Fortean Headlines

[EnolaGaia]

Ruh-Roh!!

The Supermassive Black Hole at The Centre of Our Galaxy Is Becoming More Active

STORY: https://www.sciencealert.com/the-su...at-our-galaxy-s-centre-is-growing-more-active

 

[Tin]

Ruh-Roh!!

The Supermassive Black Hole at The Centre of Our Galaxy Is Becoming More Active

STORY: https://www.sciencealert.com/the-su...at-our-galaxy-s-centre-is-growing-more-active

Excellent news...well at least it's not Brexit or Corona virus.

 

[Schrodinger's Zebra]

Ruh-Roh!!

The Supermassive Black Hole at The Centre of Our Galaxy Is Becoming More Active

STORY: https://www.sciencealert.com/the-su...at-our-galaxy-s-centre-is-growing-more-active

Ooh. I wonder if there is a limit to how strong it can get? X-Ray and Infrared are both increasing (if I'm reading that right, which as usual I might not be). What is causing the increase is the pertinent question.

Is it getting stronger before fizzling out altogether?

Will we all be zapped by the x-rays (do they weaken or stay the same as they travel)?

Will Zebs ever stop asking stupid questions?

Tune in next week for the next installment of "it's going to zap us and we're all going to diiiiieeeee..."



On a more serious note, cos it is a genuinely interesting article, I like the idea of this:

what might be causing it - whether it's accretion, or something else, such as the tidal disruption of passing asteroids.

There's something cool about thinking of asteroids causing a tide.... not a watery tide of course, but still.

 

[EnolaGaia]

... There's something cool about thinking of asteroids causing a tide.... not a watery tide of course, but still.

It's the other way 'round ... "Tidal disruption" refers to the black hole shredding an asteroid that passes close enough to be subjected to its gravitational forces.

A tidal disruption event (also known as a tidal disruption flare) is an astronomical phenomenon that occurs when a star approaches sufficiently close to a supermassive black hole that it is pulled apart by the black hole's tidal force, experiencing spaghettification.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidal_disruption_event

 

[Yithian]

Full Article (He does actually suggest a literal curse!):
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/19/sport/tokyo-2020-olympic-coronavirus-spt-intl/index.html

 

[EnolaGaia]

This bovine is on the lam!
Wanted cow that has evaded US police since January ‘faster than it looks’
https://www.breakingnews.ie/discove...ince-january-faster-than-it-looks-987463.html

Update ... The "faster than it looks" cow has finally been captured.

'Faster than it looks' cow captured after two months in Florida

Police in Florida said a loose cow that has eluded capture since January was finally captured by officers who lured the bovine into an enclosed area.

The Pembroke Pines Police Department said the cow was spotted in the area of Sheridan Street and Interstate 75, causing officers to respond and guide the animal toward an enclosed field in Davie.

The property owner agreed to allow the cow to stay until it could be safely moved.

"We wish the cow well on its future adventures," the department said. ...

SOURCE: https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2020/0...ed-after-two-months-in-Florida/1281584628148/

 

[EnolaGaia]

NASA fixes Mars lander by hitting it with a shovel

NASA may have a multi-billion dollar budget and some of the most advanced technology in the world, but when the Mars InSight lander got into a spot of bother, scientists came up with a charmingly rudimentary fix for its space technology: Hit it with a shovel.

FULL STORY: https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/19/world/nasa-mars-lander-mission-scli-intl-scn/index.html

 

[GerdaWordyer]

Ruh-Roh!!

The Supermassive Black Hole at The Centre of Our Galaxy Is Becoming More Active

STORY: https://www.sciencealert.com/the-su...at-our-galaxy-s-centre-is-growing-more-active

Oh great, while the Yosemite caldera is throbbing.

 

[Spudrick68]

I initially read that ss Supermarket Massive Black Hole.

 

[EnolaGaia]

In Norway, kids are still making good money cutting cod tongues

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/norway-cod-tongues/index.html

 

[GingerTabby]

NASA fixes Mars lander by hitting it with a shovel


FULL STORY: https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/19/world/nasa-mars-lander-mission-scli-intl-scn/index.html

I'm surprised they didn't turn it off and then turn it on again. That's my Luddite approach to dealing with improperly functioning gadgets.

 

[JamesWhitehead]

Spring in Quarantine or . . .

Buttercups and Daisies and Blueballs!

Donald Peers - as well he might! He does seem to snigger during the song but the label says Bluebells!

 

[Bigphoot2]

NASA fixes Mars lander by hitting it with a shovel


FULL STORY: https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/19/world/nasa-mars-lander-mission-scli-intl-scn/index.html

You can't beat a bit of percussive maintenance.

 

[EnolaGaia]

Scientists find a way to extract color from black

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-03/uob-sfa032720.php

 

[EnolaGaia]

Moonbase builders may end up taking the piss ...
... and using it to construct their lunar habitats.

Astronaut urine to build moon bases

FULL STORY: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-03/f-sf-aut032720.php

 

[EnolaGaia]

The Bad News ...

