Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 222
February 4, 2020
February 3, 2020
The Parasitic, Mind-Controlling Wasp Is The Stuff of Nightmares
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Few moments in cinematic history prove as unsettling as the chest-burster scene in Alien (1979). If you’ve somehow managed to block this sci-fi horror moment from your memory, here’s a refresher. An embryonic xenomorph explodes out of a man’s chest, along with a spaceship-load of blood and gore. There’s no turning back for the crew members of the commercial space tug Nostromo after this event.
The Alien franchise aside, nature serves up countless real-life horror stories every day, largely thanks to insects and parasites. Rumor has it that the reproductive cycle of Phronima, a tiny parasitic sea creature found throughout the world’s oceans, inspired the story for Alien. Now scientists have a new villain to add to the list of living nightmares, crypt-keeper wasps, first described in 2017.
The Real-Life Horror of Crypt-Keeper Wasps
Crypt-keeper wasps, or Euderus set, are named for the Egyptian god Set (a.k.a. Seth). Set famously trapped his brother Osiris, in a crypt to kill him. And this name really couldn’t be much more fitting when it comes to these parasitic creatures and their relationship to gall wasps.
Euderus set; Photo via Wikimedia Commons || CC: Scott P. Egan, Kelly L. Weinersmith, Sean Liu, Ryan D. Ridenbaugh, Y. Miles Zhang, Andrew A. Forbes
Gall wasps create abnormal, tumor-like growths on oak trees, known as galls, to shelter their larvae. Once mature, the new gall wasps emerge from the tree and fly away. Think of these galls like the Nostromo and the larvae within the crew members in Alien. Unbeknownst to these larvae, a monster lurks in the shadows, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Enter the crypt-keeper wasp!
Crypt-keeper wasps lay their eggs in the same galls. This action triggers a fight for survival with grim consequences for some of the gall larvae. The unlucky ones chosen as hosts by the crypt-keepers never stand a chance. You see, once the crypt-keeper wasp larvae hatch, they burrow inside these helpless gall wasp larvae. Still trapped within galls, these unwitting hosts have no means of escape. The parasitic infection that ensues marks the beginning of a real-world horror story, complete with mind control, that would keep Ridley Scott up at night.
Once infected gall wasp larvae reach maturity, they begin the process of chewing their way out of the oak gall like their unaffected brothers and sisters. But then something strange happens. Infected gall wasps display altered behavior. Instead of altogether eating their way out of the tree, they create a hole just big enough for their heads to stick out. Scientists call these formations “head plugs.” After that, the hosts become unresponsive. Meanwhile, crypt-keeper wasp larvae feed on the gall wasps’ insides before hatching from their heads.
Parasitic Mind Control
Scientists are still trying to figure out the mechanism behind how crypt-keeper wasps use mind control to paralyze their victims. In 2019, researchers announced their findings after collecting and observing 23,000 galls with more than 100 species of gall wasps developing inside.
The team brought these galls back to their laboratory for further study. They hoped to catch glimpses of crypt-keeper larvae in action as they emerged from head plugs. All told, 305 parasitic wasps burst from the heads of seven different gall wasp species. They chose their victims carefully, preferring hosts without fur or spikes on their bodies.
Euderus set; Photo via Wikimedia Commons || CC: Scott P. Egan, Kelly L. Weinersmith, Sean Liu, Ryan D. Ridenbaugh, Y. Miles Zhang, Andrew A. Forbes
Scientists were astounded by the wasp’s ability to control its host’s mind, actually getting it to eat a path for the crypt-keeper’s escape. Second, they were shocked by the parasitic larvae’s ability to control individuals across seven different species not closely related.
Even though researchers have described more than 350,000 species of beetle, very few parasitic wasps have been studied. Yet, scientists hypothesize more species of parasitic wasps exist than beetles! Why the lack of research? They’re a tiny species that prove challenging to find in the wild. What’s more, until recently, few researchers looked for them. No doubt, as scientific study continues, more sci-fi horror-worthy tales will emerge.
