SFW: Man on Fire, Life on Mars, Mammoth in Backyard, and Deceased Giant Squid in the Ocean
Short Features of the Week [SFW]: Man On Fire, Life on Mars, Mammoth in Backyard, and Deceased Giant Squid in the Ocean
Massachusetts Man Catches Fire After Applying Sunscreen
“A Massachusetts man said he suffered second-degree burns from a grill after applying sunscreen aerosol spray on parts of his body.
Brett Sigworth said he applied Banana Boat sunscreen to his body before walking over to his grill, not knowing it would still be flammable after it was on his skin.
“I went into complete panic mode and screamed,” Sigworth said. “I’ve never experienced pain like that in my life.”
The result was second-degree burns to his chest, ear and back, the only areas where he applied the sunscreen. Ten days after the incident, Sigworth is still showing the effects of the incident.
The warnings on the bottle of Banana Boat sunscreen read, “Flammable, don’t use near heat, flame or while burning.” But nothing about once it’s applied.
Banana Boat officials said in a statement they were sorry to hear about Sigworth’s experience and would begin a prompt investigation. “We are unaware of any prior incidents similar to what Brett has described, but because nothing is more important to us than the safety of our consumers, we are taking this matter very seriously,” the statement said.”
Mars One: One-Way Ticket To the Red Planet
“Mars One will establish human settlement on Mars in 2023. In that year, the first group of four humans will land on Mars. Every two days after that another group will join the settlement.”
“It sounds like a science-fiction fantasy, but the company Mars One says it’s for real—and that it will really establish a settlement on the planet Mars by 2023.
The privately financed Dutch company has a plan. All it needs is a lot of cash, equipment and four Mars-bound astronauts who are willing to take a one-way trip to the red planet.
The idea is to first send rovers, which will stake out a good site for a settlement and then build out living units. In 2022, the crew will take a “transit habitat” for the seven-month trip to Mars and settle in to their new home. The intention is that the crew will live on the planet for the rest of their lives. Every two years after that, another group will join the settlement to populate the colony.”
[Link to the article (The Huffington Post)]
Iowa Family Finds Mammoth Bones In Back Yard
“An Iowa family has discovered parts of a mammoth skeleton in their backyard and, with the help of archeologists, they hope to dig up the rest.
ABC 5 reports a man named John and his sons were digging in their backyard two years ago when they found what appeared to be an enormous bone buried in the dirt.
“I got down on my hands and knees on the bank and I could see a marrow line around the edge of this and I said boys, that’s a bone, that’s a really big bone,” John told ABC 5.
The family kept the discovery to themselves for two years, but then decided to enlist experts for help extracting the rest of the mammoth skeleton.
Researchers from the University of Iowa identified the original bone as the femur of mammoth. Since then they have uncovered the mammoth’s vertebrae and ribs, all of which John keeps in his living room.
Archeologists and paleontologists are excited about the find because it is unusual to find so many bones from a mammoth in one place. However, since the bones were found on his property they belong to John, who says he’s not sure what he will do with them yet.”
[Link to the article (FoxNews)]
Anglers’ Extraordinary Find Is No Sea Monster, But A Giant Squid
Al McGlashan, a prominent big-game fisherman in Australia, ventured to sea Friday in search of tuna and swordfish. The highlight, however, was the bizarre discovery of a fresh giant squid carcass.
Giant squid are elusive, mysterious denizens of the ocean’s darkest depths, believed to have spawned ancient tales of sea monsters. To find even parts of a dead specimen is rare, but to find a specimen largely intact and still with its bright-orange coloration is extraordinary.
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