Thursday, May 7, 2020

One of the largest moon rocks ever found is expected to be sold for over $2.49m

The NWA 12691 meteorite, which was found in the Sahara Desert in 2017, weighs 30 pounds. It’s thought to be the fifth-largest moon meteorite ever found. According to Christie’s, which is auctioning the moon rock, scientists think that it broke off from the moon when an asteroid or comet impacted the lunar surface. Researchers said that the chemical and isotopic compositions of the rock match those of lunar samples brought back to Earth by Apollo missions. Only one of every 1,000 meteorites come from the moon. (Artnet News)

The FDA has granted emergency approval to Roche’s antibody test, which claims to be 99.8% accurate

The serological test analyzed 6,000 blood samples before gaining approval, a Roche Diagnostics head researcher said was significantly higher than other tests. Specifically, the test is 99.8% accurate at “ruling out the presence” of antibodies, and 100% accurate at detecting antibodies. In order to accurately judge antibodies, blood must be drawn at least 14 days after a person has been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Diagnostics firm Quotient also claims to have a 99.8% accurate antibody test and says it can conduct 3,000 tests per day. Scientists are unsure what level of immunity is offered by coronavirus antibodies. We’ll likely have to wait months or even years to see if anyone who’s previously had COVID-19 can become infected again. As of last week, 11 of the 14 antibody tests on the market were found to deliver a significant number of false positives. The FDA has pulled approval for several tests, citing fraud, false claims, and ineffectiveness. (The Wall Street Journal)

54% of Americans say they want to work from home primarily and 75% occasionally once the pandemic ends, according to an IBM survey

The survey revealed widespread changes in personal behavior plans – more than half of respondents said that, post-pandemic, they would either stop using ride-share services completely or use them less often, and more than half said they would not to attend a large event for the rest of 2020. The survey polled 25,000 American adults in April. Only 10% said they would stay away from bars and restaurants for the rest of the year. More than half of respondents said they were more productive at home, and cited no commute, fewer distractions from coworkers, and fewer meetings as reasons for the increase in productivity. 25% of respondents said working from home has worsened their productivity. Last week, we asked for your thoughts on working from home after restrictions are lifted. 46% of respondents said they’d like to work from home all the time or more than they used to and 23% said they’d like to work primarily from the office. 21% said they mostly worked from home before COVID-19, and 10% said they are still working on-site and can’t work from home. (Newsweek)

Anonymous donor gives $1 million to Dignity Health Dominican Hospital in California

An anonymous donor has given $1 million to Dignity Health Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, California and requested that the money goes to employees, from nurses to janitors to security guards. All full-time staff who have worked at the hospital for at least a year will receive a $800 check, while part-time workers will get $600. In a letter, the donor thanked the hospital’s employees for their sacrifice: “This humankindness is what makes you heroic.” (ABC 7)

An Italian grandmother who gives online cooking lessons has become an internet celebrity

An 84-year-old is teaching hundreds of people to make iconic Italian dishes, including lasagne, fettuccine, ravioli, and gnocchi. According to her website, the recipes she follows have been in her family for generations. She cooks in her kitchen in Palombara Sabina, a small village outside Rome. Ahead of the two-hour class, she sends participants a list of all the ingredients in English and utensils they will need. The woman’s granddaughter said that over 1,100 people have signed up for the classes, which cost $60. “Every time I tell her,’ Nonna, you are famous!’ She laughs at me,” she said. “She replies ‘You are crazy, baby.'” (ABC News)

Town councilman arrested for driving golf cart on streets while drunk

A El Reno, Oklahoma City councilman was arrested after police say he was driving a golf cart through the streets while intoxicated. Recently, officers saw a golf cart traveling with no headlights and no tail lights. The driver of the golf cart improperly stopped at the intersection, then turned with officers conducting a traffic stop on the driver at another intersection. Officers identified the driver of the golf cart to be one of the town councilmen. Police spoke with him and say they detected an odor of alcohol. Authorities observed other signs of intoxication as well, which led the officers to believe he was under the influence of alcohol, including him speaking with slurred speech and allegedly admitted to drinking alcoholic beverages prior to the traffic stop. A Standardized Field Sobriety Test Battery was conducted with him and the results “gave further evidence to the suspicion that he was operating the golf cart while under the influence.” He was arrested for driving under the influence and related traffic charges. He was transported to the municipal jail where he was read the Implied Consent Test Request and refused the chance to take an Intoxilyzer test. He was later transported to the Canadian County Jail. (OKC Fox)

5-year-old boy pulled over after trying to drive to California to buy a sports car

A Utah Highway Patrol trooper who was looking to pull over a speeding vehicle on the freeway happened to notice another vehicle struggling to maintain the I-15 lanes, UHP spokesperson said. The vehicle was also traveling a little over 30 mph on the freeway. That trooper was able to pull the vehicle over, but when the trooper got out to speak with the driver, he discovered a boy whose head barely reached the headrest behind the wheel. Troopers got a hold of the boy’s family, who confirmed with the highway patrol that the boy was 5. Authorities learned that both parents were at work and a sibling was supposed to watch the boy. Family members told troopers the boy had gotten upset with his mother at some point earlier when she wouldn’t let him buy a Lamborghini. The boy’s parents told investigators the boy had never driven before and they hadn’t had any issues like that prior to the incident. However, it’s believed the boy grabbed the keys from a hook in the home, started the car and made it from his home. The boy did admit that the car belongs to his mother and that he got it from his home. He also said he was trying to head to California. Nobody was hurt and no property was believed to be damaged. Even so, charges could still be filed against the parents in the case, but that decision would be made by the Weber County attorney’s office. Authorities say the incident is also a reminder for parents to make sure their vehicle’s keys aren’t in a spot to be easily taken by children. (KSL)