By Engrid Barnett, contributor for Ripleys.com
Source: The Parasitic, Mind-Controlling Wasp Is The Stuff of Nightmares
February 2, 2020
February 1, 2020
January 31, 2020
Pig Cuddling Volunteers Wanted
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
This Week
[January 26-February 1st, 2020] Cuddly pigs, a cat with titanium legs, a chubby owl, and the rest of the week’s weird news from Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
Pig Cuddlers Wanted
An animal rescue farm in North Carolina is seeking volunteers to give their piglets cuddles! The group is trying to socialize the pigs with people in preparation for them to be adopted as pets into families. Farm managers say that pigs can actually be easier to train than dogs. After putting the call out on Facebook, people are even planning road trips to cuddle with the piglets.
A Timely Investment
When an Air Force veteran stationed in Thailand spent $300 on a Rolex watch in 1974, he thought he was really splurging. He originally planned to use it for diving but decided the watch was too nice to expose to the saltwater. Instead, he left it in a safety deposit box. Now, after having it appraised, he learned it is now worth an estimated $700,000!
Dating App Rescue
Lonia Haeger, a camper from Germany was cruising the Norwegian countryside when her camper became stuck in the snow. She was able to reach emergency services for help, but they wouldn’t be able to make it to her location for some time. Fearing she might be pushed off the road by an oncoming car in the thick snow, she jumped on Tinder to find out if anyone was nearby. She quickly found a nearby match who was able to rescue her with a bulldozer.
Titanium-Pawed Kitty
After losing all four paws to frostbite, a female gray cat named Haze is back to climbing and walking after vets were able to make her four prosthetic paws. A passing car found the cat wandering in the snow and brought her to a clinic Novosibirsk, Russia. The vets developed calcium implants and titanium prosthetics that are now fused to the cat’s body. Haze can now stretch, walk, and play!
Owl Too Chunky To Fly
An owl found by Suffolk Owl Sanctuary in the UK was found flightless at the bottom of a muddy ditch. Caretakes thought she might be injured or just too heavy with soggy feathers to take to the air, but after observing her for a while, they decided it was something else. Weighing the bird, she was actually too overweight to fly! Experts say a smorgasbord of wild voles and mice had fattened the owl up.
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A post shared by Suffolk Owl Sanctuary (@suffolkowls) on Jan 29, 2020 at 12:01am PST
Source: Pig Cuddling Volunteers Wanted
CARTOON 01-31-2020January 30, 2020
The Windy City Doesn’t Exactly Live Up To Its Name
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
While there are many windy cities in the United States, the titleholder has always been the city of Chicago, Illinois. But, before you dress from head to toe in your windbreaking gear, we have some news for you: America’s “Windy City” isn’t actually number one on the list. That honor belongs to a multitude of different cities—depending on who you ask.
Contender number one is Cold Bay, Alaska. Cold Bay, which has a population of slightly more than 100 people, is located at the western edge of the Alaska Peninsula. This chilly stop has an annual average wind speed of 16.1 mph, according to data collected in early 2019 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). And, even more shockingly, its annual maximum wind speed is a whopping 96 mph! To put these whipping gusts into perspective, Windy City—Chicago—has an average wind speed of less than 10 mph.
And, as if wind speed wasn’t enough to change your mind about Chicago, the state with the greatest number of windy cities is actually Texas. According to a 2016 list by the Weather Channel, four of the top ten windiest cities in the country are all in Texas: Amarillo, Lubbock, Corpus Christi, and Abilene.
So, where does Chicago actually rank on the list? CoreLogic, an analytics company, examined wind data and ranked Chicago as the 50th windiest city in the United States. Consulting different data than the NOAA, CoreLogic devised their own rankings of metropolitan areas based on their highest wind gusts, rather than the highest wind speeds. As a result, the leader on CoreLogic’s list was Jackson, Mississippi.
