This Week's Weird News 4/17/20 – iHeart
A possible appearance by the Loch Ness Monster, a new theory for the origins of interstellar object ‘Oumuamua, and a bizarre suggestion from Icelandic officials for residents struggling with social isolation are among the strange, unusual, and enlightening stories from this past week.
The mysterious interstellar object known as ‘Oumuamua was back in the news this week as researchers offered a new theory for its origin. While some scientists had suspected that the curious interloper is a comet, this alternative hypothesis argued that it is actually a piece of a larger celestial body that broke off because of gravity from a star. Informed by computer models that indicated such a scenario is plausible, the new theory is an unfortunate blow to the fantastic proposition that ‘Oumuamua is an alien craft.
While there may not be many tourists visiting Loch Ness at the moment, that doesn’t mean that the hunt for the site’s legendary monster has come to an end. Thanks to a webcam watching over the site, people around the world have been able to spend their home quarantine time keeping an eye out for the creature. One diligent viewer in Ireland found success this past week when he spotted a strange object emerge from the water and seemingly swim across the lake.
By far the weirdest story of the week came from Iceland where forestry officials advised residents suffering from social isolation brought about by a nationwide coronavirus lockdown to hug trees as a way of combating that loneliness. Officials went so far as to recommend that the proposed embrace last at least five minutes in order for people to achieve the full experience. The also stressed the importance of finding one’s own tree to hug, lest everyone flock to the same spot and inadvertently spread the virus.
For more strange and unusual stories from the past week, check out the Coast to Coast AM website.
