Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 252
September 7, 2019
September 6, 2019
Bloodsucking Swamp Creature Discovered In Maryland
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
This Week
[September 1-7th, 2019] A new species of leech, purple skies, a dinosaur maid of honor, and the rest of the week’s weird news from Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
New Medicinal Leech
A new leech species was discovered in the swamps of Maryland. With three blood sucking jaws, each with 50 teeth, the new species—dubbed Macrobdella mimicus—is the first medicinal leech discovered in over 40 years! Anna Phillips, the curator of parasitic worms at the Smithsonian, led the research that had to make use of DNA testing to denote it as a separate species of leech. It looks similar to another species—hence the “mimicus”—but has uniquely arranged pores that allow pairs of mates to stick together.
Courtesy Anna Phillips via Smithsonian Institute
Purple Sky
Floridians were lucky as the worst of Hurricane Dorian passed by out at sea, but in the wake of its strong winds and heavy rain, the storm left the sky an eerie shade of purple. As the sun set, the skies above Jacksonville went from gray to burnt orange, then a miraculous purple. Meteorologists called the phenomenon “scattering,” referring to how low-level clouds scattered light at such long wavelengths. Cameras picked it up these extended light waves as violet.
PURPLE SUNSET
September 5, 2019
Is Quicksand Actually Strong Enough to Swallow You Whole?
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Despite the popular cinematic depiction of quicksand, research shows that these sinking holes may not be as encapsulating as we believe. From Indiana Jones to Jumanji, we’ve witnessed our favorite characters slowly slip into panic and spring to heroic acts to save themselves from quicksand traps. But how truly difficult is this scene to escape?
The fact is, if you get stuck in a bed quicksand, there are ways to escape its evil clutches. In fact, due to the composition of the human body, you’ll never actually be fully immersed and swallowed by quicksand. Made mostly of water, human bodies actually float and don’t entirely sink in the loose, wet sand. And, while getting out can be difficult, it’s not impossible.
The Recipe for Disaster
According to Dutch and French research, quicksand is made of fine sand, clay, and saltwater. Over time, the sand continues to thicken. However, it responds to tiny deviations in force, and it can liquefy quickly under high stress. If a human is trapped in its clutches and begins to flail around, he or she will start to sink deeper. However, regardless of movement or squirming, people aren’t dense enough to dip all the way under.
Humans have a density of about one gram per milliliter; quicksand has a density of about two grams per milliliter. As a result, a human will never complete sink in the substance. At most, a person will fall in a little deeper than his or her waist. In turn, items with a higher density than quicksand won’t sink either—unless they move.
Under high stress, quicksand liquefies. However, its viscosity increases due to the production of sand sediment. People struggle to escape because the dense sand makes it challenging to move. Water helps loosen the sand sediment and an incredible amount of force is necessary to break through it. To pull a person’s foot out of quicksand, at a rate of one centimeter per second, requires the same amount of force needed to lift a medium-sized car.
Get Me Outta Here!
While the quicksand itself won’t kill you, other factors can. If stuck near the ocean, where quicksand is typically located, the tide can roll in with potential drowning danger for any creature stuck inside. Other dangers may arise within the longevity of time trapped in the sand—starvation, exposure, or lack of resources.
So what should you do if you happen to fall in quicksand? Experts recommend wiggling your legs to create space between your appendages and the sand. This will allow water to dilute the sand, leaving you the ability to slowly crawl out of its clutches. It may be a slow process, but it’s effective.
While stumbling upon, or into, quicksand is a possibility, the notion that the sand will swallow you whole is most definitely a common misunderstanding, thanks to our friend Indiana Jones. Keep calm and wiggle on (out)!
By Noelle Talmon, contributor for Ripleys.com
Source: Is Quicksand Actually Strong Enough to Swallow You Whole?
September 4, 2019
September 3, 2019
Bloodletting Knife: The Ancient Cure-All
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
While the majority of illnesses and diseases are treated today with either preventative vaccinations or prescribed antibiotics, the knowledge that germs exist and cause disease has only been around for about 150 years. Penicillin wasn’t discovered until 1928. The practice of bloodletting, however, was a dominant form of medical treatment for three thousand years.
The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, and Asians all practiced bloodletting before the Middle Ages. The ancient philosopher Hippocrates wrote that the health of the human body relied on the balance what he called the four humors: phlegm, blood, black bile, and yellow bile. To treat an ailment, doctors would re-balance a person’s fluids through bleeding, diuretics, or purging.
By the advent of the Common Era, blood became the dominant fluid treated by doctors, and bloodletting the specialty of early doctors. While some physicians eventually began to favor leeches for bleeding patients, the lancet and fleam knife were simpler alternatives. A patient would simply be pricked or cut and bled into a small jar. Some treatments called for just a few milliliters to be extracted, while others would remove dozens of ounces from a patient in one session.
Fleam knives, like the one shown here, were carried by medical professionals and even owned by many patients themselves. The knives had blades of several different sizes, and were shaped so that they created a clean, straight cut that could be easily sewn shut after treatment. In most cases, a single strand of animal hair could be sewn in a figure-eight to close the wound.
Unfortunately, bleeding ill and diseased patients often had the opposite of the intended effect. Bleeding the sick often left them weaker to fighting off their diseases, and sometimes even led to their death.
