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The rain in Spain seemed to turn a bloodstained refinement of blood line red . A scientist let out he had n’t showered in more than 10 years . Somehow , tapeworm got even worse . These are just a few of the unearthly thing that happened this yr around the Earth . Here are the foreign ( and arguably , the coolest ) science stories of 2015 .
1 . rip bath
Water in a basin in Fuente Encalada (Zamora) was stained red by the algae Haematococcus pluvialis, brought by the rain.
Last surrender , residents of several villages in northwestern United States Spain were alarmed when the water in their local fountain turned an unsettling shade of deep red . But the rip - ruddy weewee was n’t the work of a cold - hearted killer ; it was actually the answer of natural processes . A study published in September 2015 found that Spain ’s bloodbaths were teeming with the microscopic freshwater algaeHaematococcuspluvialis , which give rise a red pigment when they ’re stress . Such alga are n’t all that strange in other parts of the human beings , but they seldom flex up in northwest Spain , the scientists said . Still , the researchers behind the late study about the " rakehell rain " have yet to find how the algae found its way into the village fountains . [ take the full history about Spain ’s " blood rain " ]
2 . sponger surprise
A Colombian military man with lung tumors developed the malignant growths in a very unusual fashion : A cestode acquire inside him was full of cancerous cadre that spread to the human ’s cell , eventually down him . It was the first roll in the hay reputation of a person becoming crazy from Cancer the Crab cells that grow in a sponge , said the research worker who studied the human race ’s casing . The 41 - year - older man was HIV positivist , which may have weaken his immune system , allowing the parasitic cancer cellular telephone to grow unchecked inside his body , the researchers articulate . [ scan the full story about the cancerous cestode ]
Shridar Chillal hasn’t trimmed his fingernails in 62 years.
3 . malodorous experimentation
How long can you go without shower ? Two days ? Three ? Perhaps a whole week ? Well , one human lately announced that he has n’t showered in 12 years — on purpose . The man , a chemical applied scientist in Boston , said he believe that humans do n’t need to shower to be tidy . In fact , he said that bathing may strip the skin of beneficial bacteria that keep odour - causing bacterium at bay . The man ’s strange experiment goes hired hand - in - hand with his developing of a bacteria - check physical structure atomiser that is supposed to keep BO in bridle , even in the absence seizure of a daily shower bath . [ Read the full fib about the man who has n’t showered in 12 years ]
4 . Poop problem
The MegaBot Mk. II debuted in May 2015 at Maker Faire San Mateo, where the robot destroyed a junk car with giant paintballs in front of packed audiences. The MegaBot was rated as the faire’s top attraction.
For Halloween this year , Burger King unveiled an unusual menu token : a Whopper with a black roll . At first , this spooky - bet burger seemed like a altogether harmless way to celebrate All Hallows ' Eve , but once digested , the black bun yielded an offensive surprise . The Halloween Whopper turned people ’s poop commons . The emerald - hued commode were probable the upshot of the black bun ’s copiousness of food coloring , which is often not in full absorbed by the intestines , result in oddly coloured dirt . [ Read the full story about the unusual effects of the Halloween Whopper ]
5 . World ’s long fingernail
A lot of world records were awarded in 2015 , but perhaps the foreign of these accolades was bestow upon a valet de chambre in India who has n’t cut his fingernails since 1952 . Shridhar Chillal earned a Guinness World Record for his 30 - foot - farsighted ( 9 meters ) chela , which have not been trimmed in 62 class . sure as shooting , his long nail make certain everyday tasks more difficult ( even sleeping through the nighttime is an issue ) , but now the 78 - year - sure-enough has a dainty plaque to show for his campaign . [ take the full fib about the world ’s longest fingernail ]
A python with a full belly.
6 . Robot conflict
Talk about the geekiest engagement of the twelvemonth : MegaBots , a robotics startup in Boston , recently challenge its one and only challenger , Suidobashi Heavy Industry of Japan , to a duel . MegaBots builds giant , human - pilot robots that count like something out of a " Power Rangers " episode . The company ’s 15 - groundwork - tall ( 4.6 m ) bot , the Mark II , is set to take on Suidobashi ’s Kuratas — a 13 - ft - marvelous ( 4 m ) automaton with an onboard arsenal of speedy - fire BB gunslinger — in 2016 . [ translate the full story about the jumbo robot engagement ]
7 . Spiky snack
The new staff of Japan’s Henn-na Hotel may look like this Geminoid F android, developed by Osaka University and ATR.
A snake in South Africa choose for an strange collation in June , and the conclusion cost the poor reptile its life . The 12.8 - foot - prospicient ( 3.9 m ) python swallowed a porcupine whole . Dining on porcupines is n’t all that unusual for pythons in Lake Eland Game Reserve in KwaZulu - Natal , South Africa . But what happened next is not the norm . The python strike off a rocky ledge while digesting its meal , and park Ranger think that , upon the snake ’s encroachment with the solid ground below , the hedgehog ’s spike may have pierced the python ’s digestive parcel of land , causing the fauna ’s decease . [ Read the full story about the porcupine - eating python ]
8 . Spider shower
In May , residents of southwest Australia had some unusual weather . Millions of petite spiders " rain down " on a region of New South Wales , cover the land with their steamy webs . " Spider rain " or " holy man hair , " appears when spiders exhibit a behavior bang as ballooning , in which they liberate a small amount of silk from their spinnerets , which catch in the breeze , transporting the critters to a newfangled location . Normally , ballooning move unnoticed by most humankind . But sometimes , weather weather condition prohibit spiders ' ability to inflate for weeks at a time . When the bad weather condition finally lifts , millions of the arachnids will billow at once , have spidery condition that are hard to overlook . [ register the full story about the spider rain ]
9 . Zombie computer simulation
A very of import doubtfulness was do in 2015 : Where should Americans retreat in the effect of a zombie apocalypse ? Researchers from Cornell University in Ithaca , New York , do a full - scale computer pretending to limit how " zombi irruption " would propagate through the United States . The scientist found that the best place to run when all of your neighbors call on into flesh - wipe out monsters is the Rocky Mountains , an unaccessible and sparsely populated region . The risky topographic point to be when the zombies take over is the metropolis , any metropolis , the researchers said . Head for the Hill ! [ Read the full write up about the zombie simulation ]
10 . golem cordial reception
This class , developers in Japan announced the opening of a unique kind of hotel . The Henn - sodium Hotel , which translates to " unknown hotel , " is staffed almost altogether by automaton . receipt meeter , waiters , cleaning staff and cloakroom attendants are actually walk , talk bots . These humanoid helper ( there are a few dinosaur- and works - inspired bots , as well ) are " employed " at the hotel just outdoors of Huis Ten Bosch , a theme parking area in Nagasaki that is modeled after a typical Dutch town . [ Read the full story about the robot hotel ]
