Japanese Knotweed – An Invasive Plant That Is Proving Impossible to Control
With weedkillers more advanced than we’ve ever had and significant technological progress, it seems unlikely that any plant could cause major socioeconomic problems, at least in developed countries. That’s what makes the Japanese Knotweed so fascinating. Despite humanity’s best efforts to eradicate or at least control this resilient invasive plant, it continues to spread across […]
Giant Honeybees Use Shimmering “Mexican Waves” to Repel Invaders
The giant honeybees of East Asia can build impressive open nests measuring a few meters across. The fact that they are always exposed makes them vulnerable to predators, particularly large wasps and hornets that love nothing more than invading hives and stealing grubs. Luckily, the bees have a secret weapon that is as visually mesmerizing as […]
Professional Makeup Artist Uses Her Lips as a Canvas for Tiny, Detailed Artworks
We’ve featured some impressive body art on Oddity Central, like Luca Luce’s face-painted optical illusions or the colorful chest artworks of Georgina Ryland, but nothing quite like the detailed lip art of Ryan Kelly. The talented makeup artist paints tiny yet intricate portraits of celebrities and popular characters on her lips. Looking at the kind of […]
You Can Now Hire a Total Stranger to Argue on Your Behalf
If you’re not a confrontational person, having to argue with someone can be a daunting task. Luckily, Chinese online marketplace Taobao now offers people the chance to hire a “professional quarreler” to argue on their behalf. There’s a good reason why Taobao is considered the world’s largest e-commerce platform. You can find virtually anything there, […]
Crazy “Cockroach Challenge” Has People Taking Selfies with Roaches on Their Faces
We’ve seen some crazy internet challenges go viral in recent years, but this latest one takes the cake as the most disgusting of all. The Cockroach Challenge has people putting live cockroaches on their faces, taking a selfie and sharing it on social media. It’s hard to say for sure how and when the Cockroach […]
The Controversial Sport of Dog Weight Pulling – A Strongman Competition for Canines
Dog weight pulling is an increasingly popular yet highly controversial sport in which dogs of various breeds compete against each other by pulling a trolley loaded with several tons of bricks or concrete blocks 15 feet in less than 60 seconds. Dog weight pulling has been around for decades, but it has become increasingly controversial in […]
Rare Condition Causes Teen’s Short Term Memory to Reset Every Day
A year and a half ago, Caitlin Little, a sophomore at Southeast Guilford High School in Greensboro, North Carolina, suffered a concussion during a cross-country practice which left her with a rare form of amnesia. All of her new memories are erased each night, so every morning she wakes up thinking it’s October 2017. Caitlin’s case […]
Filipino Town Bans Gossip in Bid to Stop Rumors from Spreading
Authorities in Binalonan, a small Filipino town about 200 kilometres north of Manila, have made gossiping illegal under a new local law aimed at preventing rumors from spreading within the community. Trash talking someone in Binalonan could see offenders literally picking up trash under a new local law designed to make people take responsibility for the things […]
Online Service Allows You to Hire Someone to Attend a Protest in Your Place
Ever wish you could attend a protest, but couldn’t do so because of location, timing or other constraints? Well, thanks to Wistand, an online platform that allows people to hire proxies to protest on their behalf anytime, anywhere, you can get involved and support the causes you care about. Before you get too excited about […]
Neck Stretching Causes 28-Year-Old Man to Suffer Major Stroke
Everyone feels the need to stretch their neck every once in a while, but in rare cases it can cause more than a satisfying pop. A 28-year-old Oklahoma man ended up in the hospital after tearing his vertebral artery by stretching his neck to alleviate neck soreness. Josh Hader was working from his home in Guthrie, […]
World’s Most Depressing Sports Competition Has Coffins for Prizes
Copa Ataúdes or Coffin Cup, a yearly futsal tournament hosted by the Peruvian city of Juliaca, has been dubbed the world’s most depressing sports competition for offering coffins as prizes to the three best teams. The Juliaca Coffin Cup is not your usual futsal tournament. It’s a competition between teams representing the twelve largest funeral houses […]
“Sleep Writer” Creates Bedtime Stories That Put Grown-Ups to Sleep
Chris Advansun is a Toronto-based sleep writer that creates his stories with one thing in mind – to make them interesting enough to get adults’ attention, but dull enough to put them to sleep. 39-year-old Advansun is a screenplay writer who sort of just got into sleep writing and fell in love with it. He […]
Man Claims Cheap Dog Deworming Medicine Cured His Terminal Cancer
An Oklahoma man who was once diagnosed with small-cell lung cancer and told hat he only had three months live claims he is now tumor-free thanks to a $5 deworming drug usually meant for dogs. Joe Tippens was diagnosed with small-cell lung cancer in 2016. Despite undergoing treatment for the disease, by January of 2017, […]
Indian Army Claims to Have Found Yeti Footprints
The Indian Army is being mocked after recently tweeting that one of its mountaineering teams spotted mysterious footprints of the mythical Yeti in an isolated mountainous area between Nepal and Tibet. “For the first time, an #IndianArmy Mountaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast ‘Yeti’ measuring 32×15 inches close to Makalu Base Camp […]
Brazilian Tattoo Artists Specializes in Tattoos That Look Like Stitched Patches
Looking at the stitched patch tattoos of Eduardo “Duda” Lozano, it’s hard to believe that he only pioneered the new style three months ago. Photos of his amazing creations have been doing the rounds online ever since and he’s already been invited to tattoo conventions all over the world. The Sao Paolo-based artist has been […]