A video of a 'ghost' removing a dog's collar, a man with a cell phone in his stomach for six months, and a breathtaking supernova remnant that resembles Pac-Man were among the strange, unusual, and enlightening stories to cross our desk this week.
The wonders of space were on full display this past week by way of two remarkable observations made by astronomers. First, NASA shared a breathtaking image of a supernova remnant wherein the massive explosion site, which is located approximately 160,000 light-years from Earth, bore an uncanny resemblance to the iconic video game character Pac-Man. Then, researchers announced the discovery of a white dwarf that mysteriously "switches on and off." The late-stage star, located around 1,400 light-years away, is thought to have been feeding on a nearby star and lost its brightness when something interfered with its proverbial food supply.
This past week saw a particularly eerie piece of footage pop up online in the form of a home security video wherein an invisible force, suspected by some to be a ghost, removes the collar from a dog's neck. Posted to TikTok, the chilling scene begins with a pair of crated dogs furiously barking before falling strangely silent. Shortly thereafter, the collar on one of the pooch's neck begins to move and the unfortunate animal is violently and inexplicably pulled towards the corner of its crate. The collar then falls to the ground to the mystification of both the dog and the 13 million viewers who have watched the viral video since it was shared online a few days ago.
By far the most bizarre story of the week came by way of Egypt, where doctors removed a cell phone from the stomach of a man who had swallowed it six months earlier! The very strange case came to light after the unnamed patient sought help from a hospital for what he described as incredible abdominal pain. When the man was x-rayed, doctors were stunned to see a cell phone in his stomach. It was then that he sheepishly explained that he had eaten the ill-advised 'snack' six months ago and, too embarrassed to tell anyone, had simply hoped that it would naturally be passed through his digestive system. Alas, that was not the case and, after a two-hour surgery, the man was finally freed from the jaw-dropping predicament.
For more strange and unusual stories from the past week, check out the Coast to Coast AM website.