In 2009, there was an earthquake in Italy. 300 people died. A tragedy, you will agree.

Now seven seismologists are on trial in Italy for not having predicted that the earthquake would occur.

Let me repeat that: Now seven seismologists are on trial in Italy for not having predicted that the earthquake would occur.

In other words, the Italian government now considers knowledge without omniscience to be illegal. Be warned: if you go to Italy, feign ignorance over anything and everything, lest you be accused of being responsible for unpredictable disasters.

Image by Will Bryant. Found at Wild Dirt.
Webcomic is Three Word Phrase, by Ryan Pequin.

Medical story #1: The case of the hungry dog.

A man in Michigan had his life saved when his dog ate his toe. His toe was infected — and deadly — and the dog only ate the infected area. No non-infected flesh eating.

(Credit unknown. Found here.)

Medical story #2: The case of the impatient tailor.

A man in Sweden was waiting in the hospital for over an hour. He needed stitches in his leg. Eventually he got tired of waiting and sewed himself up. Unimpressed, the medical staff decided to have him charged with a crime. He did, after all, use their thread.

This story has monkeys and flying squirrels in it. Both of which are awesome in their own right, and join the cats and dogs already present this morning to make for quite the menagerie. But even better than the awesome animals is that the article reveals that there are scientists who study how to best annoy monkeys.

If I knew this was an option in my adolescence, my career would be entirely different, I tell you.

Buzz Aldrin is awesome. In this interview, he talks about space poop and calls going to the moon and coming back “a stunt”.

(by Metin Demiralay)

In addition to all the oil that’s leaking into the Gulf of Mexico from the Deepwater Horizon leak, there is also a methane leak, too. For some scaremongering about the possible ramifications of such a leak, click here.

Of course, all the scientists whose opinions are solicited may be loopy from the hours they are asked to work.

What will science think of next?

Will it be elastic water? Nope. Already done.

(by Alex Wild)

On Facebook? Learn how to use it properly.

In England, a recruiter wants to put out an ad for a reliable worker — they are told they cannot, as the job description would then discriminate against the unreliable.