Can a venomous snake really inflict a lethal bite even after its head has been chopped off? That question has been in the air since late August, when reports surfaced of a chef in China who died after being bitten by a decapitated snake.
According to an Aug. 22 report by the Daily Mirror, the chef had been preparing snake soup when he was bitten by the severed head of an Indochinese spitting cobra. The snake reportedly had been decapitated some 20 minutes before the bite occurred. The chef died before emergency workers could get to him, the Mirror reported.
Though it sounds almost impossible that such a thing could happen, the phenomenon is “entirely possible and does happen,” Dr. Matthew Lewin, director of California Academy of Sciences’ Center for Exploration and Travel Health and an expert on venomous snakebites, told The Huffington Post in an email.
A brother and sister in Effingham County, Georgia, are behind bars after allegedly having sex in a tractor trailer parked in a church parking lot.
Police say Christopher Buckner, 20, and her brother, Tim Savoy, 25, admitted to committing incest three times after watching the Ryan Gosling romance “The Notebook.”
Officers got wind of the family affair early Tuesday morning when they were responding to a call about a prowler in the area, WJCL.com reports.
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Christopher Buckner, 20, and her brother, Timothy Savoy, 25, are suspected of having sex with each other in a tractor trailer. | Effingham County Jail
The Associated Press reports that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were married on Aug. 23 in Chateau Miraval, France, according to a spokesman for the couple.
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The couple reportedly married in a private ceremony attended by family and friends. Pitt and Jolie obtained a marriage license from a local California judge, who also conducted the ceremony in France.
Pitt and Jolie’s six children were also in the wedding. Jolie walked the aisle with her eldest sons Maddox, 13, and Pax, 11. Zahara, 9, and Vivienne, 6, threw flower petals while Shiloh, 8, and Knox, 6, served as ring bearers.
Scientists at Michigan State University announced this week the creation of a “transparent luminescent solar concentrator” that could turn windows and even cellphone screens into solar-power generators.
This technology could mean that one day entire skyscrapers might be able to generate solar power without blocking out light or ruining tenants’ views.
The material works by absorbing light in the invisible spectrum (ultraviolet and near infrared) and then re-emitting it in the infrared. The infrared light is then channeled to the edge of the clear surface, where thin strips of photovoltaic cells generate the power.
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Solar power with a view: MSU doctoral student Yimu Zhao holds up a transparent luminescent solar concentrator module. | Yimu Zhao
Although the U.S. Supreme Court was “once a leader in the world” in the battle for racial equality, recent decisions by the high court undermine its role in solving a “real racial problem” in America, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg explained in an interview with The National Law Journal on Wednesday.
Citing recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, and racially biased stop-and-frisk policies, Ginsburg reflected on the perpetuation of racial segregation in America, comparing the challenges with those of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
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Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said recent decisions by the high court undermine its role in solving a “real racial problem” in America. (Photo by Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Scientists have created a swarm of over a thousand coin-sized robots that can assemble themselves into two-dimensional shapes by communicating with their neighbours.
At 1,024 members, this man-made flock — described in the 15 August issue of Science — is the largest yet to demonstrate collective behaviour. The self-organization techniques used by the tiny machines could aid the development of ‘transformer’ robots that reconfigure themselves, researchers say, and they might shed light on how complex swarms form in nature.
Scientists know that humans, chimpanzees, and other primates can convey surprising amounts of information by means of a glance and tilt of the head. But what about animals with eyes on the sides of their heads, like deer and horses? What kind of social cues do they use to communicate?
Now, mammal communication experts report that, at least for horses, a great deal of information is conveyed through the position of the animal’s ears as well as its eyes.
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Author Jennifer Wathan is shown with study participant Bartie.
On the afternoon of Aug. 9, a police officer fatally shot an unarmed, black teenager, Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Missouri. Details remain in dispute. Eyewitnesses have said that Brown was compliant with police and was shot while he had his hands up. Police maintain that the 18-year-old had assaulted an officer and was reaching for the officer’s gun. One thing clear, however, is that Brown’s death follows a disturbingly common trend of black men being killed, often while unarmed and at the hands of police officers, security guards and vigilantes.
The gym can be an intimidating place for the inexperienced. But in some cases, it’s the overly confident gym-goer to be wary of. Fitness fanatics don’t always take the time to reevaluate their routine, learn new techniques or prioritize health and safety.
Try as they might to set the record straight, fitness experts can’t be everywhere at all times, dispelling efficacy myths or correcting form. That’s why we decided to ask them to share the fitness pet peeves they’re tired of seeing.
Film and Writing Festival for Comedy. Showcasing best of comedy short films at the FEEDBACK Film Festival. Plus, showcasing best of comedy novels, short stories, poems, screenplays (TV, short, feature) at the festival performed by professional actors.
James' World 2 