Paranormal researcher Deborah Hatswell has gotten her hands on some mysterious footage from a remote-operated vehicle 830 meters below sea level. The video shows a large set of bones and a massive intact spinal column. Hatswell believed that there could be an unusual explanation behind the existence of the bones. In order to find some answers to the skeleton’s possible origins, she posted the video to YouTube: 

She told the Daily Star: ‘The dimensions of the skeleton on the video does not fit with the usual size for any sea life in the area. I checked out living sea mammals and came up short of 30 metres. I had a look at the usual suspects – whales, oarfish and sea snakes.’

Deborah points out that Oarfish – the longest living bony fish – are only thought to grow up to 8 metres in length, while she claims that the features on the skeleton’s vertebrae don’t match up to what you’d expect to find in the remains of a whale.

Image via Unilad 

Who knew that simple photographs of water could be so beautiful? Through Michal Pelka’s images, the beauty of the ocean can be seen through the stunning pictures of waves in different oceans. At first glance, it doesn’t even seem to look like real water! The Dutch photographer is able to showcase the ocean through light and motion: 

Pelka took up photography at age 16, but it was not until he was living in Western Australia that he began to shoot in open water. As a surfer, he possesses a lot of the skills necessary to read conditions and choose his moments with respect to the motion of the waves.

Now living back in the Netherlands, the North Sea has been Pelka's playground since the pandemic disrupted his chasing waves abroad. He says the cold waters—while not necessarily known for surfing big waves—can still surprise you. “Being in the ocean for me is a means to disconnect from day-to-day reality and at the same time connect with nature and feel in tune with the rhythm of the ocean,” he tells My Modern Met. “The ocean and waves have something timeless and disarming in them; it’s that feeling that I try to capture in my images.”

Image via My Modern Met 

Why would you even pick up a jellyfish in the first place? I’m surprised this person came out unharmed, too! Popular TikTok user alexa_reed2 posted a video of himself prodding, picking up, and worse - licking a blue ‘jellyfish’ that was laying on the beach. The not-so-fun addition to this episode is that Alexa picked up  a Portuguese Man o' War (or Bluebottle), one of the most dangerous creatures in the ocean: 

Portuguese Man o' Wars are actually siphonophores, not a single animal but made up of a colony of organisms working together, though closely related to jellyfish. Known for their intensely painful stings that leave welts in unfortunate swimmers that are caught by their tentacles, these "floating terrors" frequent the beaches of Australia and are responsible for up to 10,000 stings to humans per year. There have even been reported cases of Bluebottle stings resulting in death, particularly in vulnerable people. 

Surfers and ocean swimmers are well-versed in the danger these creatures represent, but it appears many people – including this TikToker – can't identify them when they wash up on the beach.  

Another TikToker by the name of mndiaye_97 did a fantastic round-up of why the Man o' War should be kept at extreme distances, in case you don’t believe us. Check out the video, which went viral shortly after the original post, below. 

Luckily, Alexa appears to have come off unscathed. However, the video does provide a couple of important learning points. Firstly, if you are traveling abroad and wish to enjoy the wildlife, try to learn the common and potentially dangerous ones so you can steer well clear of them. Secondly, and most importantly, never pick up (and please, please don’t lick) any wildlife you may find. Native plants and animals should be admired from a safe distance, so they can be there for years to come. And who knows, staying far away might just save your life.

Image via IFLS 

The self-claimed creator of Bitcoin has surfaced and filed a lawsuit against 16 software developers. Australian computer scientist Craig Wright filed a suit against these developers to secure 111,000 units of the leading cryptocurrency accounts. Wright claimed through his suit that he is the Bitcoin creator under the pseudonym of Satoshi Nakamoto, as the Dechained details: 

He went further in his claims at his second lawsuit in London alleging that he had lost access to his encrypted keys after his home network was hacked in February 2020.

