Weekly Best Of: test
Oct 11 – Oct 18, 2026
15 top-scored articles
Oct 11 – Oct 18, 2026
15 top-scored articles
Generated: October 18, 2026 at 03:54 AM ET
Researchers from Purdue University announced new evidence suggesting that missing aviator Amelia Earhart was accepted into a colony of coconut crabs on a remote atoll, where she assimilated into crab society and lived for decades. According to the researchers, DNA evidence indicates descendants from a blond human woman, and they believe Earhart learned to scuttle up palm trees and developed a chitinous shell. Additionally, the researchers stated that navigator Fred Noonan likely succumbed to pinching after refusing to accept the crabs' ways.
Keywords: Amelia Earhart, Crabs, Purdue University, Nikumaroro, Satire
This is a video titled "Woman who rescued injured crow keeps getting 'thank-you gifts' from birds," shared via Hacker News, with an associated comments link.
Keywords: crow, bird rescue, animal behavior, gifts, whimsical
An article published by The Atlantic, a paywalled news source, features the title "This Is Edgar Allan Poe, and I Am Begging Kelly Clarkson to Take My Bird" and the text "I eagerly await your response."
Keywords: Edgar Allan Poe, Kelly Clarkson, pets, birds, humor
An injured southern ground hornbill at Artis Zoo in Amsterdam became the first known bird in the world to receive 3D-printed titanium prostheses for both its upper and lower beak. The procedure was a collaboration between Artis, Utrecht University's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, UMC Utrecht, and Amnovis. Using CT scans and preserved sections of the original beak, the prostheses were designed and manufactured before being surgically attached. The hornbill successfully began using the new beak on the day of the surgery to eat and preen its feathers, and researchers will continue to monitor its long-term recovery.
Keywords: southern ground hornbill, 3D printed beak, prosthesis, Artis Zoo, animals
The Guardian presents its weekly collection of wildlife photographs from around the world for the week of October 16, 2026. The gallery features a variety of animals and scenes, including gentoo penguins in the Falklands, urban coyotes in San Francisco, a rehabilitated leopard cat released in China, an American barn owl in Manhattan, a red deer stag during the rut in London, a western grey squirrel in Oregon, a hummingbird hawkmoth in the UK, wild elephants in Sri Lanka, an eastern black crested gibbon on the border of Vietnam and China, sea turtles and orangutans in Indonesia, freshwater turtles returning to a restored water hole in Australia, and other wildlife moments captured globally.
Keywords: wildlife, photography, animals, penguin, leopard cat, squirrel
The Lubee Bat Conservancy in Gainesville, Florida, houses giant fruit bats that visitors can view and learn about.
Keywords: Lubee Bat Conservancy, Gainesville, bats, Malayan Flying Fox, animals
Comedian and writer Scout Boxall describes participating in live action role play (Larp), specifically attending the Swordcraft Quest event in Victoria, Australia, where hundreds of players spend a week immersed in a medieval fantasy village called Sudenburg. Drawing parallels between the Larp and standup comedy communities, Boxall shares personal experiences serving as the town's tax-collecting Master of Coin, highlights how the game reflects real-world sociopolitical issues, and notes the broader cultural resurgence of fantasy and medieval aesthetics amid contemporary anxieties.
Keywords: Live action role play, Larping, Melbourne, medieval re-enactment, hobby
Researchers with the Tawaki Project are studying the elusive, forest-dwelling tawaki (Fiordland crested penguin) in New Zealand's South Island fjords. Founded in 2014 by Dr Thomas Mattern and Ursula Ellenberg, the project conducts long-term population counts and tracks the birds' unusual breeding, foraging, and migration habits, including a 5,000 to 7,000km return trip to the sub-Antarctic region before their annual moult. Through extensive nest mapping across Fiordland, researchers have found the population is roughly three times larger than earlier surveys suggested, prompting the IUCN Red List to move the species from "vulnerable" to "near-threatened" in 2020. The volunteer-supported and publicly funded initiative continues to monitor survival rates and potential risks, such as commercial fishing.
Keywords: tawaki, Fiordland crested penguin, New Zealand, penguins, wildlife research
Located in Lansing, Michigan's REO Town, Deadtime Stories Books & Gifts is a shop that combines a bookstore with a spider shop, offering new and old books, collectibles, antiques, oddities, and live spiders of various species on display and for sale. Owned by local author and podcaster Jenn Carpenter, the store features an offbeat, spooky personality with a focus on horror, true crime, Michigan history, and unusual items.
Keywords: Deadtime Stories, Lansing, bookstore, spiders, oddities, Jenn Carpenter
An article discusses an espresso machine capable of running the game Doom.
Keywords: Doom, espresso machine, hardware hacking, video games, tech humor
Satirical influencer and comedian Graham Zip shared a video on YouTube in which he used his own AI assistant, named Victor, to participate in a job interview screening call with an employer's AI chatbot. During the call, the two AI models spoke over each other, with Graham's AI exaggerating his experience, fabricating details, and attempting to negotiate a salary range on his behalf. The article highlights the trend of employers using AI for screening calls and satirizes the potential future scenarios of AI-mediated job interviews and salary negotiations.
Keywords: artificial intelligence, job interview, humor, eccentric behavior, futurism
An actor from the project 'Whalefall' attended a red carpet event inside a 40,000-gallon water tank.
Keywords: Whalefall, Red Carpet, The Onion, Satire, Water Tank
Tech enthusiasts have created a custom server to revive discontinued Neato robotic vacuum cleaners, allowing owners to continue using their smart vacuums.
Keywords: Neato, robot vacuum, custom server, hardware hacking, nostalgia
Actor Charlie Vickers discusses eccentric personal anecdotes, including performing in a circus tent during a student production, a muddy marriage proposal, and opinions on cheese.
Keywords: Charlie Vickers, Lord of the Rings, Fawlty Towers, interview, eccentric
The author recounts meeting their partner, Garrett, in Melbourne in 2006 during a tumultuous period of coming out and navigating personal struggles. Bonding over shared artistic interests, including a love for Kate Bush and John Waters, the couple eventually celebrated their first Valentine's Day together, during which Garrett gifted the author a real cow's heart covered in fake blood as a test of compatibility. Two decades later, the couple continues to live, work, and create art together.
Keywords: Valentine's Day, Romance, Eccentric gift, Kate Bush, Video store