An eerie Greta Thunberg doppelganger from a century-old photo, the possibility that there may be bugs on Mars, and a massive gathering of Flat Earth fans in Texas were among the strange and unusual stories to cross our desk this past week.
In a surprising story from the world of science, an esteemed entomologist from Ohio University argued this week that images from the Mars Rover show evidence for both living and fossilized insects on the Red Planet. Dr. William Romoser's presentation at an entomology conference sparked headlines around the world, but his hypothesis was quickly rebutted by scientists who responded that the professor had likely just experienced pareidolia and that 'bugs' were probably misinterpreted rocks.
Last week, hundreds of Flat Earth enthusiasts from throughout the world flocked to Dallas, Texas for an annual gathering of believers in the controversial conspiracy theory. On hand for the festivities, Coast to Coast AM got a first hand look at the proverbial highs and lows of this much-maligned and often misunderstood community, from the attendees' exuberance at being among fellow Flat Earth believers to the seemingly endless ridicule that they are forced to endure for their unorthodox, to put it mildly, opinion on the shape of the planet.
One of the weirder stories we've seen in quite some time unfolded earlier this week when an 1898 photo featuring a child who bore an uncanny resemblance to teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg popped up online. As one can imagine, the image quickly went viral with people jokingly declaring that the youngster was a time traveler, while others posited that the photo was doctored. The latter theory turned out to be false, as it is a genuine image from the University of Washington, and we have our doubts when it comes to Thunberg being a time traveler, though it would be pretty awesome.
For more strange and unusual stories from the past week, check out the Coast to Coast AM website.