Wellington, New Zealand
As for the windiest city on earth, Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, reigns supreme. The city is located on the Cook Strait between the country’s north and south islands, and winds hit an average speed of 16.6 mph. Its strongest ever recorded gust was 154 mph back in 1962.
So why is Chi-Town dubbed the “Windy City” even though it doesn’t make any top 10 lists? In its defense, the city does experience frigid wind generated by Lake Michigan known for blowing between the city’s buildings quite fiercely. And another non-weather-related explanation for the nickname is that, historically, the politicians had a tendency to speak verbosely and were considered “windbags.”
Lastly, a third explanation is purportedly backed up by a New York Sun article published in 1890. During that time, Chicago and New York City were competing to host the 1893 World’s Fair. The article’s editor warned readers to dismiss the “nonsensical claims of that windy city” because “its people could not build a World’s Fair even if they won it.” However, most experts discount this reason because the original article is nowhere to be found.
Another clue to Chicago’s nickname is related to its rivalry with Cincinnati in the 1870s and 1880s. The two cities competed in intense baseball matches—the Cincinnati Red Stockings versus the White Stockings. Sporting news at the time often referred to the “Windy City” when writing about Chicago.
Whatever the reason, Chicago is definitely not the windiest city in America.
By Noelle Talmon, contributor for Ripleys.com
January 29, 2020
The Real Life Cheshire Cat With Glowing Teeth
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Imagine, in the darkness, seeing nothing but the glowing, red teeth of a cat.
No, this isn’t Alice in Wonderland. There is a real disorder that makes cats’ teeth—and all their other bones—glow red under blacklight.
A few years ago, kennel assistant Grace Allwein was working at a veterinary hospital when a shelter brought in a special cat. During an examination, the vet students recognized something about the animal’s smile that reminded them of a condition they learned about in a lecture, Allwein explains.
“The teeth look stained in regular light and they glow in blacklight,” she explained. “The kitten could eat regularly as far as I could tell.” Allwein, an animal lover, also runs her dog’s Instagram.
Cat with erythropoietic porphyria || Photo courtesy of Grace Allwein
The cat had a condition called erythropoietic porphyria, which, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual, has also been observed in some farm animals and people. When a certain group of hemoglobin is defective, the body breaks down iron too fast. The animals are typically anemic and sensitive to the sun, and the broken down byproducts of iron are deposited in the skin and bones. That results in a reddish color.
Only the bones, however, fluoresce. For most animals, with the exception of the deer family, teeth are the only bones you can see from the outside. Therefore, when Allwein saw the cat under black light, she could clearly see the glowing teeth.
Photo courtesy of Grace Allwein
Other animals that glow are mostly sea creatures: some jellyfish have a green fluorescent protein (GFP), and corals glow in a variety of colors. In fact, fish with transgenic DNA from jellyfish, from a brand called “GloFish,” are available at pet stores across the country.
Scientists have even genetically modified cats to glow in the dark by splicing jellyfish’s GFP to their DNA. These glowing cats were a part of the research that is helping scientists that research AIDS. Aside from this lab research, vets recommend that animals with erythropoietic porphyria should not be bred, as the disorder causes anemia and light sensitivity. However, if the animals are kept out of too much sunlight, they can live generally healthy lives.
So, if you do happen to see a glowing grin amidst the presence of a blacklight, it could be that of a real-life Cheshire cat.
By Kristin Hugo, contributor for Ripleys.com
Kristin Hugo is a science journalist with writing in National Geographic, Newsweek, and PBS Newshour. She’s especially experienced in covering animals, bones, and anything weird or gross. When not writing, Kristin is spray painting and cleaning bones in her New York City yard. Find her on Twitter at @KristinHugo , Tumblr at @StrangeBiology , and Instagram at @thestrangebiology .
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