Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 291
February 5, 2019
February 4, 2019
This Three-Continent Ant Mega-Colony WILL Conquer Earth Soon
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Generally speaking, we humans like to think that we’re the dominant species on Earth. We’re untouchable, right? Other animals exhibit great intelligence, granted, but have they developed a McDonald’s delivery service or paw-and-claw resistant smartphones of their own? They have not. There’s nothing to worry about.
Or so you might think…
There’s a mega-colony of ants lurking beneath the surface that’s showing remarkable levels of coordination. This giant colony spans three continents!
Strength In Numbers
Ants are, famously, pretty darn smart little beasties—in groups, at least. As Stanford University reports, “An individual ant is not very bright, but ants in a colony, operating as a collective, do remarkable things.”
Each member has different duties, such as foraging for food, and their roles are very fluid: “if the colony’s territory size expands or contracts, patroller ants change the shape of their reconnaissance pattern to conform to the new realities. Since no one is in charge of an ant colony—including the misnamed “queen,” which is simply a breeder—how does each ant decide what to do?” With all this collective intelligence in mind, one thing’s for sure: we’d all better watch out for this very special super-colony.
As the BBC’s Earth News reported back in 2009, one gigantic inter-related group of ants has “colonized much of the world.” They live across the United States, Europe, and Japan, will not fight each other—give or take—and represent a society the scale of which is “paralleled only by human society,” according to entomologists.
We’ve skipped ahead a bit, though. The first thing to know about all this is that we’re talking about Linepithema humile, better known as Argentine ants. This particular species operates differently to many other ants, living in a variety of ever-shifting temporary nests rather than remaining tied to just one. Curiously, they also boast up to 300 different queens for every 1,000 workers! These two traits combine to give them great resilience, and along with inadvertent help from humans, surely led to the super-colony spreading across the planet.
The Argentine Ant Plague
The prolific and pestilential Argentine ants were once native to South America, but we’ve unintentionally introduced them everywhere else too (all continents except Antarctica). On several of the continents, they’ve formed vast colonies. The so-called ‘California Large’ reportedly stretches almost 560 miles along California’s coast. Over in Europe, meanwhile, there’s one that covers 3,700 miles along the Mediterranean coastline!
If you’re getting antsy just thinking about the sheer size of these groupings, remember that they were once thought to be isolated. Now we know there’s a connection between these super-colonies. What we’re actually looking at is (possibly) one super super colony!
While ants tend to be incredibly territorial, researchers at the University of Tokyo found an intriguing link between the members of these colonies. Firstly, as the BBC reports, they discovered that “Argentine ants living in Europe, Japan and California shared a strikingly similar chemical profile of hydrocarbons on their cuticles.” This was highly unusual, but it wasn’t until they look at little deeper at the critters’ behavior that something truly remarkable was discovered.
CC Antweb.org
Come On Over, Meet The Family
Ants from the different super-colonies were matched up against each other, to determine their levels of aggression to each other. It was found that ants from the smaller super-colonies would be as aggressive to one other as always, but those from the main ones (the Californian, larger European and larger Japanese colonies) would not. On the contrary, they engaged in friendly antenna-rubbing ant behavior.
The fact that these little creatures—that had been were separated by thousands of miles—were so friendly is intriguing. The report concludes, “The most plausible explanation is that ants from these three super-colonies are indeed family, and are all genetically related, say the researchers. When they come into contact, they recognize each other by the chemical composition of their cuticles.”
What we’re looking at, in short, isn’t so much a global population as a global community. Which is just staggering. And more than a little frightening, when you consider the fact that insects on Earth are estimated to outnumber humans by around 200 million to one.
In the immortal words of The Simpsons’ Kent Brockman: “I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords.”
By Chris Littlechild, contributor for Ripleys.com
Source: This Three-Continent Ant Mega-Colony WILL Conquer Earth Soon
February 3, 2019
February 2, 2019
February 1, 2019
Trading Urns For Vacuums In The Afterlife At Disney
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
The urban legend that some people have scattered the ashes of their loved ones at the Disney World and Disneyland parks is actually much truer than we think—and it happens so often that the employees have a specific code word for it!
If you’ve ever been casually walking down Main Street and heard the phrase “HEPA cleanup,” that means someone just tried to get away with spreading the ashes of a loved one at the happiest place on earth. Yes, the employees have to call it this in order to maintain the smiley status quo of the park, just like they use the phrases “Code U” and “Code V” to refer to urine and vomit cleanups, respectively.
However, while most guests might expect the latter two issues to occur at the park, many have no idea of the sheer volume of human ashes lurking around Disney.
Stealthy Scattering
The Wall Street Journal recently blew the lid off this story by talking to former custodians of both parks as well as people who claimed to have spread ashes of loved ones at Disney World or Disneyland. One woman said she stashed her mother’s ashes in a pill bottle while others explained it was extremely easy to sneak human remains through the bag check line in a camera case, a compact, or other unassuming containers.
Employees have said this happens at least once a month, which is a much higher rate than was believed before the Wall Street Journal story. Apparently, some of the most popular locations to scatter ashes are among the bushes and flowers, on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, in the pond beneath the Dumbo ride, and by far, on the Haunted Mansion. One employee stated, “The Haunted Mansion probably has so much human ashes in it it’s not even funny.”
CC Jennifer Lynn
The Cleanup Crew
If you’re already patting yourself on the back for how easy it’ll be to lay a family member to rest at Disney World, you might want to rethink the idea. For one, Disney employees are totally on top of this issue. The Journal claims the custodians at both parks know what human ashes look like and that they can easily find them. What’s more, the park is often being monitored, so those who throw ashes can sometimes be caught in the act, leading to them being escorted off the premises.
