a temple there. Grunge dives deeper into the history and lore of the mysterious artifact here!
Image credit: wikimedia commons
Misinformation is defined as any type of inaccurate or false information. Conspiracy theories and honest mistakes can be classified under the concept. Thanks to the power of the Internet, and the arrival of the pandemic, misinformation is now widespread.
According to University of Washington’s Jevin West, the speed at which this kind of false information spreads is like nothing we’ve ever seen before. Misinformation is “something different. It kind of has a life of its own,” physicist Neil Johnson adds. Learn more about online misinformation here!
Image credit: Matthew Guay / Unsplash
There’s an Xbox fridge now?
The Xbox mini fridge is a collaboration between Ukonic! and Xbox. The gadget is a reward of sorts, after Twitter’s #BestOfBrands voting poll, where the company won and vowed to produce a mini-fridge. The product quickly sold out, got review-bombed, and emerged on auction sites at a huge premium. According to Aaron Greenberg, fans who missed out on the initial sale can still obtain the mini-fridge, as it is not a limited-edition release. No need to worry about paying scalper prices if you want it!
Image credit: Xbox
Even if it’s just for a moment, these photos may bring you a small shot of happiness that can make your day infinitely better. Buzzfeed’s Dave Stopera shared 75 things, which span from funny texts to Twitter posts to Snapchats and random images. I'm sure one, if not all of them, can make you laugh! See more here.
Image credit: Dave Stopera
there’s a soft wee cactus in my hall and whenever i touch it on passing i say ouch and pretend it hurt to encourage it’s confidence
— clio (@cliomcl) March 10, 2020
Well, he’s on that platform to make things… harder, alright.
All jokes aside, a math teacher decided to fill in an obvious gap at Pornhub. The educator, named Changshu, decided to upload math lessons to the popular platform since a lot of people visit the website. Under the handle changhsumath666, the 34-year-old has accumulated over 1.7 million views, and features the slogan, “Play Hard, Study Hard!”
It’s jarring (and funny) to watch his videos and see ads for things like “Live Sex.” Well, if you’d like to be educated in the wonderful and sexy concepts of mathematics, his videos are on Pornhub for your viewing pleasure.
Image credit: changhsumath666/Pornhub
Staff at the Australian War Memorial noticed that some poppies were disappearing from the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier. Poppies were laid on a monument because they are a symbol of the endurance and perseverance of wounded soldiers. These flowers were used to remember and honor those who were brave and fought on the battlefield. Upon inspection, the staff found out that a stray pigeon has been grabbing the flowers to create a nest on the ledge of a window.
Oddly enough, the staff finding out about the identity of the poppy thief gives a whole new meaning to the ‘missing flowers situation.’ Before the rise of communication technology, pigeons were used to send messages at times of war. So one can assume that the pigeon was merely paying homage to the service of its ancestors and soldiers in its own way.
Image credit: Australian War Memorial
The Caryatids are a set of six statues that held up Erechtheion, an ancient temple dedicated to Athena and Poseidon. The statues, which depicted maidens, were created around 421 BC – 406 BC. There is a mystery surrounding the location of a missing maiden statue, thanks to the efforts of Thomas Bruce, the seventh Lord Elgin, who served as Great Britain’s ambassador to the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Today, the remaining original caryatids are stored and preserved in the Acropolis Museum for their protection, conservation, and restoration.
Image credit: Harrieta171 /CC BY-SA 3.0
An FBI agent was sent an anonymous tip about a real-life Indiana Jones. The man in question was Don Miller, an amateur archaeologist who’d amassed a vast collection of artifacts. According to the tip, the Indiana resident (what a coincidence, huh?) had skeletons in his home. Spooky.
To confirm the validity of the tip, an FBI agent named Tim Carpenter was sent to investigate. He was assigned to the organization’s Art Theft Program, typically known for investigating fine art. Learn more about this mysterious Indiana Jones at Vanity Fair!
Image credit: Audrey Amaro
Pay an extra $15 for a chance to skip the long lines in Walt Disney World! Formerly known as FastPass, the Lightning Lane is an unlockable feature in the Disney World app that lets users get into a shorter queue for rides.
If you think that this paid function will let you ride the most popular rides at Disney World with ease, think again. According to Frommers, you need to cough up another $15 (yikes) to access the Individual Lightning Lane, a separate queueing system for these rides. Check out Frommers’ full article on these systems and how visitors are currently enjoying them.
Image credit: Disney Parks
At first glance, the Twix logo looks like fancy lettering made to stand out from the chocolate’s shiny gold wrapping. The 3D rendering of the letters that spell Twix in red and white with brown shadows looks simple.
However, upon a closer inspection, fans noticed a few interesting details! The dot on the letter ‘i’ actually has two lines on it, which is believed to represent the two candies within. Learn more about it here!
Image credit: Midas Hofstra
It’s the spooky season, and folks from the History Center of Olmsted County in Minnesota have announced the opening of this year’s creepy doll contest, a terrifying yet season-appropriate pageant. Multiple cursed dolls of different designs are now displayed at the center for appreciation (and nightmare fodder, let’s get real). Check out more photos of the dolls here!
Image credit: History Center of Olmsted County
Rick Garza came up with the idea of painting a set of doors in Pilsen, Chicago with images inspired by Loteria, a classic Mexican game. One of the nine doors features a painting of a ladder that accompanies the card La Escalera, which can be seen in the game. Other doors show a creative spin on other classic Loteria images. Garza started and funded the project in 2017 in order to combat the graffiti and gang activity in the neighborhood. “It was mostly to combat gang graffiti, which was a problem on our doors,” Garza said. “The gangbanging culture was so thick. It was just a detriment to all the young people in the community,” he said.
Image credit: Maggie Sivit / WBEZ
