TWS134: A New Term To Multiply
The winner of Nuchtchas from Nimlas TWS contest is: zackmann on Twitter! Yay!
CQ: What small and absurd-sounding investigation will change the world? Alternatively, what is one that already has done so?
On the show this week:
- Til Health Do We Part
- All Creatures Gait And Squall
- That’s just not right..
- That’s just not part of the show.. (EXTRA)
Full list of 94 articles after the jump!
- Til Health Do We Part:
- The bitter irony is that their health insurance won’t cover that.: Yahoo!/AP – Part of finger bitten off at Calif. health protest
- The lilypads also looked rather suspicious..: BBC – Seaweed suspected in French death
- Always announce deaths ahead of time, to prevent death.: Deccan Chronicle – Shock death toll 141
- Nothing like Judging a book by its fingers..: Ananova – Men with long ring fingers drive faster
- (EXTRA) Technically, throwing a cut orange at someone is an “acid attack” but this is much more real and scary.: ABC Australia/AFP – 10 hurt in Hong Kong acid attack
- I want my brain insured; then again, I tend to lose it fairly often..: Ananova – Cheese grader has nose insured for £5m
- I would never have thought of building an eye from a piece of tooth; it seems like some sort of ancient nursery rhyme gone wrong..: ABC – Blind Woman Sees With ‘Tooth-in-Eye’ Surgery
- I generally avoid kissing blood anyway..: STV/Reuters – H1N1 flu stops Italians kissing saint’s blood
- I’ve never tried extreme dating *or* rollercoasters. Combining them just seems like setting up for failure..: Ananova – Rollercoaster love life
- Turns out, we may actually fry by going to Mars. I think this means that forcefields/shields are the next thing to invent..: New Scientist – Too much radiation for astronauts to make it to Mars
- Did they subtitle this “death by overindulgence”?: Ananova – 13st burger is world’s biggest
- How is it that hospital food is only “technically” good (enough) for you?: Ananova – Hospital food bingo
- (EXTRA) It’s not quite the same as the old “someone woke up in a tubful of ice”, but not far..: BBC – Israel organs claim row deepens
- (EXTRA) Nothing like a refreshing faceful of nasties!: BBC – Taking showers ‘can make you ill’
- (EXTRA) The CDC is still looking into this strange condition. So far, they seem to declare it “possibly happening”..: CDC – Unexplained Dermopathy (also called “Morgellons”)
- Another piece of folk knowledge confirmed.. (unfortunately): ABC Australia – People can die of a broken heart: study
- I don’t believe this. That reminds me: want more Heavenly Hash and Neopolitan..: MSNBC/Reuters – Ice cream really can control your brain
- I’m starting to think that the Brits need to get off their couches more — they’re a little fragile..: The UK Telegraph – Crumbs: half of Britons injured by their biscuits on coffee break, survey reveals
- (EXTRA) Maybe this is the end of the world they were talking about..: BBC – 9/9/9 sparks wedding ’emergency’
- (EXTRA) I missed this story, so, um.. the world didn’t end. (You can thank me later.): The UK Daily Mail – World will end today… (Well it is 9/9/09 – and the doom-mongers are predicting a disaster)
- (EXTRA) As much as we all “know” that numerology doesn’t likely have any meaning, we still love those patterns..: LaCrosse Tribune – Local baby’s birth carries cluster of nines
- (EXTRA) Nothing like waving your underwear at your aunties, already..: Ananova – Health promotion is pants
- (EXTRA) This story stinks.: Ananova – ‘Perfume can cure aids’
- (EXTRA) Wait.. someone *Godwin’ed* the healthy sex ads?: BBC – Romping Hitler Aids ad criticised
- (EXTRA) Don’t get screwed: pay attention to the barriers of truth! And is this “myth-contraceptions”?: BBC – Contraception myths ‘widespread’
- (EXTRA) Now this might just be the way to make the green movement sexy again..: Ananova – Green sex toy could ‘help save planet’
- (EXTRA) Relax: it’s a tree. (Of DOOM!): ABC Australia – Scientists clone oldest living organism
- Sometimes, the ambiance is not improved by piddling. Just sayin’..: Ananova – Taking the pee
- Save the world: pee on a tomato.: Phenomenica/IANS – Human urine can help grow bumper tomato crops
- I wonder if this is a general solution for getting rid of urine..: Space.com – Mystery Explained: Glow in Night Sky Was Astronaut Urine
- (EXTRA) Whoops! Now they *know* that they can’t keep secrets! Men are doomed.: Ananova – Women can’t keep secrets – study
- (EXTRA) He’s nearly a foot taller than the last guy. I say: let’s breed giants. For fun!: Ananova – Turk is world’s tallest man
- (EXTRA) Eventually, she’ll get it right.: BBC – Centenarian desires 23rd husband
- (EXTRA) Did she find a ghost — or did it find her? (She might have better luck with that now, sadly.): Edmonton Sun – Ghost hunter killed in fall from building
- (EXTRA) The first death the author explores might have been her professional career and respect from her peers (sadly).: The Daily Grail – The Departed
- (EXTRA) Turns out, salt may be the fundamental ingredient in making a tasty lifeform..: ScienceDaily – Early Life On Earth: Could Salt Crusts Be Key Ingredient In Cooking Up Prebiotic Molecules?
