Pharaoh's Staff
You can all relax: King Tut's penis has been found. In 1968, the royal member was reported missing when x-rays of the mummy-Tut revealed the ancient king to be unendowed. Since the Pharaoh's phallus had been previously photographed in 1922, the masses spread rumors that it had subsequently been stolen and sold on the black market. But, praise the lord, the penis was safe all along; it had simply fallen into the sand around the body. The mummy porn of 1922 makes it look like the king was less than hung, but mummy experts now say that that, since the penis is a highly vascular organ, it shrivels up during the mummification process. Those analyzing the mummy say that Tutankhamen was probably of normal proportions.
(source: Discovery News)
Doctors Go for Most Boring Guinness Record Ever
On May 6, the American Academy of Dermatology will attempt to set a Guinness World Record for screening the most people for skin cancer in a single day. Take that, Neal Hardy! The Academy will be hosting four major screenings, in Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C. and Orlando, as part of their effort to screen a record-breaking 5,606 people. There will also be 200 additional screening sites around the country. The Academy wants to generate public awareness about the importance of frequent screening and early detection of skin cancer. It chose to stage its noble-minded publicity stunt only a few days after the not-quite-national holiday known as Melanoma Monday.
(source: American Academy of Dermatology)
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North Americans Fear Cooties Pandemic
Hipsters everywhere are willing to pay top dollar for pre-ripped jeans and artificially distressed t-shirts: They get the look of an item that's been used regularly since 1973 without anyone actually wearing it. Perhaps this phenomenon can be explained by a new study out of the University of Alberta, which revealed that shoppers are substantially less likely to buy an item of clothing if they know someone else has touched it. Researchers also found that a shopper would become increasingly disgusted with a piece of clothing based on the number of people they believed had touched it. Lead author Jennifer Argo suggests that stores try to create the image that all clothes are uncontaminated by human touch, which they can accomplish by frequent refolding and eliminating change racks.
(source: University of Alberta)
Skip My Loo
Water conservation is very, very important, but London mayor Ken Livingstone may be going one step too far. In a feat perhaps more amazing than testing 5,606 people for skin cancer in one day, Livingstone has not flushed his toilet for 15 months straight. The region around London is facing its worst drought in a century, and water is at a premium, so Livingstone suggests that Londoners follow his example and let it mellow, if it's only yellow. The mayor hopes gardeners will use their urine to water plants, noting, "Plant roots love it." The mayor noted that one third of the water we use is flushed down the toilet, so by saving our precious water for the flushes that count, we can save huge quantities of the elixir of life. If only the leaders in the US were so committed to our environment.
(source: Agence France-Presse)