1.

Scientists discovered a new underwater mountain off the coast of Chile during recent expeditions in the Southeast Pacific. The Solito Seamount rises more than 3km from the seafloor and is home to more than 100 potentially new-to-science species with even newer-to science names like the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Casper Octopus and Muppet Fish. No word as to whether a Tickle-Me-Elmo Sponge has been sighted. 

 

2.

A team of Japanese and Egyptian archaeologists uncovered a previously undiscovered rock-cut-tomb (a burial chamber that is cut into an existing, naturally occurring rock formation) dating back to the Second Dynasty (over 4,000 years ago). The tomb contained artefacts spanning at least 1,000 years, including the remains of an adult with a coloured mask and a small child, in addition to two terracotta statues of Egyptian gods.

3.

Think your bread is stale two days past the use-by date? Archaeologists found an 8,600 piece of bread in a destroyed oven structure in an area called Mekan 266 — part of the Turkish archaeological site Çatalhöyük. This is believed to be the world's oldest known bread. It was found alongside remnants of wheat, barley and pea seeds — the original ‘ancient grains’.

4.

Tasmanian woman Kathleen Murray won the inaugural ‘World’s Ugliest Lawn’ competition (technically taking the 2023 title, but it was announced in January 2024 so it still counts). She credits local wildlife, in particular bandicoots, for keeping her lawn bare and patchy. “I used to think the bandicoots were wildlife of mass destruction invading my lawn, but now I see that they’ve actually liberated me from ever having to mow it again. I’m all for guilt-free weekends, especially since my ex-husband left with the lawnmower back in 2016.”

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5.

It’s time to get rid of all those broken container lids you were saving for the next Tupperware party you’re invited to — after nearly 80 years of business, the iconic plastic kitchenware brand filed for bankruptcy. On the other hand, maybe save those lids as valuable artefacts of a bygone kitchen storage era.

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6.

Max the Cat is well-known to students at Vermont State University, living with a nearby family but spending most of his days at the college. He is so beloved on campus that he was awarded an honorary doctorate of litter-ature for his exceeding friendliness. 

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7.

A service technician at the Pinakothek der Moderne Museum in Munich pulled a reverse art heist when he snuck one of his own paintings into the modern section overnight. Staff noticed the painting when the museum opened, but chose to leave it up all day before taking it down. A spokesperson reported that the museum “did not receive any positive feedback on the addition from visitors to the gallery.” The aspiring artist might now be considering a full-time painting career after he was fired from the museum.

 

8.

The Northern Green Anaconda (Eunectes Akayima), a giant snake living in northern South America and the island of Trinidad, was discovered to be genetically distinct from its close relative the Southern Green Anaconda (even though they look identical), thus becoming a new species. It is one of the heaviest and longest snakes in the world, with one specimen reported to be a whopping 6.3m long (that’s the same length as the massively oversized American Chevrolet Silverado ute).

 

9.

The 31-year treasure hunt for France’s famed Golden Owl finally ended with the discovery of a replica owl that can be traded for the real deal — a solid gold and silver owl created by artist Michel Becker, valued at over $165,000. The hunt began in 1993 when French writer and puzzle designer Regis Hauser (under the pseudonym Max Valentin) published Chouette d’Or (golden owl), a book containing 11 clues leading to the location of the owl, which he buried in France.

10.

US company Skydweller Aero completed the world's first unmanned flight of a large solar-powered aircraft. Also named Skydweller, the plane has a wingspan greater than a 747 and is capable of perpetual flight, meaning it can be used on long-duration missions such as continuous aerial overage above conflict zones without risking the lives of pilots. No word yet as to the quality of the in-flight movies.

11.

Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko broke the world record for the most time spent in space, having spent a total 1111 days looking down on us all (that’s just over three years). He broke the previous record by almost 8 months. It should be noted that he wasn’t in space for three years straight, but accumulated the time over numerous long-duration missions to the International Space Station. Not a record many people would want to contest either way!

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12.

The first close-up image of a star outside the Milky Way has been taken. The star, creatively named WOH G64 is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud — a small galaxy that orbits the Milky Way about 160,000 light years away. How far is that exactly? One light year is approximately 9 trillion kms … so, it’s FAR. Previously, to photograph WOH G64 clearly would have required a telescope bigger than 100m across. Instead, astronomers combined information from four 1.8m telescopes to piece together the image, which vaguely resembles a fuzzy orange.