- (EXTRA) My comment to this story is on the backup drive (and the network is down).: The Gralien Report – Cyborg Nation: “Outsourcing” Biological Functions
- (EXTRA) Shouldn’t we take control of our biological destiny?: New Scientist – Better world: Screen your genes
- All Creatures Gait And Squall:
- (EXTRA) Next come the arguments that I shouldn’t eat children. BEEF! I mean… beef.: ScienceDaily – Evidence Points To Conscious ‘Metacognition’ In Some Nonhuman Animals
- They did this with the power of their MINDS! Well, that and magnets..: LiveScience – Mice Levitated in Lab
- THIS IS THE MOST FRIGHTENING THING I’VE EVER SEEN. (Hey, why is my tongue numb?): DiscoveryOn – Rare tongue-eating parasite found
- (EXTRA) I’ve been saying this for years: there weren’t enough dinosaurs to produce that much oil..: ScienceDaily – Fossils From Animals And Plants Are Not Necessary For Crude Oil And Natural Gas, Swedish Researchers Find
- Put this down as a “win” in the “open-minded cryptozoology” column..: The New Zealand Herald/Independent – Maori legend of man-eating bird is true
- (EXTRA) Good violins aren’t made: they’re *grown*. (in vats): ScienceDaily – Fungus-treated Violin Outdoes Stradivarius
- (EXTRA) *sigh* I had hope for a second there, but it wasn’t the Fatcat that I was thinking about. RIP Tigger.: Ananova – Fat cat could be a record breaker
- (EXTRA) Yeah, but it also produces unhappy steak.. 😉: ABC Australia – Comfy cows ‘produce more milk’
- (EXTRA) First thought: paws can’t make the symbols..: Ananova – Deaf puppy learns sign language
- (EXTRA) It makes me wonder: what is the most expensive person? Should that question make you cringe?: Ananova – £350,000 for the world’s most expensive dog
- (EXTRA) I wonder if this is like that moment in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, where dogs (in this case) get elevated and eventually rebel against mankind..: Ananova – Dog is an upright citizen
- I wonder if we could ever make or find a creature that really *does* have a tail with a mind of its own?: ScienceDaily – Flips, Flops And Cartwheels: Gecko Tail Has A Mind Of Its Own, Scientists Discover
- (EXTRA) How long before birdcalls are represented by the RIAA?: ScienceDaily – Imitate To Communicate: Even Singers In The Bird World Have To Deal With Cover Artists
- .. because the cyber-flippers were on back-order, no doubt..: The UK Telegraph – Injured turtle fitted with furniture coasters
- Eventually, we’ll just convert everything — including ourselves — into power. We’ll be the phantom power in the machine..: DiscoveryOn/Bureau Report – Bacteria to convert waste into power
- (EXTRA) The saddest part is that they just want to waste them in sacrifice. Bet they won’t even make stew. 🙁: BBC – Nepal hit by severe goat shortage
- (EXTRA) There are some that say that life, here, began.. out there.: ABC Australia – Unknown substance spotted in ocean
- Or at least a cave… Granted, it’s got HUGE rats and FANGED frogs.: Ananova – Scientists discover lost world
- (EXTRA) Initial reporting on a fuzzy blob that might be a bigfoot.: WLWT/NBC – Camera Snaps ‘Bigfoot’ Photo In Ky. Back Yard
- At last! Loren Coleman is opening up a storefront version of his museum. I need to plan a trip..: Cryptomundo – Cryptozoo Museum Opens In Downtown Portland
- (EXTRA) A neat little mistake of a picture that looks like a fairy, but probably is just a world-killing mutant super-bug or intelligent flying rodent..: The UK Daily Mai – Croydon Tinker Bell… are there fairies at the bottom of the garden?
