Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 226
January 14, 2020
Crazy Bike Tricks By The Bicycle Ballerina
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Lea Schaepe of Potsdam, Germany, has taken the phrase, “It’s like riding a bike!” to a whole other level. Practicing the 130-year-old sport of artistic cycling, Lea has learned to ride her bike in many unconventional ways—from the handlebars and beyond. Having won a dozen national competitions in Germany, Lea’s taking her bike to the streets!
Cycling races began to hit their stride in Paris, 1868. Among the many racing sports, one man, Nick Kaufmann, showed audiences something new. He performed acrobatics on his bicycle. Wooing crowds with his unique displays—in a sport that was gaining widespread popularity—Kaufmann made the connections he needed to organize a competition revolving around artistic cycling. In 1888, he became the world champion of “Professional Cycle Trick Riding.”
The sport has morphed over the years and now is really only popular in Europe—championed in particular by Germany. Modern competitors demonstrate various tricks indoors, earning points as they perform. Much like ballet or gymnastics, participants compete in five-minute rounds before a panel of judges.
To perform the delicate balancing tricks and backward motion, artistic cyclers use fixed-gear bicycles. The gear ratio is typically 1:1 and the tires are of proportionate size. The handlebars are similar to those found on a racing bicycle, but are upside-down in comparison, giving the cyclists room to maneuver. The front wheel also has to be free to spin 360°.
Using these special bikes in conjunction with many long hours of practice, riders perform handstands, wheelies, body-surf, and attempt as many other tricks as they can in their allotted time. Judges evaluate participants on the number of tricks, execution, form, and degree of difficulty.
Believe It or Not!, performances can consist of up to six people. Multi-person teams can use multiple bikes, switch, ditch, and share!
January 13, 2020
The Man With Two Sets Of DNA Fighting For Dominance
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Chris Long of Reno, Nevada, recently received startling news. Four years after undergoing a bone marrow transplant for leukemia, Long learned that he now shares the DNA of his donor.
Not only is the donor’s DNA present in his blood, but it exists in swabs of his lips and cheeks. Even more startling, 100 percent of the DNA in Long’s semen now belongs to that of his donor, raising fascinating questions about everything from crime lab identification to heredity.
Here’s what we know so far about this fascinating case of a so-called “genetic chimera” and how it’s revolutionizing our understanding of DNA, donor/recipient relationships, and crime scene forensics.
The DNA of a Younger Man 5,000 Miles Away
After being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes, Long didn’t know how long he would live. Both conditions impaired his body’s ability to create new blood. He turned to a matching site to find a compatible bone marrow transplant donor.
After learning that Long would be receiving a transplant from a young man in Germany, Long’s colleague, Renee Romero, who ran the crime lab, was intrigued. She asked Long if she could take multiple swabs for DNA testing, and he agreed. She knew that the donor DNA he received would start to take over his body if the transplant worked. But nobody guessed how far the extent of this takeover would progress.
Just three months after his bone marrow transplant, Long showed signs of an incredible and necessary metamorphosis. The DNA in his blood now belonged to that of his German donor, someone he’d only communicated with through a handful of messages.
It was encouraging news and proof that the procedure worked. The healthy blood cells of Long’s robust donor were replacing the weak ones sickening him—nothing surprising there. This result was the intended outcome of the procedure. But doctors, up to this point, had done little research beyond blood changes associated with transplants. That’s why the Washoe County Sheriff’s Department decided to dig deeper.
The Murky Waters of DNA Testing
About a year later, things took a decided twist when Long submitted to another round of DNA testing. From his cheeks to his lips and tongue, the results contained the genetic material of two men: Long and his donor. More shocking still, Long learned that the DNA in his semen now belonged exclusively to his donor; only his head and chest hair remained unaffected.
In the context of forensics, the findings are having a ripple effect. Crime scenes labs all over the world rely on DNA evidence to prosecute criminal cases. Using this DNA comes with the assumption that it belonged to the suspect or somebody else at the crime scene. Who would consider the possibility of a donor’s DNA muddying the forensic waters?
Another of Long’s colleagues, Brittney Chilton, dug into the possibility of genetic chimerism further. She uncovered startling cases of mistaken identity. For example, the Alaska State Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory in Anchorage reported a case in 2005, where the victim insisted assault by one person. But the DNA they extracted pointed to two different perpetrators. Further investigation revealed the second instance of DNA to be that of her bone marrow donor.
More Cases of Genetic Chimerism
Chilton found other cases where DNA pointed to the wrong culprit as a result of a bone marrow transplant. Along with these cases came accounts of fraternal twins acquiring each other’s DNA in the womb, fathers who feared infidelity due to confusing DNA results, and more. One mother almost lost custody of her kids as a result of DNA testing.
Although there’s still much to learn from Long’s case, one thing’s for sure. DNA represents a much more fluid identifier than previously thought. The complication of donor-recipient relationships is pushing the envelope when it comes to our understanding of genetics.