The claims which are aggressively disputed against the Britain-based scientist were brought against developers of the four networks – Bitcoin Satoshi Vision (BSV), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Bitcoin Core (BTC), and Bitcoin Cash ABC (ABC). 

Craig Wright has accused the developers in the recent lawsuit of a breach in the discharge of their duties to act in the interests of the creator and legitimate owner of the most popular digital asset. The case, however, was waved off by one defendant as “bogus” is currently being investigated by the police in a bid to fish out the unknown hackers.

Image via the Dechained

A good surprise, right? Shark hunters in South Africa have discovered a population of a fish species that was believed to be extinct. Known as the ancient ‘four-legged fossil fish,’ these coelacanths were alive and well off the coast of Madagascar. So how did the hunters find them? Because they were chasing sharks for their fins, oil, and other lucrative parts,  their deep-sea nets were able to reach the area where the coelacanths gathered: 

The species, which dates back 420 million years, was thought to have been extinct until 1938, when the first living coelacanth in recent memory was discovered off the South African Coast, Mongabay News reported. Scientists were shocked to find a member of the "Latimeria chalumnae" species still alive, with its eight fins, a specific spotting pattern on the scales and huge bodies.

A recent study in the SA Journal of Science indicated that the coelacanths might face a new threat to survival with the uptick in shark hunting, which began booming in the 1980s.

"The jarifa gillnets used to catch sharks are a relatively new and more deadly innovation as they are large and can be set in deep water," the researchers noted in their paper.

They fear that the coelacanths are now at risk for "exploitation," particularly in Madagascar.

Image via the News Week 

A new study shows that military commander Napoléon Bonaparte may have died because of his cologne. Because the cologne contained so much alcohol, it might have made him smell great and protected him from diseases, but it was unable to stop him from overdosing due to the long-time exposure to the perfume. Ancient Origins has more details:  

There has long been speculation about the true cause of Napoleon Bonaparte’s death on the island of St. Helena on May 5, 1821. As we mark the 200th anniversary of this event, a biochemist from De Montfort University in Leicester (United Kingdom) believes he has finally solved the mystery of what killed one of history’s most recognized figures.

It was his love of cologne that killed him, asserts Parvez Haris, a professor of biomedical science at De Montfort’s School of Allied Health Sciences . According to Dr. Haris, Napoleon slowly poisoned himself to death over a number of years, by heavily and continuously using a type of men’s cologne that contained potentially toxic ingredients.

(via All That’s Interesting) 

Image via All That’s Interesting 

This is endearing. Forget the hardcore racing gamers screaming as they fail to turn in time -- let’s all appreciate this 93-year-old Japanese man gushing as he happily drives his old car in a racing game simulation. Our racing grandpa worked with cars for decades, and the car he drives in the game is an old Mazda Savana RX-7, the same vehicle he once drove over 30 years ago: 

While our new favorite granddad appears to be playing 2017’s Gran Turismo Sport, there really is only one way forward for future video entries: his grandson needs to gift the man Mario Kart 8: Deluxe. C’mon.

Give the desperate people what they want: an elderly, retired professional driver squaring off against a bunch of pre-teens on rainbow-colored roads alongside Mario, Toad, Bowser, and Princess Peach. It’s the best-selling racing game of all time, after all.

Honestly, given recent trends in the real-life car industry, we’re far more comfortable watching people drive within virtual worlds than in reality. Not convinced? Consider this: is a 93-year-old former professional driver any more unreliable than Tesla’s “self-driving” vehicles, which seem to have a habit of crashing into many, many things... including cop cars? 

Image via Input 

Did you know that the longest-living animal on Earth is a creature called the immortal jellyfish? Just from the name alone, we might assume that it could escape death a few times. For real though, they could, in theory, of course. The adult versions of these invertebrates can roll back their biological clock when injured or on the verge of starvation:

However, while this is technically feasible, it’s by no means provable. That’s because these jellyfish have only been studied sporadically since the early 1980s, meaning experts have only a few decades’ worth of data.

