Strange News

Carving your initials in a tree in Washington, D.C.? Not illegal. Carving your initials in a sedated patient's transplanted liver? Criminal assault, according to U.K. courts.

We Regret To Inform You That A British Surgeon Was Branding His Initials On Livers

8:29pm December 13, 2017

by Camila Domonoske

Simon Bramhall has pleaded guilty to assault in a case that a prosecutor called "without legal precedent." He was burning his initials into human livers during transplant operations.

On the shores of Vancouver, Canada, and across the Pacific Northwest, there is an unusual but not uncommon occurrence: feet washing up.

Human Feet Still Washing Up In Pacific Northwest, But Don't Panic

5:27pm December 12, 2017

by Camila Domonoske

For years, human feet have been bobbing ashore in Washington State and British Columbia. Last week another was found on Vancouver Island. No foul play has ever been uncovered.

National

Decorating Injuries Show That Hanging The Holly Isn't Always Jolly

4:34pm December 12, 2017

Reckless decorating is a thing, and a serious one at that. At least 240 people a day go to the emergency room after falling off ladders, getting cut, or getting burned when trying to put up holiday cheer. Two years ago, super decorator Kurt Farmer of Alexandria, Va., was one of them.

Queue Listen Now

Fake Snowball Fight Canceled Because Of Real Snow

5:16am December 11, 2017

A Six Flags amusement park in Georgia had planned a massive "snowball fight" but without real snow. Then it actually snowed and the park closed.

Work Harder As Batman

5:16am December 11, 2017

An experiment with 6-year-olds found they worked harder doing a repetitive task when they pretended to be Batman or Dora the Explorer.

Don Lowry's con unfolded very slowly over two decades. When it was finally exposed, some of the victims defended the people who had been fooling them. They preferred to believe the lie.

Arts

Radio Replay: Loving the Lie

5:00pm December 08, 2017

If you believe something is real — if you can fall in love with someone or stand in awe of a painting — is it possible that it doesn't actually matter whether the object of your affection is fake?

Music & Culture

Lawmakers Start Quoting Meat Loaf Lyrics Just Because

11:21am December 08, 2017

This week, one senator quoted the singer Meat Loaf during a committee hearing. That set off an all-out Meat Loaf quotation battle among the lawmakers.