Man living underwater breaks record, but won’t resurface

A university professor broke a record for the longest time living underwater without depressurisation at Jules’ Undersea Lodge, situated at the bottom of a 30-foot-deep lagoon in Florida Keys.

Unlike a submarine, the lodge does not use technology to adjust for the increased underwater pressure.

Joseph Dituri, who also goes by the moniker “Dr Deep Sea,” submerged on March 1 and plans to stay until June 9, when he reaches 100 days and completes an underwater mission dubbed Project Neptune 100.

The mission combines medical and ocean research along with educational outreach and was organised by the Marine Resources Development Foundation, owner of the habitat. His research includes daily experiments in physiology to monitor how the human body responds to long-term exposure to extreme pressure.

Family finds their new home infested with snakes

A Colorado woman discovered her newly-purchased home infested with snakes. A few weeks after moving in with her son, daughter and two Labrador retrievers, Amber Hall said one of her dogs alerted her to several snakes slithering behind a hold in the garage wall.

Snake catchers have made frequent visits to the home and captured about 30 non-venomous garter snakes. Experts said there is likely a den under the house where the snakes have been living for at least two years. Pest control workers said they would have to tear apart the deck and surrounding concrete to reach the den.

Researchers develop taxidermy bird drones

A team at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro, is taking birds that have been preserved through taxidermy and converting them into drones in order to study flight.

Dr Mostafa Hassanalian, a mechanical engineering professor leading the project, found that artificial, mechanical birds had not given the results he was looking for.

Taxidermy bird drones, currently being tested in a purpose-built cage at the university, can be used to understand better the formation and flight patterns of flocks, which can help the aviation industry.

The current taxidermy bird prototype flies for a maximum of only 20 minutes, so they are figuring out how to make it fly longer and conduct tests in the wild among living birds.

Meteorite crashes into home

A meteorite punched a hole in the roof of a central New Jersey home, smashed into a hardwood floor and bounced around a bedroom. Scientists with The College of New Jersey determined the 6-by-4-inch object, which weighs about 2.2 pounds, is a rare stony chondrite meteorite, in excellent condition, and one of a very small number of similar witnessed chondrite falls known to science.

The family that owns the home discovered the black, potato-sized rock in a corner — still warm. The experts believe it hit the home a short time before it was found. Nobody was hurt, and there was no serious damage to the residence.

Published in Dawn, Young World, June 3rd, 2023