Does painting cows with stripes prevent fly bites? Researchers who studied this win Ig Nobel prize
BOSTON (AP) — A researcher who studied fingernail growth and a group that explored whether painting zebralike stripes on cows reduced fly bites are among the winners of this year's Ig Nobels. Held less than a month before the actual Nobel Prizes are announced, Thursday’s 35th annual Ig Nobel prize ceremony was organized by the Annals of Improbable Research, a digital magazine that aims to make people laugh and think. The handcrafted prize is awarded to comical scientific achievement in 10 categories. Last year's winners included a study that explores the feasibility of using pigeons to guide missiles.
One man in an Italian supercar atop an aircraft carrier has a record in his sights
CIVITAVECCHIA, Italy (AP) — A driver off Italy’s central coast has made a bid for a new world record for the fastest car on a boat. Fabio Barone raced a Ferrari SF90 across the flight deck of a navy aircraft carrier on Thursday in Civitavecchia, on the coast near Rome. Last year, he reached 152 kilometers per hour on another ship. This time he was hoping to break 160. After speeding across the deck and coming safely to a stop, he announced to the crowd that he had clocked in at 164 kilometers per hour. The Guinness World Records says they look forward to reviewing Barone's application to have his record certified.
What to know about Fat Bear Week, and the brawny bruins ready to battle for the title
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The annual Fat Bear Week featuring gluttonous brown bears at Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve is back. Online voting for the fattest juvenile bear begins Thursday. The main event starts Tuesday, when organizers pit 12 of some of the largest brown bears on the planet against each other in a single-elimination, bracket-style tournament online. People can vote at fatbearweek.org after watching livestreams featuring the bears at explore.org. The contest started in 2014, and drew only about 1,700 votes from dedicated bear cam viewers. But the event has exploded online, and more than 1 million votes were cast last year.
A mysterious envelope from Czechoslovakia's founding father has been found
PRAGUE (AP) — Unknown musings of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, the founding father of independent Czechoslovakia, are believed to have been unearthed. An envelope, previously unknown to his family, was unveiled on Friday in a live broadcast with President Petr Pavel in attendance. It’s believed Masaryk dictated his thoughts to his son Jan about 90 years ago when he was bedridden at the presidential palace. The envelope, handed to the National Archive in 2005, contained five pages of handwritten notes. Experts say the notes appear genuine and suggest Masaryk thought his “days are numbered” but was not afraid of dying.
Nigerian chef breaks world record for cooking the largest jollof rice dish
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — A new world record has been set for the largest serving of Nigeria-style jollof rice. Guinness World Records confirmed the achievement by Nigerian celebrity chef Hilda Baci. Last Friday, Baci, who briefly held the world record for the longest cooking marathon in 2023, made a pot of 8,780 kilograms of jollof rice, a popular West African delicacy made of rice cooked in pepper sauce. The food is a staple across the region.
Ghana's fantasy coffins are a colorful celebration of life and legacy
ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — Ghana's fantasy coffins are unique creations that embody the essence of a person's life. Known by locals as Abebuo, these colorful coffins, shaped like animals, tools, or symbols, serve as a final message from the deceased. While they are common among the Ga people of Accra, their popularity is spreading across Ghana. Families choose designs that reflect identity, occupation and status. Funerals in Ghana are vibrant, with music and dancing, and these coffins add a creative touch. Some coffins are even sought after by collectors as art pieces, destined for museums abroad.
The world's tallest sunflower blooms in an Indiana backyard as a tribute to Ukraine
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — When Alex Babich looks up at the 35-foot sunflower towering over his Fort Wayne, Indiana, backyard, he sees more than just a plant. He sees a tribute to his roots. Nicknamed “Clover,” the sunflower was recently confirmed by Guinness World Records as the tallest ever recorded. Babich immigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine at 14 following the Chernobyl disaster. He began growing sunflowers seven years ago as a symbol of love for his homeland. As Ukraine's national flower, the sunflower is a reminder of where Babich came from and a legacy he hopes to leave behind.
Meth burn by FBI smokes out Montana animal shelter
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Workers at a Montana animal shelter were evacuated and sent to the hospital after smoke from two pounds of methamphetamine incinerated by FBI agents started to fill the building. City of Billings Assistant Administrator Kevin Iffland said the incinerator is primarily used to burn the carcasses of animals euthanized by animal control officers. But every couple of months law enforcement officers use it to burn seized narcotics. Iffland says fourteen workers from the Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter went to the hospital as a precaution following Wednesday's smoke incident that happened when the exhaust system didn't work as usual. He says some of the shelter workers reported feeling unwell.
John Daly makes a 19 to set wrong kind of PGA Tour Champions record
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — John Daly is in the PGA Tour Champions record book for the highest score on a hole. He made a 19 in the first round of the Sanford International. Daly hit seven straight balls into a hazard at the par-5 12 hole of Minnehaha Country Club. The previous record for a single hole was 16. Daly even broke his own record. It was in 1998 at Bay Hill when he hit six consecutive shots into the water on the sixth hole and made 18. On Friday, the 59-year-old Daly wound up with an 88. His high score on the PGA Tour was a 90.
Humpty Dumpty caper at New Jersey mini-golf course sparks police investigation
CAPE MAY, N.J. (AP) — Humpty Dumpty took a big fall, and now police are hoping to crack the case. A colorful statue of the nursery rhyme icon was forcibly removed from a structure at a miniature golf course in Cape May, New Jersey, on Sunday and dumped down the street. Police say they’re looking for two men who are seen on video stopping at Ocean Putt Golf at around 4 a.m. Video shows one of them grabbing and rocking the statue back and forth and pulling it off its foundation before walking off with it. Police are asking for the public's help in identifying the two men.