Naked Man Attacks Bus

CT Transit employees, already facing threats of Covid-19 spread on the job, encountered a new threat during a ride down State Street: a naked man in the street yelling, pounding on the glass, and trying to get on board. A group of CT Transit workers were on board for an “employee run” from downtown New Haven to the Hamden CT Transit garage. The naked man stopped the bus, yelled, walked from one side to the other, tried to board, began to kick and bang on the door. The door remained closed. One of the CT Transit workers captured the action on Facebook Live. The video has been viewed more than 50,000 times. The video shows a fire truck arriving, the man walking back and forth from the two vehicles, and employees calling police for help. Then it ends. The police subsequently arrived and took the man to the hospital for evaluation, according to the police spokesman. No charges were filed. (New Haven Independent)

Suspect blew a .284 blood-alcohol level

A 46-year-old man in Waupaca, Wisconsin is charged with lewd and lascivious behavior and disorderly conduct. Waupaca Police Officers were dispatched to the Waupaca Hotel. They met with two residents who said the man had been naked while in the laundry room. They said this was the second time he had gone there without clothing. One of the residents said he told the man, “You can’t do that. It’s rude.” The officers then went to the man’s apartment. According to the criminal complaint, the man had no clothes on when he answered the door and told the officers that he was naked because all his clothes were in the laundry. A preliminary breath test indicated that Jensen had a .284 blood-alcohol content, more than three times the legal limit to drive. The man has been charged as a repeat offender due to three prior convictions for disorderly conduct and two for misdemeanor bail jumping. He currently has two pending cases for illegal open intoxicants and one for littering. (Waupaca Now)

Naked Australian Man Wrestles Giant Python to Save his Kitten

A man was sleeping, naked, in the bedroom of his Kimberley home last month when he awoke to the sound of his partner screaming. The problem, he realised, was that a giant, seven and a half foot python was in his garden attacking one of his pet kittens: coiling its body around the animal in preparation to eat it.The man, who had completed a snake handling course several years before, sprung into action. While his partner held the tail of the snake, he  grabbed a hold of the reptile’s body and tried to wrest his cat from its coils. While he managed to rescue the kitten, it wasn’t without incident or injury. As he released his grip, the snake turned and sank its fangs into the flesh of his right hand—and it was only later, after the fracas, that he noticed “there was blood everywhere”. His blood. His description paints a dramatic picture: this image of a stark naked man battling an interloping serpent and he ultimately emerged from the confrontation triumphant. As he recalled, there was never any other option but to dive headlong into the fray—clothed or otherwise. “There was no way I was going to stand by and let it eat the kitten,” he said. (Vice)

Man charged with DUI after running over himself

You might say it’s a bad day when you run over yourself at an intersection; and then get arrested for it. That’s what reportedly happened to 39-year-old man of Rapid City, South Dakota. Witnesses say he was at an intersection when his car door opened and he fell out. They say the vehicle’s rear wheel then ran over his legs. A passerby was able to stop the vehicle. After being evaluated by medics and declining treatment, he was arrested, charged with driving under the influence. (KOTA)

**WARNING: MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL AUDIENCES!**

Ohio woman charged after calling 911, claiming her ‘p—y’ was on fire

An Ohio woman is facing multiple charges after she allegedly called 911 and requested the fire department put out a fire in her crotch. The 50-year-old  woman faces a felony charge of disrupting public services and a misdemeanor charge of making false alarms. She is accused of calling 911 and reporting that her “p—y” was on fire, according to a police report from Port Clinton Police Department. Additionally, she asked if the fire department’s hose was working, and told the dispatcher she needed somebody to “come put it out with their hose.” Police say she was at her friend’s house when she called 911, and upon an officer’s arrival, she became agitated after being told she would be arrested for making false reports. (The Port Clinton News Herald)

By 2070, around 3.5 billion people could live in areas with extremely high temperatures because of climate change, a new study says

Currently, around 25 million people live in regions with average annual temperatures of 84 degrees Fahrenheit. Those regions are mainly in South Saharan Africa, but in five decades they will cover a larger part of Africa, as well as parts of India, the Middle East, South America, Southeast Asia, and Australia. Those regions have seen fast population growth in recent years, but some would be forced to emigrate to cooler areas. According to the study, historically, people have largely settled in areas with annual temperatures of about 50 to 60 F, and smaller numbers have lived in areas with a range of 68 to 77 F. The 3.5 billion figure is the worst-case scenario. Study authors said that if greenhouse gas emissions slow down and the climate stabilizes the number could be closer to one billion people. (The New York Times)

Thirsty Thursday Sooth’s Our Minds With:

• Beaufort Scale (Wind) Day
• Cosmopolitan Day (Drink)
• Cystinosis Awareness Day
• Design Packaging Day
• Day of Vesak (Traditionally on the Full May Moon)
• National Barrier Awareness Day
• National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day (Thursday of First Full Week)
• National Day of Prayer (First Thursday)
• National Day of Reason (First Thursday)
• Worldwide Day of Genital Autonomy
• World Password Day (First Thursday)