- Looks like the name of this beast is the Gollum. Maybe we can call it the “Panamanian Gollum” to make it clear..: Metro – ‘Gollum-like’ monster emerges from lake
- Looks like it’s time for another Montauk monster! This time, a creepy, albino, smooth-bodied thing..: The UK Sun – Mystery beast terrified kids
- Another cryptozoological expedition to actually *search* for truth, rather than the armchair skeptics just *declaring* the falsehoods..: CFZ Sumatra 2009 – BRITISH SCIENTISTS IN SEARCH FOR THE INDONESIAN ‘YETI’
- Most likely it’s just a really mangy dog or fox.: WKRN – Dickson Co. man believes he killed a Chupacabra
- An excellent example of what might be a confusing misperception — or maybe we were all led down the garden path by a denier.: Blogsquatcher – Full screen of KY bigfoot/crow
- (EXTRA) Fangs for the irony..: News Blaze – 2009 Vampire Ball in Sacramento to Raise Money for Romanian Animal Charity
- “Well, we’ve made all the statues we can fit. What now?” “Why don’t we give them hats?” “…”: BBC – Giant statues give up hat secret
- (EXTRA) I find it odd sometimes that such specialized events can be held. Then I remember Mike The Headless Chicken Days.: The Charleston Gazette – Eighth annual Mothman Festival to be this weekend in Point Pleasant
- The old joke is that “sneakernet” is the fastest kind of network. It’s still true..: STV/Reuters – Pigeon transfers data faster than S.Africa’s Telkom
- That’s just not right..:
- I hope this is true, but I fear that we’ll get it just as baldness becomes the norm..: The UK Daily Mail – Teenager invents £23 solar panel that could be solution to developing world’s energy needs … made from human hair
- Turns out, your imagination is *really* important to getting in the mood. From now on, listen to my podcast with your eyes closed — unless you are walking or driving, I guess.: ScienceDaily – Scary Music Is Scarier With Your Eyes Shut
- I say: we breed better trees to power more electronics..: ScienceDaily – Electrical Circuit Runs Entirely Off Power In Trees
- (EXTRA) Turns out: being really confused is really important to being a better thinker. By that logic, I am well on my way to being a genius!: ScienceDaily – Reading Kafka Improves Learning, Suggests Psychology Study
- (EXTRA) I’m both amused and annoyed by such behaviour.. I mean, if others see him do it, they’re going to do it too. Soon, they’ll be poo-flinging and banana-stealing..: MSNBC/AP – Arizona not monkeying with masked speeder
- (EXTRA) Being interrogated by the police can be nerve-racking; maybe he was just letting off, uh.. steam?: Ananova – Windy Austrian fined
- (EXTRA) It’s like something from a movie; granted, he’s not a long-term keeper, as his employment prospects are weak.: Ananova – Robber asked victim for date
- (EXTRA) Based on what I see in movies, it seems like *all* criminals should probably take tests, to become certified and better criminals. OH, wait.. Maybe not..: The UK Telegraph – Japanese gangsters forced to sit exams in crime
- (EXTRA) “If you all have sex in public, you’ll get more bananas.” Sounds like a great joke or a way to distract from lack of bananas..: Ananova – Police hunt banana sex cult leader
- (EXTRA) This kinda blows the whole “the dog ate my homework” out of the water..: Ananova – Boy faked kidnapping to cover for bad report
- (EXTRA) Unfortunately, they didn’t keep it down for the *other* army..: Ananova – Army keeps noise down for students
- (EXTRA) It was named “multicoloured penis”, as Richards around the world protested.: Ananova – Spotted Dick renamed
- (EXTRA) A perfect example of why it sometimes is best to see things yourself, in person, and not trust any video coverage. I’m thinking faked news, too..: The UK Telegraph – Berlin TV tower ‘stolen’ by Nasa: amazing video spoof
- (EXTRA) I’d like to see more angles on this, but it resembles a disc, or when seen on it’s side, a cigar.: The UK Daily Mail – UFO ‘filmed for 40 minutes’ by Chinese scientists during solar eclipse
- (EXTRA) Someone at Google seems to take notice of alien activity.. Or at least, activities around alien activities..: Ananova – The art of Googling
- (EXTRA) In space, no one can smell you pee..: DiscoveryOn/ANI – ‘Smell of space’ strong, metallic and unique
- That’s just not part of the show.. (EXTRA):
- (EXTRA) Several names, actually.: Ananova – Film fan makes a name for himself
- (EXTRA) A series of “slap to the face” articles running on New Scientist with the intent to shake the tree.: New Scientist – Blueprint for a better world
- (EXTRA) In order to save the world, first we have to admit to living in it..: New Scientist – Better world: Get real
- Apparently, the most valuable thing that everybody produces is hair.: The UK Telegraph – Woman builds house out of human hair
- (EXTRA) Sometimes, I forget that we have been clever little monkies for a LOONG time, and that most of our history is *before* the industrial revolution..: ScienceDaily – Rare Discovery: Engraved Gemstone Carrying A Portrait Of Alexander The Great
- (EXTRA) I hereby proudly declare myself an AFOL: Adult Fan Of Lego. I’m also a AWWHHTTPWL: Adult Who Wishes He Had Time To Play With Lego.: The Times Union – An Albany landscape in Legos
- (EXTRA) Well, at least he didn’t miss! Now *that* would be embarassing!: The UK Telegraph – US man fires cannon, hits neighbour’s house
- (EXTRA) And by “solved”, they mean “we’ve found a couple of plausible explanations for a couple of things”.: BBC – Bermuda Triangle plane mystery ‘solved’
- (EXTRA) A cave known for its ability to turn things into stone, much like university lectures..: The UK Telegraph – Mother Shipton’s Cave for sale at £1.8m
- (EXTRA) Or at least, he finds a way to pull off an incredible stunt.: The UK Telegraph – Derren Brown correctly predicts National Lottery numbers
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