Just Plain WEIRD #2 
							
						
			            																									
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		Circle spoofing is an advanced form of GPS manipulation – but nobody knows exactly how, or why. Not really there – and not moving in circles: ‘ghost ship’ patterns off the coast of northern California.  Credit: Courtesy of SkyTruth/Global Fishing Watch/Orbcomm/Spire – By …	
	        
        				
						
			            																									
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		Floraes Mallewagen (Flora’s wagon of fools): Hendrik Gerritsz Pot, c1640 (photo: Laura Blanchard), CC BY-SA – By Anne Goldgar, Professor of Early Modern History, King’s College London Updated 2018 Feb 12 – Right now, it’s Bitcoin. But in the past we’ve had dotcom …	
	        
        				
						
			            			
																												
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		An illustration of ‘Oumuamua’s pancake-like shape.  William Hartmann  View 2 Images – By Michael Irving 2021 Mar 17 – A few years ago, astronomers discovered a bizarre object named ‘Oumuamua, which not only defied conventional classification but was the first thing found to be …	
	        
        				
						
			            																									
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		Scientists have discovered fossilized plants almost a mile under the Greenland ice sheet, which has worrying implications for climate change.   sergio_p/Depositphotos   View 3 Images – By Michael Irving 2021 Mar 17 – Scientists have made the surprising discovery of fossilized plants 1.4 km …	
	        
        				
						
			            									
																						
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		The 69 million-dollar JPEG: Beeple’s Everydays: the First 5000 days.  Beeple  View 2 Images – By Loz Blain 2021 Mar 11 – A digital artist called “Beeple” is now one of the top three most valuable artists alive – in any medium – after …	
	        
        				
						
			            																									
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		The head and body of a sacoglossan sea slug, one day after they separated. We hear it was an amicable split.  Sayaka Mitoh  View 2 Images – By Michael Irving 2021 Mar 08 – To the envy of us humans, limb regeneration is common …	
	        
        				
						
			            															
																
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		An astrophysicist has outlined a theoretical warp drive design that doesn’t require exotic physics.  angelp/Depositphotos  View 3 Images – By Michael Irving 2021 Mar 09 – Faster-than-light (FTL) travel is a staple of sci-fi, hand-waving away multi-millennia journeys between stars. Such a technology would …	
	        
        				
						
			            																									
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		Temperatures in the Sahara can drop an average of 75 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius) overnight. The milky way shines in the night sky over the Sahara Desert. (Image credit: Shutterstock) – By Harry Baker – Staff Writer 11 days ago – If …	
	        
        				
						
			            																					
										
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		Cow cuddling is getting ever more popular, but what’s the science behind using animals for relaxation? Credit: cottonbro from Pexels –  By Scotty Hendricks 2021 Feb 27 – An Indian non-profit hopes to help people relax by giving them cuddle sessions with cows. …	
	        
        				
						
			            																									
							
							
									
				
					
	
					
	
		Roseann Bacha-Garza (left), a borderlands historian, stands with Olga Webber-Vasques at the grave of the latter’s great-great-grandfather, the abolitionist John Ferdinand Webber, in the family cemetery. – By John Burnett/NPR 2021 Feb 28 Heard on All Things Considered 13-Minute Listen  Download – In …