STATUS UPDATES
A week in which a cactus got spiked, Swiss toilets got rich and a jellyfish slumbered
CATCH A jogger who is relieving herself on the streets of a Colorado Springs neighbourhood. Police are trying to identify a woman dubbed the “The Mad Pooper” by a family who confronted her as she squatted with her pants down on their front lawn. The woman apologized before running off. The defecating runner has apparently continued to leave behind evidence.
RELEASE More than 300 bats that were calling a Salt Lake City high school home. Janitors had to close the facility and use butterfly nets to scoop up the winged invaders midflight. The bats were relocated. The school sits in a migratory path, so one or two bat visitors a year is not unusual, but this infestation raised concerns of the local health department.
SHOCKED Six friends who discovered they were wearing the same outfit at a friend’s wedding in Australia. Instead of being devastated by this fashion faux-pas, the women laughed, posting a photo that has gone viral: “No we are NOT the bridesmaids, just the guests,” notes the caption below the pic showing the bride with the sextet in nearly identical versions of a navy dress.
AWED Scientists who discovered a new species of animal in a remote cave in Turkmenistan. A subterranean creature eyeless and representing a whole new genus, was lured into a trap by bait consisting of smelly cheese. Scientists have named the critter, Turkmenocampa mirabilis, meaning “unusual, amazing, wonderful, remarkable creature from Turkmenistan.”
REJECTED A 6.4-metre saguaro cactus southern Arizona business leaders had planned to send to Jeff Bezos in a bid to persuade the Amazon CEO to choose Tucson as the location for the commerce giant’s second headquarters. “Unfortunately we can’t accept gifts (even really cool ones),” an Amazon tweet read. A number of cities, including Toronto, are competing for the headquarters.
ACCEPTED After six decades, caffeinated soft drinks on the campus of the Mormon Church-run university Brigham Young. Although drinking such beverages had never been banned, the university decided in the 1950s to not sell them and wouldn’t change the policy even after the church clarified that its health practices do not prevent members from imbibing caffeine.
FLUSH Toilets in Geneva, with cash. Police discovered bills worth about € 100,000 clogging toilets throughout the Swiss city. Bills had been cut up and flushed in four locations earlier this summer, but the case only came to light this week. The money appears to have been disposed of by two Spanish citizens but police have no evidence to link the cash to criminality.
LACKING A brain, but that doesn’t mean jellyfish don’t need their sleep. Scientists demonstrated that a primitive type of jellyfish called Cassiopea require periods of decreased activity and response to stimuli, proving that “sleep is one of the most ancient behavioural states, deeply rooted within the animal lineage,” according to a California Institute of Technology biologist.