Strange News - Weird Science News and Discoveries

A car drives with "Area 51" written on the back before the start of a "Storm Area 51" spinoff event called "Area 51 Basecamp" on September 20, 2019 near Alamo, Nevada.

Siege of top-secret Area 51 began as a joke. Officials prepared to use deadly force in response.

By Mindy Weisberger

UFO enthusiasts who rallied in 2019 to invade Area 51 may have been joking about "storming" the base. But law enforcement officials took the idea very, very seriously.

This photo does NOT show the rattlesnakes under the California home. Here, four gravid timber rattlesnakes basking at rookery area near their den.

Why did more than 90 rattlesnakes move into a California home?

By Stephanie Pappas

More than 90 rattlesnakes were pulled from the foundation of a California home, where the snakes may have been gathering to give birth.

A hammerhead shark that is preserved in alcohol in the East Wing of the Natural History Museum in Berlin, Germany.

Why is alcohol used to preserve things?

By Donavyn Coffey

Here's how alcohol can help preserve DNA, tissue samples and even entire organisms.

Pi is an irrational number, meaning it has an infinite number of decimal points.

Pi calculated to a record-breaking 62.8 trillion digits

By Harry Baker

Researchers are set to break the world record for the most precise value of pi, after using an advanced computer to calculate the famous constant to 62.8 trillion decimal places.

Two aircraft pilots reported seeing a bright green UFO over Canada in July 2021.

Two planes report 'bright green UFO' swooping through the clouds over Canada

By Brandon Specktor

Two aircrafts flying over Canada reported a "bright green UFO" that disappeared into the clouds on July 30.

A drop of liquid metal is covered by a thin later of water, which has turned a golden yellow after taking on metallic qualities

Scientists transform water into shiny, golden metal

By Nicoletta Lanese

In a new experiment, scientists turned water into a shiny, yellowish metal.

Why are vinegar and baking soda so good for cleaning?

By Stacy Kish

Why are common household items like baking soda and vinegar such good cleaning agents?

The Baker Day explosion at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, as recorded by an automatically operated camera on a nearby island. Notice the mushroom cloud forming immediately after the explosion.

Why do nuclear bombs form mushroom clouds?

By Randyn Bartholomew

Here's why nuclear bomb explosions lead to a mushroom-shape cloud.

Scientists guided lucid dreamers to emulate encounters with aliens and UFOs during REM sleep.

'Alien abduction' stories may come from lucid dreaming, study hints

By Mindy Weisberger

People have described extraterrestrial encounters that take place in a dreamlike state, and experiments suggest that such experiences may be lucid dreams.

An image showing a UFO was allegedly captured on closed circuit television (CCTV) in the United Kingdom in 2008.

Most Americans think intelligent aliens exist, and half think they have visited Earth

By Mindy Weisberger

A new survey reveals that most Americans believe in intelligent extraterrestrial life and do not feel threatened by the appearance of UFOs.

The new "scintillating starburst" illusion, bright rays emenate from the centre of the design through concentric wreaths of star-polygons.

A new type of optical illusion tricks the brain into seeing dazzling rays

By Harry Baker

Scientists have described a brand new type of visual illusion that makes people see non-existent rays shining through rings of concentric polygons.

The photo of a fry-snatching gull, captured in 2011 by photographer Hannah Huxford, quickly went viral and is now featured in a Google billboard campaign.

This french-fry-stealing seagull is the star of a new Google ad

By Mindy Weisberger

When a photographer snapped the moment a herring gull caught a french fry midair, the image quickly went viral. Now, the photo is appearing on Google billboards in Ireland and the U.K.

A government employee photographed a UFO that hovered for 15 minutes near Holloman Air Development Center in New Mexico, on Dec.16, 1957.

Long-anticipated 'UFO report' finally released. No, it's not aliens.

By Jeanna Bryner

The Pentagon has released a highly anticipated "UFO report" that does not implicate aliens in 144 UFO sightings. Here's what the report shows.

Scientists convert plastic waste into vanilla flavoring

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

Scientists have figured out a way to convert plastic waste into vanilla flavoring with genetically engineered bacteria, according to a new study.

Marine experts believe the incident to be a complete fluke.

Humpback whale swallows lobster diver before spitting him out

By Ben Turner

Humpback whales hunt by taking big lunges at groups of fish, so the encounter was likely a fluke.

Friends holding hands above their heads and staring out into the ocean.

The 'friendship paradox' doesn't always explain real friendships, mathematicians say

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

Your friends are on average more popular than you are, according to a phenomenon known as the "friendship paradox." But it turns out, there's some nuance to that.

Pentagon's long-awaited UFO report to Congress due this month

By Mindy Weisberger

U.S. lawmakers called for an official assessment of UFO sightings in December, and the six-month deadline is up.

The auction of this so-called evidence of extraterrestrials has an opening bid of $1 million or 450 Ethereum (a network for the cryptocurrency Ether).

1947 'alien autopsy' film frame is up for auction as an NFT

By Mindy Weisberger

A film frame allegedly showing the autopsy of an extraterrestrial that crash-landed in Roswell, New Mexico has an opening bid of $1 million.

The footage was allegedly filmed in the Combat Information Center of the USS Omaha on July 15, 2019.

Spherical UFO plunges into the ocean in US Navy footage

By Mindy Weisberger

A clip of a mysterious spherical object hovers over the horizon, in footage released by a filmmaker who produces UFO documentaries.

The robot artist "Ai-Da" stands in front of one of her self-portraits during the opening of her new exhibition at the Design Museum in London on May 18.

Human-like robot creates creepy self-portraits

By Harry Baker

A robotic artist powered by AI algorithms has created realistic self-portraits that question the limits of artificial intelligence and what it means to be human.