Octopuses may be aliens from another planet

Octopuses could be aliens from another planet, according to a paper published in the scientific journal Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology. A team of 33 authors led by Australian molecular immunologist Edward J. Steele said that octopuses and squid may have arrived on the planet by falling from space. “The possibility that cryopreserved squid and/or octopus eggs, arrived in icy bolides several hundred million years ago should not be discounted,” the paper said. It added that the octopus has biological features that appear to suggest “some type of pre-existence”.

Man drove without licence for 70 years

A motorist stopped by police told them he had been driving with no licence or insurance for more than 70 years. Officers pulled the man over near a Tesco in Bulwell, Nottingham, on Wednesday evening. The man explained that he had been driving without a licence or insurance since he was 12 and had never been stopped before. Writing on Facebook, the force advised people to “make sure your documents are in order... because it will catch up with you... one day”.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Whitty harasser given eight-week jail term

A 24-year-old man who tried to take a selfie with Chris Whitty smoked a vape and shouted “I’m West Ham till I die” as he was jailed for eight weeks. Jonathan Chew, who accosted the UK government’s chief medical adviser as he walked through London last year, pleaded guilty to a charge of using threatening, abusive or insulting words with intent to cause Whitty harassment, alarm or distress.