Human Chimeras are Real

And you might even be one of them!

The fact that human "chimeras" are real is a bit misleading. No, they aren't hybrids of different species, sporting tails, horns and feathers, although that could be cool and definitely exists within the world of fantasy fiction. They are simply humans who carry the DNA from multiple human beings in their bodies. Even so, it's still a pretty freaky phenomenon--especially when you realize you might be a human chimera yourself!

Several humans have been found to have the DNA of multiple people, including brothers who shared bone marrow through a transplant and two mothers whose own children did not match their DNA, but the DNA of the twin they absorbed within the womb whose eggs their babies developed in! If that sounds wild, you may recall that mothers also carry the DNA of each of their pregnancies--at least for a short time, but possibly longer. So there's a big chance that many people reading this are also chimeras.

Have you heard about any other cases of human chimeras throughout history? Share them in the chat! 

Klat Categories: 
Science

Things We Didn't Know About Disney

Share the secrets you've read about!

Years ago I read a book about some secrets that "Disney didn't want you to know about" and ever since it's made me question just about everything. Oddly enough, I was reading it for a debate meet in college, and it led me down a rabbit hole that pretty much shattered much of the naive idealism carried over from my childhood.

Today people write "things you didn't know about" lists every day and it seems like the farther down the rabbit hole we go, the more insatiable our curiosity is. This list is a great one. It includes details like the fact that Pinnochio's nose only grows once in the entire film, and that Aladdin was modeled after... Tom Cruise? Yeah, that's a weird detail! 

Where else have you found some weird Disney facts? What other strange things about the Mouse have you discovered? Share them in the chat. 

Klat Categories: 
Culture
Entertainment

Let's Talk About Flying Cars

This is a disaster in the making.

It's freaky enough watching robots take inventory in Schnucks stores lately, but the thought of humans piloting flying cars now is worthy of losing sleep. In what world can politicians keep limiting voting rights and the rights of LGBTQ people, ban abortions and other life-saving medicine and just let kids keep getting killed in classrooms, yet not regulate something as important as a car flying through the actual sky?

Many people assumed that Renault's design for a flying car was just a joke but they assure us that it's very real. Jalopnik is calling it a drone with a big retro car stacked on top and... yeah, that pretty much sums this beast up. It also opens the doors to a lot of dangerous driving, who knows what kind of pollution and other possibilities. I really don't want to see an accident fall on top of my house. 

But maybe it's a knee-jerk reaction. Maybe it's going to be more regulated and safer than I think it will be... What do you think? Should we have flying cars in our time?

Crashing Into Asteroids

Hollywood Meets Reality Yet Again

People keep experiencing deja vu as reality seems to mirror what's been happening in Hollywood a decade or so after the fact. No, we're not fully at Total Recall or Terminator levels quite yet, but the steps are definitely in motion. Today we learned that NASA is taking a page from the script of Armageddon and experimenting with blowing asteroids out of the sky in order to practice for when we actually need to save the planet from such a threat.

Thank goodness it's not a team of drillers going into space, but... shooting asteroids out of the air? It's so American. And it's got to be so... expensive. Who else is wondering if we might be able to get college or healthcare or a living wage out of those funds? And is anyone wondering if there might be a few folks at NASA who are gleefully playing Star Wars behind the scenes here? All kidding aside, hopefully this does help create a good safety net in the event that an asteroid does present a danger to Earth.

What other weird news have you read this week? Share it in the chat.

Klat Categories: 
Science
Space

The Freakiest Things About Living in 2021

Share your thoughts in the chat

These are unprecedented times. We all keep saying that, but it's only going to keep getting weirder for us all. Billionaires are literally going to space while the middle class shrinks and shrinks. There is a "worker shortage" that's really a low-key strike against poor wages, combined with lots of covid-related deaths and illnesses that have left people disabled. That's not even counting all of the uncertainly in the world, how rapidly technology and global warming are advancing, the fact that this virus continues to remain as deadly as ever while people go about their business and all of the robots becoming more and more used and lifelike...

It's really easy to get wrapped up in all of this fear, especially since we have no idea what's coming next--especially since prices continue to rise, social security gets shakier than ever and none of us know what to expect. Did you know that expenses for older adults have doubled twice as much as benefits in the first place? Yikes.