King Charles II suffered a seizure in 1685. He was immediately bled of about 24 ounces from his arms, then was subjected to all many of enemas and purging before doctors bled his jugular and he died. The first President of the United States, George Washington, also died after being subjected to copious bloodletting.
By the time Louis Pasteur began realizing the effects of microbes on health, bloodletting was on its way out. Today, however, it has been found to be useful in treating a small handful of diseases. Conditions that result in high blood iron or an overproduction of red blood cells can be treated by bleeding patients. Leeches have even made a small comeback in the beauty world with leech facials and therapy.
The History Of Crocodile-Filled Moats – Ripley’s Believe It or Notcast Episode 013
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
The idea of a moat imparts a sense of impassibility and danger. For one to fall into the waters of a castle moat seems to spell inevitable death at the jaws of crocodiles, the pets of a sinister count or king, but is there any historical precedence for crocodile-filled moats?
This week on the Notcast, we look through the history books to find out how moats worked and if any contained killer reptiles.
For more weird news and strange stories, visit our homepage, and be sure to rate and share this episode of the Notcast!
Source: The History Of Crocodile-Filled Moats – Ripley’s Believe It or Notcast Episode 013
September 2, 2019
Thailand’s Eclectic Monkey Buffet Festival
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Every year, the city of Lopburi, in central Thailand, goes to the monkeys. On the last Sunday of November, residents host a feast exclusively for 3,000 long-tailed macaques. Serving massive towers of colorful fruit and vegetables, as well as just about every sweet you can imagine, the festival is held as a “thank you” from locals to the monkeys for attracting tourists to their city. However, the roots of the buffet run much deeper than simple gratitude.
A City with a Storied Past
Located 93 miles from Bangkok, archaeological evidence confirms that Lopburi has been continuously inhabited for at least 3,000 years—this makes it one of the oldest and most historic cities in Thailand. Due to a millennia-worth of human habitation, the city boasts countless ancient sites dating from a variety of civilizations and dynasties.
Lopburi also maintains a reverence for monkeys inspired by the city’s ties to the ancient past and is even known as the “Monkey City.” The monkeys of Lopburi interact with locals and tourists throughout the year. And they live among the ruins of the ancient Khmer Empire.
Rolling Out the Red Carpet for Lopburi’s Macaques
From what began in 1989 by hotelier Yongyuth Kitwattananusont, the Monkey Buffet Festival was launched with the help of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Over the years, the festival has expanded to include larger numbers of primates. In turn, it has seen an increase in the number of visitors who attend this unique event.
In the week leading up to the festival, locals pass out “invitations” to the monkeys with cashews attached to them as a small incentive. But, Lopburi’s residents don’t stop there when it comes to rolling out the red carpet for their furry neighbors.
The Opening Ceremony
The action centers around the ruins of the 13th-century Phra Prang Sam Yot Temple where about half of Lopburi’s monkeys live. The Monkey Buffet Festival begins with performances by dancers dressed in monkey costumes. They dance to gain the attention of the macaques.
Although human dancers dressed in monkey costumes may sound like a strange way to draw out local primates, it works. Years of conditioning have taught the macaques to welcome these human antics. After all, they represent the precursors of an out-of-this-world feast, at least from the monkey perspective.
Soon, thousands of macaques are drawn from the jungle and into the temple ruins by the spectacle. There, they partake in a feast of truly epic proportions. More than 8,000 pounds of colorful fruit and food is presented on long tables decorated with red or purple tablecloths. Besides monkeys, the festival also draws 10,000 human visitors each year. Of course, there’s plenty of food for them, too.
The Ultimate Photo Op
Imagine watching thousands of monkeys climb towering pyramids of pineapple, watermelon, durian, and more, munching on these human-made displays along the way. They also jump across tables and get in occasional squabbles, all of which provide comical photo ops.
Besides healthy eats, plenty of junk food treats abound, from sticky rice to Thai pastries and desserts. The monkeys wash down their meals with bottles of juice and cans of soda.
Certainly, the event has evolved into a highly successful tourist attraction, and Lopburi is starting to benefit from the influx of visitors and increased media coverage. Although, there is more to this tradition than economic gain or good press.
Paying Homage to the Monkeys of Lopburi
The Monkey Buffet Festival marks the culmination of more than two thousand years of respect for monkeys. This reverence was inspired by the epic tale of Rama described in the Ramakien, Thailand’s national epic. The Ramakien is derived from the Hindu Sanskrit Ramayana of India and translates as the “Glory of Rama.”
In the tale, Rama, a divine prince struggles, to rescue his wife, Sita, from the evil clutches of the demon lord. At the height of the tale’s action, Hanuman, God-king of the monkeys, comes to Rama’s aid helping to reunite the couple.
Because of the Ramakien and the Ramayana, Lord Hanuman is still worshipped in Thailand and India to this day. As a result, Thailand’s local macaques receive a variety of special privileges, and locals patiently put up with their wild antics.
A Festival Like No Other
Beyond tons of food and plenty of primate mischief, the buffet celebration includes vibrant musical and dance performances, highlighting the richness of Thai culture. There are also contests and fun displays to check out, giving the festival a carnival vibe.
The Monkey Buffet Festival is like no other, filled with vibrant cultural highlights and an improbable but fun guest list. Locals believe the festival brings prosperity and good luck to the region, and it definitely provides tourists with a one-of-a-kind, eye-catching spectacle.
By Engrid Barnett, Contributor for Ripleys.com
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