Strange News

A pacu — a relative of the piranha, but with molar-like teeth — was caught in a neighborhood pond in Oklahoma.

An 11-year-old boy caught a fish with 'human-like teeth' in an Oklahoma pond

1:39pm July 19, 2023

by Bill Chappell

A boy in Oklahoma reeled in an alarmingly weird catch this past weekend: a pacu, the South American fish that's a cousin of the piranha — and whose humanlike teeth have long struck fear in swimmers.

Birds are using anti-bird spikes to protect their nests, a Netherlands team has found

7:29am July 19, 2023

A research team has found birds' nests around Europe that contain strips of anti-bird metal spikes. They say birds seem to be protecting their nests with devices people use to shoo birds away.

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A boy caught a South American fish with human-like teeth in an Oklahoma pond

6:27am July 19, 2023

by Leila Fadel

A boy caught a South American fish with human-like teeth in Oklahoma. The Pacu, a relative of the piranha, is vegetarian. Wildlife officials remind us not to dump exotic pets in local waters.

A man dressed as Darth Vader ran a mile in 128-degree Death Valley

5:30am July 19, 2023

by A Martínez

It's a near-annual tradition for Jon Rice to run a mile as a fast as he can in Death Valley — on the hottest day — in a Darth Vader costume. He says the thrill of 128 degree run is worth it.

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A southern otter in Santa Cruz, Calif., catches a wave after stealing a surfer's board.

Sports

An otter in Santa Cruz is hassling surfers — and stealing their boards

5:27pm July 15, 2023

by Dustin Jones

The 5-year-old female southern sea otter was first seen hijacking surfboards in Santa Cruz last September. Officials successfully drove the otter away from the area, but she has since returned.

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A group of fisherman drive pilot whales towards the shore during a hunt in the Faroe Islands in May 2019.

World News

78 pilot whales were slaughtered near a cruise ship carrying marine conservationists

1:13pm July 14, 2023

by Emily Olson

Passengers of the Ambassador Cruise Line had just arrived in the Faroe Islands when a group of small boats drove the whales to shallow water for killing, part of a long-standing local tradition.

Phil Stringer bonded with the crew members on his recent flight from Oklahoma City to Charlotte, N.C. He even plans to visit them in Dallas later this month.

National

He had a plane to himself after an 18-hour delay. What happened next was a wild ride

1:35pm July 07, 2023

by Rachel Treisman

Phil Stringer was the only passenger on his long-delayed flight from Oklahoma City to Charlotte, N.C. He credits crew members for their positive attitude — and is planning a trip to visit them soon.

Devils Hole pupfish gather on the precious rocky shelf that supports their entire fragile existence in the wild.

Against all odds, the rare Devils Hole pupfish keeps on swimming

5:00am July 07, 2023

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

The Devils Hole pupfish's natural habitat is a single water-filled hole in a cave in the Nevada desert. Its numbers at one point dwindled to just 35 animals. How does it manage to survive?

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A corpse flower blooms at the Belgian National Botanic Gardens in 2020.

Arts
Science

Unspeakably stinky and unpredictable: two corpse flowers are blooming in the U.S.

5:36pm July 06, 2023

by Manuela López Restrepo

The Titan Arum has become a rockstar in the plant world for its unpredictable displays, and more notoriously, its putrid stench of rotting flesh.

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Scientists say they've found a special part of the brain that, when stimulated, can cause out-of-body experiences.

Having an out-of-body experience? Blame this sausage-shaped piece of your brain

3:37pm July 05, 2023

by Jon Hamilton

An obscure bit of brain tissue appears critical to both out-of-body experiences and our sense of being anchored to a physical self.