There are a lot of freaky things about living in 2021 right now. Hope is never lost; we can always try to do better, to pass legislation to create a more equitable and safe world. What are the weirdest or freakiest things about living in 2021? What is your wish list to make it all better? Share your thoughts in the chat. 

Klat Categories: 
News

Prices are Up Over Six Percent

Everyone has a different thing to blame for this inflation.

As we face the highest inflation since the 90s, everyone seems to have something to blame for it. Some people are saying it's the economy rapidly recovering (or tanking, depending on who you talk to). Some are blaming jobs paying people more, but that has barely even started--and hasn't even begun in many areas. The biggest consensus is on the rising cost of energy, which has been predicted for many years. This energy is needed not only to make the goods but to transport them as well.

The thing is, we've been pricing things at super cheap levels for years now as we import cheaper goods, don't pay people fairly and never factor in the total cost of manufacturing when it comes to the environment. Once we figure in that impact things cost so much more--and cost us more than just money and time. People are worrying about whether or not they'll ever be able to buy a house--a legit concern--but we need to worry about the cost of all of this production in terms of our home, the planet, too.

What do you think is the freakiest cost of production? What examples have you seen that make you worry, or have you thought of any solutions? Share them in the chat. 

Klat Categories: 
Government
Environment

When Dolly Became Hozier

Have you seen this bizarre video?

Hozier is fantastic, and who doesn't love Dolly Parton? I have playlists featuring both artists, and Dolly has a heart of gold and should probably be leader of this country. I'm not sure how much the two have in common outside of being performers, but someone discovered that they sound awfully alike when Dolly's performance of "Jolene" is slowed down.

These kinds of revelations are really fun, but incredibly weird. My teen and I often slow down videos for academic purposes--or speed them up when they feature slow slideshows. And it's nothing new. People have been slowing down, or speeding up, everything from records to cassette tapes over time to hear "hidden" messages. Check out the Beatles and Black Sabbath for some famous examples. But this one is especialy weird and fun.

What other weird musical edits have you heard of recently? Share them in the chat. 

Klat Categories: 
Entertainment
Music

GISH Halloweird

There's still time to play!

If you're not familiar with GISH, it's an annual scavenger hunt for a charity that was created by Supernatural's Misha Collins. Since its inaugural year, it's taken many forms, including several mini challenges over the pandemic. This year GISH has a special Halloween challenge, Halloweird, with a single daily challenge to do for fun each day.

Normally it costs money to participate in GISH but these mini challenges have mostly been free, including the current Halloweird challenge. It's featured challenges like making a Halloween mask out of candy and creating other types of art, and while it isn't too freaky, it's certainly weird and fun.

Have you ever taken part in a GISH challenge? What was the weirdest thing you ever did during a challenge? Are you taking part in Halloweird? Share your experiences in the chat. 

Klat Categories: 
Culture
Society
Holidays

Billionaire Space Flexing

Can they just stop already?

Who else is tired of seeing the uber rich venture into space, burning all of that cash for a few moments of glory, only to return and tell us how marvelous it is, how important it is to save our planet, and how everyone should get to do it? The fact that this is happening while so many people struggle with rent, with medical bills, with student loans is the freakiest thing. It's the biggest marker of the gap between the rich and poor and it's absolutely revolting.

And if it weren't bad enough, Elon Musk decided to take Tesla to Texas, thereby undoing any progress made from companies bailing on the state until the government changes their punitive, draconian abortion laws. The behaviors of these billionaires just gets more and more unreal. Don't they have enough to do without causing so much harm to everyone else? That's the root of the issue, of course--you cannot accululate that much wealth without causing harm. You just can't. 

What other freaky news have you read this week? Share it in the chat.

Klat Categories: 
Science
Space
News

Plants That Purify Air

Share your favorites in the chat

Many of us might admit to having a "plant problem." This week I might have brought home four more plants. But it's hard to not bring home plant friends when you're at home most of the time, especially with NASA telling us that a few snake plants could help us live in a sealed room. It's incredible how the stuff that bothers us is purified out of our air by our plants, but all the more reason to keep plants if you can!

Plants like Bromeliads actually purify our air from pollution while we're asleep but don't hurt the plants at all, according to research. Since our homes aren't actually sealed, we don't need a million plants--one or two per square feet works well enough--but why steal our joy? Thank you, plants!

What plants do you love to keep in your home? Share your favorites in the chat.

Klat Categories: 
Strange / Unusual

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