And other stories from the stranger side of life
We will be able to ‘virtually taste’ takeaways through our phones by 2040, according to a study. The report, called Snack to the Future, also predicted that breathing on a smartphone will be able to help to determine what is healthy to eat. Another potential future technological advancement is that humans will be able to hold virtual reality dinner parties, allowing us to create dream scenarios, “perhaps involving celebrities”, said Sky News.
Bees force bar staff to ‘flee’
A Glasgow bar and restaurant was forced to close after a colossal swarm of bees gathered and nested outside. The buzzing insects arrived in a “mass swarm” at the 63rd+1st on Sunday morning and “gradually settled on a railing outside”, said the BBC, forcing staff “to flee via the fire exit” as the insects “marked their territory at the front”. The Bothwell Street bar closed for just over a day due to the insect invasion.
Tortoise shows up two years later
A tortoise has turned up two years after it went missing from its home, reported Fox News. Jemima the tortoise, aged 50, had made a “slow getaway” from the Northumberland home of Charles Waddell in 2021, leaving the man’s eight-year-old daughter, Beatrice, devastated. They gave up hope after months of searching but then learned that a missing tortoise had been found. The family said they were “stunned”.
For more odd news stories, sign up to the weekly Tall Tales newsletter