There’s also another factor to consider. While an immortal jellyfish can age in reverse, it can also be easily killed by predators including various fish, sharks, turtles and even other jellyfish. This is why the immortal jellyfish is unlikely to overpopulate the Earth anytime soon.

Normally, a mere mortal jellyfish passes through five stages of life:

Fertilised egg: an adult jellyfish (known as a medusa) will spawn eggs and sperm into the water, with these two types of cells joining up to create a fertilised egg.

Planula: the fertilised egg grows into a small larva called a planula. It looks something like a microscopic worm and can swim about freely.

Polyp: The planula will swim down to find a solid surface (such as a seabed), where it will develop a digestive system and is able to feed itself. When conditions such as water temperature suit it, the polyp will reproduce asexually, cloning itself to create a small colony.

Ephyra: after forming a new set of muscles and nerves, a section of a polyp (either the original polyp or clone) becomes an ephyra, an organism that can swim independently, grow and feed.

Medusa: this is a fully-grown adult jellyfish, which can reproduce sexually with another jellyfish (usually dying shortly afterwards).

Image via Science Focus

A father in China creates his own version of popular games so his young daughter could play them at home, even if she doesn’t have a computer or a game console nearby. Zhang Shuai started his crafting projects by working on a playable kitchen set for his daughter Nini, using cardboard and other materials. It’s important to point out that he has created physical versions of popular video games so his daughter could play them. From Tetris, to racing games, to his own version of Flappy Bird- his daughter must be having a lot of fun! 

Image screenshot via South China Morning Post on Facebook 

I have a vague recollection of watching the ‘90s show Legends of the Hidden Temple during Sunday mornings when I was a child. I remember being excited as I rooted for the contestants as they brave through the puzzles in the show, and being scared or surprised as jump scares (of a sort) pop in some areas to distract the contestants as they try to get out of the temple. So imagine my surprise that a reboot was going to be launched! The CW Network is now looking for adult contestants, as WKBW details: 

The CW Network has ordered a "new, re-imagined edition of the iconic Nickelodeon adventure series," although a premiere date has not yet been announced.

The show, which originally aired from 1993-1995, had younger contestants take part in physical tasks that included running, rope climbing, and more.

The CW says many of the original show's iconic sets, including "Olmec," the giant talking Mayan head, "The Steps of Knowledge," and the "Moat Crossings," will return.

"Once again, the gate to Olmec’s temple is about to open, but this time it’s for grown-ups!" the show's description says.

How to sign up:

To try out for the show, you must be 21 or older and be in the Los Angeles area in July.

The show is looking for teams of two.

To apply, fill out the form here.

Image via WKBW 

Remember that post about someone challenging all the other people who had the same name as him in a big brawl to decide who gets to keep the name once and for all? Well, the legendary Josh fight has already happened, and one YouTuber created an epic video to commemorate the fun event. Spark Freerunning created a Super Smash Bros-style edit featuring the different Joshes who attended the event.

I’m not surprised that the trial is still ongoing. Here’s a new update on the Epic Games vs. Apple lawsuit: they’re now playing Candy Crush in court. Well, sort of. When the Verge’s Elizabeth Lopatto sat in a federal court to watch a huge trial with major stakes for these two well-known companies, she wasn’t expecting it to be a crashing bore to the point that she started to slightly reflect on her life. Lopatto shares a portion of the court session when Apple’s expert witness, Lorin Hitt, was driving the point that being blocked from the App Store isn’t a huge blow to developers: 

Epic attorney Yonatan Even, also in a face shield, is now doing his best to blow a hole in Hitt’s testimony. I am doing my best to follow a confusing spreadsheet that includes games that Hitt has promised are on both PC and mobile phones. Even begins by pointing out some of these games are not, in fact, available for PC. One game, Words Story, is listed as available on PC on the document, but does not say this on the developer’s website. In the Microsoft store, a “Words Story” with the same art exists, but it’s not the same developer. “Sir, this is not the same developer and not the same game, is it?” Even says. “It’s what is called a ‘fake game.’”

