WEIRD

Scientists Say Venus Flytraps Can Count

The carnivorous plant snaps shut after a bug touches it twice, and begins digesting after five.

What Happened When Verizon Reassigned Sir Mix-A-Lot's Old Number

In an interesting mix-up, Washington lawyer Jonathan Nichols has been receiving calls and text messages intended for Seattle hip hop legend Sir Mix-A-Lot.

12 Strange Funerals and Funeral Traditions

Funerals don't necessarily have to be somber events. These memorials and traditions are heavy on quirk.

The Strange (and Smelly) Story of Performance Farters

Flatulence has always been funny.

Colonel Warden via Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

The English Court Case Inspired By a 'Ghost'

The case of the Hammersmith "Ghost" and a mistaken identity tragedy haunted the English courts until 1983.

Woman Beats DWI Charge by Proving That Her Body Brews Beer

The defendant was diagnosed with an intestinal disorder known as auto-brewery syndrome.

The Strange Story of Gef The Talking Mongoose

In the 1930s, the Irving family claimed they were being haunted by a peculiar being: a bawdy talking mongoose called Gef.

Chris Barnhart, Missouri State University

This Parasitic Mussel Pretends to Be a Fish

Female Lampsilis mussels wiggle convincing fish-shaped lures that burst in a cloud of parasitic larvae when a predator strikes.

Archaeologist 3D Scans the 'World's Oldest Ham' for Science

… Because the last thing he wanted to do was eat it.

The Victorian Father-Son Duo Who Ate Their Way Through the Animal Kingdom

Among other items on the menu: panther, elephant trunk, blue bottle fly, and rhinoceros.

Toothbrush Sounds Can Make Us Better Brushers

Japanese researchers found that certain types of toothbrush noises encouraged people to brush better and more often.

Why Computer Scientists Are Studying Tom Hanks's Face

Computer scientists at the University of Washington are trying to figure out just what makes Tom Hanks look like Tom Hanks.

28 Interesting Facts About Inventors

In this episode of mental_floss' List Show, John Green reveals a few things you probably didn't know about Tesla, Nobel, and more.

Carla Nunziata via Wikimedia Commons // CC-BY-SA 3.0

Organism Designers Hack Biology to Make Smells From Scratch

They pry apart yeast DNA and insert new and useful traits.

Is Gollum Good or Bad? Outcome of Turkish Court Case Rides on the Answer

A Turkish Court is trying to figure out whether Gollum is good or evil, and the fate of a Turkish doctor hangs in the balance.

Noodles Made From Trees Are Japan's Latest Diet Food

"Cell-eat" noodles contain 60 calories per kilogram.

Sword Swallowers Association International // Public Domain

Edith Clifford, the Early 20th Century's Most Amazing Female Sword Swallower

She was a rock star of the late Victorian circus, but gave it all up to run a grocery store.

The Mysterious Death of the Somerton Man

No one knows who the man in the suit on the beach was—or how he died.

Meet the Man Who's Paid to Sniff Out Bad Smells

Ned Ostojic hunts down odors and brainstorms how to get rid of them.

To Save Endangered Quolls, Conservationists Throw Toad Sausages Out of Helicopters

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Bibliothèque nationale de France via Wikimedia // Public Domain

Rasputin’s Daughter Maria Was as Fascinating as the ‘Mad Monk’ Himself

As a lion tamer in the 1930s, Maria Rasputin mesmerized beasts just as her father once mesmerized men.

25 Historic Heists

These were no small-time thieves.

5 Parasites That Plague Other Parasites

Can you be a host and a parasite at the same time? The answer is a stomach-turning “yes.”

Cuddly Guts Bring Comfort to the Chronically Ill

From cancer to Crohn’s disease, I Heart Guts makes a plush organ for everyone.

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