By Engrid Barnett, contributor for Ripleys.com
January 12, 2020
January 11, 2020
January 10, 2020
Astronauts Tried Baking Cookies In Space
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
This Week
[January 5-11th, 2019] Space cookies, gorilla cataracts, new planets, and the rest of the week’s weird news from Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
Space Cookies Have Landed
Astronauts were excited about their last shipment of supplies to the International Space Station. Amongst the fresh food and snacks was a batch of cookies, but, unfortunately, astronauts were forbidden from eating them. The cookies were part of an experiment to test the effects of microgravity when baking old-fashioned chocolate chip cookies. The cookies were baked in a special oven then sent hurtling back to Earth aboard a space capsule before landing in the Pacific ocean for scientists to pick up and taste study.
We made space cookies and milk for Santa this year. Happy holidays from the @Space_Station! pic.twitter.com/sZS4KdPmhj
— Christina H Koch (@Astro_Christina) December 26, 2019
Seeing In 2020
For the first time in history, veterinary experts were able to perform eye surgery on a 65-pound gorilla. Leslie, a western lowland gorilla at the San Diego Zoo, developed cataracts after an injury suffered while playing. Poor Leslie was almost entirely blind in her left eye, but a surgeon was able to restore her sight. Though he had only ever operated on human eyes before, he was able to successfully remove the gorilla’s clouded lens and replace it with an artificial one.
Intern Discovers New Planet
Wolf Cukier was excited for his internship at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, but probably didn’t expect “planet-finding” to be added to his resume. The 17-year-old was looking at a solar system 1,300 light-years from Earth when he noticed a dark object pass in front of the distant star. The planet orbits two suns and has been dubbed TOI 1338-b.
Two Sets Of Twins In One Year!
Having a baby is a big event of the year, and having twins is even bigger. One woman in Florida had twins twice. Alexzandria Wolliston of West Palm Beach had one pair of twins in March of 2019, then had a second set in December. According to Wolliston, twins run on both sides of her family. She says that both of her grandmothers had lost twins in delivery, and believes her babies were sent from her grandmothers in heaven.
Asparamancy Strikes Again
We covered the United Kingdon’s most prolific practicing asparamancer a few years ago, and—according to her—another prediction has come true. Jemima Packington claims to divine the future by throwing asparagus in the air and then interpreting the future from how it lands. Packington claims to have predicted royal family turmoil this year and adds it to her other 2020 prophecies, which include predictions about British politics, sports scandals, and global warming.
January 9, 2020
Female Praying Mantises And Fatal Attraction
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Female praying mantises have gotten a bad rap over the years for being two-faced lovers. They’re known to sidle up next to an unwitting male mantis and go through a courtship and mating ritual with him. But instead of pillow talk or a little cuddling post-coitus, they prefer “sexual cannibalism.” In other words, they bite off the male’s head and then eat the rest of his body.
Of course, sexual cannibalism isn’t exclusive to praying mantises. Many species of spiders make it a regular habit as do some insects. But as for the green, spindly gals? They’ve become synonymous with the practice. Why? Because sexual cannibalism remains a necessary aspect of praying mantis mating. Right?
Not so much.
Keep reading for the lowdown on mantis mating and why it only sometimes evolves from a rom–com into a horror flick.
Praying Mantis Love and Death
For male mantids, decapitation after copulation is far from a certainty. Only about 13 to 28 percent of male mantises die in the jaws of their lover. Nonetheless, this would still be a startling figure among other populations.
For instance, there are currently 7.7 billion people on the planet. Let’s assume half, 3.8 billion, are of reproductive age and that half of those, 1.9 billion are males. If the other female half suddenly decided to start playing by mantid mating rules, it would result in 250 million to 539 million sex-related male deaths per year. Yikes!
In other words, even though most boy mantids don’t meet their demise as a result of fatal attraction, male mortality rates still prove significant during breeding season.
Unlike some male spider victims of sexual cannibalism, whose reproductive organs are permanently damaged by mating, male mantises can and do go on to mate again. That is if they manage to survive their last tryst.
The Hungry Nature of Fatal Attraction
Myriad explanations exist for why sexual cannibalism occurs among praying mantises in the first place. Among the most obvious is that the female is hungry.
A study conducted in 1994 backs up the hunger theory. During the mating season, two groups of male mantises got introduced to two groups of females—those who were well-fed and those who were semi-starved.
The result? Well-fed ladies cannibalized no males. But in the case of the hangry gals, only one male managed to mate unscathed. What’s more, during the mating season, 63 percent of a female’s diet is often comprised of her male lover’s body. In other words, mate eating may represent a quick way for a female to score some nutrients during a crucial time in her reproductive cycle.
Sexual Cannibalism and Parental Investment
When scientists have studied the differences between female mantises who eat their mates and those who don’t, more fascinating facts emerge. Using radioactive proteins, researchers have tracked the contribution of recently devoured males to their offspring. And the parental investment runs deep.
Males eaten by their lovers pass on almost 90 percent of their amino acids to their babies, whereas those who survive only pass on about 25 percent. In the ultimate act of “child support,” the cannibalized males nourish developing baby mantises from the get-go.
And this results in a significant increase in egg production. The average cannibalistic female produces 88 eggs as opposed to 37 from girlfriends who let their boy pals live.
Of course, male mantids who manage to keep their heads can make up for the loss of eggs by copulating with more females. That is, if they’re lucky (or unlucky) enough to find them. It’s a fascinating evolutionary tension that scientists continue to study.
By Engrid Barnett, contributor for Ripleys.com
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