[..] 

Hitt said earlier that he’d identified eight games that let people buy things on the iOS web browser, and then use them in iOS apps; these are identified in the spreadsheet. Epic has complained that this process isn’t good enough — and certainly isn’t ubiquitous. Now, Even raises the “frictionless” process that Hitt had blithely testified to earlier in the day. Candy Crush Saga is the example Even chooses. We go to the website, and press “install,” where we are promptly sent to the App Store. We tab back to the website. The only possible way to play on the web is on desktop. The Facebook option for Candy Crush, too, is desktop.

“That’s part of the frictionless process you have envisioned?” Even asks, somewhat sarcastically.

Image via the Verge 

That’s a nice accessory you got there, little fish! Susan Prior noticed a sand mullet with a gold wedding band lodged on its neck. Prior was snorkeling in Emily Bay when she spotted the unlikely sight. While fishes wearing plastic collars from juice and milk bottles are commonly seen, the ring was a gut-wrenching sight for her, as she explains on her blog: 

"Yesterday, I saw another mullet with a ring collar, but this one looked a shiny metallic gold, with a lot less algal growth compared to the plastic ones," she explained on her blog.

Prior noted that the ring likely got caught on the fish while it was searching for food on the ocean floor.

"Sometimes these rings escape into the wild, and this is the sad consequence," she explained. "Mullet snuffle through the sand looking for food making it so easy for a ring or hair tie to flip over their noses and get stuck."

After snapping photos of the fish, Prior returned to land, where she remembered that someone had posted on a community social media page earlier this year about a man's wedding ring that had gone missing in the bay.

Image via Yahoo News 

Scientists have figured out the mystery of the Cerne Abbas Giant in Dorset, England. Well, a part of it, at least. The humongous carving was made with chalk - and researchers used the material to determine when the carving was made. Based on the chalk samples, researchers now believe that the giant dates back to the Late Saxon period: 

The earliest known mentions of the Cerne Abbas Giant are from just 300 years ago, leading researchers to believe it was probably about that old. But according to [Mike] Allen, “Everyone was wrong and that makes these results even more exciting.”

Because a notoriously meticulous English cartographer named John Norden made no mention of the giant during his study of the area in 1617, some people have long believed that it didn’t yet exist. But Allen suggested that the site was merely covered with long grass.

To determine the giant’s true age, Allen and his team took soil samples from its chalk outline as well as from the soil nearby. Then, using a technique called “optically stimulated luminescence,” they determined when their samples were last exposed to sunlight.

They discovered that the oldest samples of chalk dated between 650 and 1310 A.D., and the soil around it dates to 700 to 1100 A.D. According to Allen, this means that the giant cannot be older than that, which puts the creation of it squarely in the latter part of the Saxon period which lasted from 410 to 1066 A.D.

Image via All That’s Interesting 

Did you know that animals rely on their sense of smell to detect diseases? Well this is exactly what Kate King Scribbins’ pet kitty, Oggy used to alert her about a cancerous mass inside her left breast. Her cat decided to snuggle more aggressively than usual, and made sure he was close to her left breast. Scribbins believe that this unusual behavior was her cat’s way to alert her of her illness: 

After months of noticing Oggy's unusual behavior, Scribbins woke up to "shooting pain," and after a self-examination, she located a mass in her breast. Soon after her discovery, Scribbins was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer and has been treated with several rounds of chemotherapy, multiple surgeries, and radiation. 

According to the Post, Scribbins says that in retrospect, she believes he was trying to alert her of the disease. "I look back on the changes in his behavior towards me before my breast cancer diagnosis, and I truly believe he was trying to alert me to the dangers growing in my body."

With cancer diagnoses, ongoing doctor check-ups mean patients are never fully finished with cancer. But Scribbins tells the newspaper that since completing treatment, Oggy seems to have stopped focusing his attention on her chest.

Image via Unsplash