Octopuses may be aliens from another planet
And other stories from the stranger side of life
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”.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
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.
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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.
-
Ultimate pasta alla NormaThe Week Recommends White miso and eggplant enrich the flavour of this classic pasta dish
-
Death in Minneapolis: a shooting dividing the USIn the Spotlight Federal response to Renee Good’s shooting suggest priority is ‘vilifying Trump’s perceived enemies rather than informing the public’
-
5 hilariously chilling cartoons about Trump’s plan to invade GreenlandCartoons Artists take on misdirection, the need for Greenland, and more
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians