A female polar bear has broken the polar bear long-distance swimming record—covering 426 miles of water over nine straight days. If polar bears were influenced in their actions by things like the Guinness Book, then this feat would be pretty exciting (at least, until it turned out that the bear was on performance-enhancing drugs). As it is, the story takes a rather depressing turn when you realize that this wild bear had no choice in her record-breaking swim. She was forced into it by the loss of sea ice and had lost 22% of her body weight by the time she found solid land again.
Bear breaks bear swimming record, hearts
A cat-borne fungus infected 11,000 people; the US is next, CDC says
Sporothrix brasiliensis is a fungus that gives cats oozing skin ulcers, can spread through their whole body, and jumps to the people around them. Since it emerged in Brazil in… READ THE REST
Mysterious glowing balls rise from the Mekong every year
Every year around the end of the Buddhist Lent, crowds gather along the Mekong River to watch the Naga fireballs — glowing balls that, according to Wikipedia, "are alleged to… READ THE REST
A star discovered in 2014 has exploded six times and none of the theories explain it
When astronomers first observed iPTF14hls in September 2014, they identified it as a supernova and expected it to dim within 100 days. Instead, it kept erupting. Over approximately 1,000 days,… READ THE REST
Learn 14 languages from 100+ linguists while this Deal Days Babbel offer is still valid
Disclosure: Boing Boing earns a commission on purchases made through links in this post. TL;DR: Babbel's lifetime plan gives you access to 14 languages, 10,000+ hours of lessons, AI conversation practice, and… READ THE REST
ChatGPT, Claude & Gemini are all invited—and lifetime access is just $54.97 during Deal Days
Disclosure: Boing Boing earns a commission on purchases made through links in this post. TL;DR: ChatPlayground lets you compare responses from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, and more in one interface. Lifetime access to… READ THE REST
Deal Days cuts Microsoft Office Professional 2021 from $220 to $30
Disclosure: Boing Boing earns a commission on purchases made through links in this post. TL;DR: Get a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows for $29.97 (reg. $219.99) during Deal… READ THE REST