Finally, the term HEPA cleanup refers to the type of attachment used for sucking up the ashes into a vacuum. The HEPA attachment focuses on ultrafine particles, like ashes, and then the remains are transferred to the trash.
The Happiest Resting Place on Earth
Many people feel their loved ones will be happy if they are resting at Disney while others find it to be a perfect way to say goodbye, almost like getting to enjoy the park with their family member one last time. Though it’s still very likely someone with a HEPA vacuum will come along and suck up the ashes, it’s also probable that certain remains have been missed, giving the parks just another layer of mystery.
Exactly how many human ashes remain at the Disney parks today? It’s impossible to tell.
By Julia Tilford, contributor for Ripleys.com
It’s So Cold In The Midwest That Train Tracks Are On Fire
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
[January 27-February 2, 2019] Temperatures in the Midwest drop so low that the train tracks catch fire, a sinkhole reveals a robbery plot, and The Office saves a life in this week’s weird news from Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
Train Tracks On Fire
As temperatures in the Midwest dropped into the negative fifties—a temperature colder than Antarctica—cities across the region have had to take unique precautions against the cold. One of them involves lighting train tracks on fire. Different railroad companies do this different ways. Some have gas-fed heaters along the rails, but others are simply dousing the iron rails with kerosene and lighting them! The flames help keep the metal from contracting too much in the cold.
Sinkhole Bank Robbery
Sinkholes are a fairly common occurrence in Florida, but when one opened up this past week in Pembroke Pines, the FBI was called in. The sinkhole revealed a tunnel dug in what investigators explain was part of a plot to rob a nearby bank. Apparently, the would-be robbers had been working on the tunnel for some time, before it caused a pothole in the road above to collapse.
Attempted bank burglary. 50 yard tunnel leads to Chase Bank branch at 390 S. Flamingo Road, Pembroke Pines, FL. Call FBI with information 754.703.2000. pic.twitter.com/nK0rZi8QTO
— FBI Miami (@FBIMiamiFL) January 30, 2019
No Talent To Spare
Ten-year-old Kai Struthers is one of the youngest people ever to play a perfect game of bowling. Revered now as a bowling prodigy, he’s been in leagues since he was four. His coach says the boy seems like any other ten-year-old…until he has a bowling ball in his hand. In the alley, he’s a calm and collected bowling champion!
Frozen Methane
Lennart Pagel, a photographer visiting Canada in the throes of this week’s polar vortex, posted a video of a lake he found filled with methane bubbles frozen in place. The methane bubbles are released by decaying plant matter at the lake’s bottom. The lake seems to have frozen so quickly that it trapped the rising bubbles in place, creating this unique natural display.
The Office Saves A Life
What was written as a short joke on an episode of The Office has now resulted in one man saving a life. In the season five episode, Micheal Scott’s staff is instructed to perform CPR to the beat of “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees. Cross Scott (no relation) remembered this when he encountered a driver without a pulse, and successfully got her breathing again!
Source: It’s So Cold In The Midwest That Train Tracks Are On Fire
January 31, 2019
How Long Does It Really Take to Digest Swallowed Gum?
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Or Not
In today’s world, many misconceptions have been perpetuated—becoming modern day “facts”—when, in reality, myths and hearsay have taken over. Sorry to burst your bubble, but in this weekly column, Ripley’s puts those delusions to the test, turning your world upside down, because you can’t always…Believe It!
Today
: Does gum stay in your stomach for seven years?
When you were a kid, your parents probably told you not to swallow watermelon seeds because they’d grow a watermelon in your tummy. While most people grow up and find that this is not the case—nor would it even be physically possible—many of us still carry the belief we obtained during childhood that it takes gum seven years to digest in the stomachs of those who swallow it.
Does Gum Take Seven Years to Digest?
There are actually several parts of gum that digest as easily as other foods, such as sweeteners, flavoring agents (like the oil that gives gum its minty flavors), and softeners like vegetable oil. The part of gum that your body has trouble digesting is the base, which was once the sap of the sapodilla tree known as chicle. After WWII, when the demand for gum became greater than the tree itself could yield, gum bases changed and eventually became a mix of polymers, both synthetic and natural.
Still, your body won’t be able to break the gum base down like it does other food, even with the help of seven-years’ time. This also doesn’t mean, however, that your body will retain the gum for longer than anything else you’re likely to swallow.
The Journey of Swallowed Gum
Instead of just sitting in your stomach, a regular piece of swallowed gum will move through your small intestine to your colon and then pass as regular waste when you go to the bathroom. Functioning similarly to corn kernels, it will usually come out much the same as it was when it went in, but it poses no problem to the digestive system in most cases because of its size and your body’s resourcefulness.
So, there you have it. You won’t have to wait until a more futuristic time to see the gum you ate today pass through your system. Most of the time, a person can swallow gum safely without any problems and it will no longer be in their system in less than a week.
Unfortunate Gum Swallowers
There are some rare cases, though, where individuals, usually children, have seen issues associated with their gum-swallowing. This is because children are more likely to swallow large amounts of gum and to have problems with constipation. A paper that was published in 1998 described the experiences of three children who needed surgery to remove giant masses of indigestible matter, also known as a bezoar. In all three instances, chewing gum was part of the culprit, but these children were already constipated and were swallowing large amounts of gum every single day.
If you’re a gum-chewer, the truth is this: you don’t have to worry about swallowing the occasional piece of gum, as it won’t take seven years to leave your system. However, like every action, it’s important not to take it too far, as swallowing too much gum can potentially cause problems, especially in small children.
By Julia Tilford, contributor for Ripleys.com
Source: How Long Does It Really Take to Digest Swallowed Gum?
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