Woman makes horrifying typo in WhatsApp group

A woman has accidentally told co-workers she “shat herself” in a WhatsApp conversation. Haematologist Eileen Merriman made the fundamental error as she was trying to send a message to a group chat telling her colleagues that she had “shut herself” in their office while socially distancing because she had flu symptoms.

5,000 planets confirmed

Astronomers have confirmed the existence of more than 5,000 planets, bringing closer the prospect of discovering life beyond Earth, said The Times. The Nasa Exoplanet Archive has admitted a new batch of 65 planets this week with hundreds of billions more thought to exist in the Milky Way and beyond. William Borucki, an astronomer who served as principal investigator for the mission, said: “I get a real feeling of satisfaction, and really of awe at what’s out there.”

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

Singer hospitalised by fart shame

A Brazilian singer was hospitalised with trapped gas because she was too embarrassed to fart in front of her partner. Viviane de Queiroz Pereira explained on Instagram that she “woke up at 5.30am with severe stomach pains” due to “an accumulation of trapped farts”. She told her female followers to not be “ashamed to fart in front of your guy” because it was more embarrassing to “go to hospital with your guy and the diagnosis being ‘trapped farts’.”