Legal marijuana products too strong for pain relief
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200326144354.htm
​

The Good News ...

Who Cares?!? ...
​

 

[Mythopoeika]

The Bad News ...

Legal marijuana products too strong for pain relief
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200326144354.htm
​

The Good News ...

View attachment 24570
Who Cares?!? ...
​

I was quite surprised to see a sign up at my local pharmacy today, stating that they supply CBD products.

 

[madmath]

I was quite surprised to see a sign up at my local pharmacy today, stating that they supply CBD products.

CBD isn't necessarily illegal, at least here in New Jersey; I don't know about other states or polities.
I recently tried a CBD-enhanced beer, nothing to recommend there. Shops sell CBD oils and lotions, and some candies and sweets. I suspect they contain an insufficient amount of any chemical to generate any significant effect.

 

[EnolaGaia]

This just in from the "No Shit, Sherlock" desk ...

Being Receptive to Bullsh*t More Generally Can Predict One's Love of Essential Oils

https://www.sciencealert.com/if-you...-then-you-may-have-a-faulty-bullshit-detector

 

[Tribble]

Astrophysicist gets magnets stuck up nose while inventing coronavirus device

https://www.theguardian.com/austral...ck-up-nose-while-inventing-coronavirus-device

 

[EnolaGaia]

I wasn't aware there were medical researchers seeking ways to foster or promote transplant rejections ...

Mimicking cancer's evasive tactics, microparticles show promise for transplant rejection

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200313180824.htm

 

[Jim]

I wasn't aware there were medical researchers seeking ways to foster or promote transplant rejections ...

Mimicking cancer's evasive tactics, microparticles show promise for transplant rejection

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200313180824.htm

Enola this has been ongoing. My wife is a biologist - med tech. They have to do some extremely thorough testing and work fast for these type procedures, since the patent has a very limited window when organ rejection occurs. I believe they even done it with heart transplants. UR - Strong heads up some of this research locally. Sorry I don't understand the science behind my wife's work, just like she is lost if I talk RF or EM, etc.

 

[Lord Lucan]

They didn't get away no matter how good a driver the dog was...

Man facing charges after high-speed chase on I-5 with pit bull in driver's seat

A Washington state man was arrested Sunday following a high speed chase on Interstate 5 in which the suspect's pet pit bull may have been driving the vehicle during part of the incident, authorities said.

Authorities have not publicly identified the 51-year-old man who is from Lakewood but he is facing several charges, including DUI, reckless driving, hit-and-run and felony eluding, the Washington State Patrol said. It was not immediately clear where he was being held or if bond has been set in the case.

The pursuit began in south King County and wound up in north Snohomish County before the suspect and dog were stopped.

https://komonews.com/news/local/man...ed-chase-on-i-5-with-pit-bull-in-drivers-seat

 

[kamalktk]

Group of friends discover secret camp in Golden Ears Park frozen in time


https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/secret-camp-like-a-time-capsule-1.5513515

Three B.C. friends, out for a recent hike together near Alouette Lake, discussed finding a fabled gold stash rumoured to be the in area around Maple Ridge, but came across a different sort of treasure.
Callum Gow, Josh Grossman and Carson Schiefner, all film workers in their early 20s, found a secret camp, fully supplied, that had not been visited in nearly 30 years.

 

[Yithian]

Three B.C. friends, out for a recent hike together near Alouette Lake...

 

[IbisNibs]

I initially read that as Supermarket Massive Black Hole.

It's where all the toilet paper has gone.

 

[maximus otter]

Callum Gow, Josh Grossman and Carson Schiefner, all film workers in their early 20s, found a secret camp, fully supplied, that had not been visited in nearly 30 years.

Do I sense the premise for their low-budget Indie found-footage flick?

maximus otter

 

[EnolaGaia]

This one gave me pause until I found out what it was really describing ...

Undersea Telescopes Scan the Sky from Below

Spoiler: What It's Really Describing

Submarine neutrino detectors will hunt for dark matter, distant star explosions, and more
FULL STORY: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/undersea-telescopes-scan-the-sky-from-below/

 

[EnolaGaia]

'Nature's Smallest Rainbow' Found on Australian Spider's Butt
https://www.livescience.com/61318-peacock-spider-smallest-rainbow.html

Here's another one - both another peacock spider story and another WTF headline ...
'Starry Night' replica found on peacock spider's butt

Spoiler: The Explanation

Now, an entomologist with Museums Victoria in Australia has described seven brand new species of peacock spiders ... Included among the new species is the looker shown in the photo above — Maratus constellatus, which entomologist Joseph Schubert named in honor of the twinkling blue-and-yellow heavens in Vincent Van Gogh's iconic painting "The Starry Night."

FULL STORY: https://www.livescience.com/peacock-spider-van-gogh-butt.html

 

[IbisNibs]

<Sniff> That image has more in common with Georges Seurat's pointillism technique as it does with van Gogh's swirly Starry Night stars. Just can't trust anything a science writer says these days.