Investigators Say They Caught Murderer 21 Years After Cold Case But Can’t Do Anything About It

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Washington State investigators alleged Thursday that they caught the murderer in a cold case from 21 years ago but said he cannot be prosecuted.

The Island County Sheriff’s Office (ICSO) said they have officially closed the case of the Dec. 9, 2003 murder of Tamara “Tammy” Mattson, who was a 39-year-old mother of seven, in a Facebook post. Officials said they are “confident they have identified the perpetrator,” Carl D. Schlobom, 69, who is currently imprisoned for life without parole in Arizona for a 2005 murder.

“Unfortunately, Schlobom cannot be prosecuted for Ms. Mattson’s murder, even if prosecutors had sufficient evidence to prove his guilt, because he suffers from advanced dementia,” the ICSO said.

Mattson’s body was found in Camano Island State Park in 2003 and authorities followed up leads and conducted interviews for almost six years but did not advance the case. At the time of the initial investigation, officials found a cigarette butt in a parking lot near where Mattson’s remains were located.

Officials were able to test it for DNA in 2009 with assistance from the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab. The DNA matched Schlobom’s as his DNA was admitted to the national CODIS database following his 2005 conviction, according to police. Officials then had to prove that Schlobom was there when the murder occurred and not just a bystander or witness. Investigators then spent 10 years searching for any connections between Mattson and Schlobom. (Read more from “Investigators Say They Caught Murderer 21 Years After Cold Case but Can’t Do Anything About It” HERE)

Child Dies In Horrific Sledding Accident

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A child in Guilford County, North Carolina, died Saturday following a sledding accident, officials said.

The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) responded to a 911 call for a water rescue around 9:12 a.m., the GCSO said in a news release posted on Facebook. Upon arrival, officials found a child in the water who was immediately transported to a nearby hospital.

The child, whose name or age was not disclosed by authorities, “later succumbed to injuries sustained during the incident,” the sheriff’s office said.

Three civilians and two first responders who helped with the rescue mission were also transported to the hospital for medical examination. Authorities said the preliminary information indicates the incident happened due to a sledding accident.

Several local fire departments and the Guilford County Emergency Services responded to the incident, in addition to the GCSO. (Read more from “Child Dies In Horrific Sledding Accident” HERE)

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Columbus Did Not Take Syphilis to the Americas – He Brought It Back to Europe

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When a mysterious flesh-rotting disease broke out in Europe in 1495, two years after Christopher Columbus returned from the Americas, suspicion fell on his crew.

Syphilis was soon rampant across the Continent and beyond, but its origins continued to be fiercely debated, with some historians claiming it was actually home-grown.

Now, scientists have carried out genetic testing on the bones of infected people from Chile, Peru, Mexico and Argentina, who lived between the 13th and 15th centuries and died before Columbus arrived.

They found that ancestral forms of syphilis were present in the New World before it was discovered by Europeans, suggesting the bacterium did indeed hitch a lift back with the explorers.

Historical documents show that Columbus’ crew “carried off” native women, acquiring sexually transmitted diseases. (Read more from “Columbus Did Not Take Syphilis to the Americas – He Brought It Back to Europe” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

This Is America’s Most Expensive Fast-Food Chain: ‘Rip-Off’

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As fast food chains hike prices around the nation, one came out on top for being the priciest of all.

A new study found that Shake Shack received the most complaints for being overpriced, followed by Five Guys, which has been slammed for their “out of control” prices.

Earlier this year, Shake Shack raised menu prices by 3%, the burger chain’s CFO Katie Fogertey said during an investor call.

The Post has reached out to Shake Shack for comment.

The study, conducted by Preply, also found that celebrity-owned restaurants regularly received complaints about being overpriced — specifically, Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants. (Read more from “This Is America’s Most Expensive Fast-Food Chain: ‘Rip-Off’” HERE)

Hunter Killed After Dead Bear Falls From Tree

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A Virginia hunter died Friday after a bear, shot by his hunting partner, fell from a tree and landed on him, state wildlife officials confirmed.

Lester C. Harvey, a 58-year-old father from Phenix, was fatally injured after his hunting partner shot a bear that had climbed into a tree, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (VDWR) said in a statement to the Daily Caller. The bear landed directly on top of Harvey, who succumbed to his injuries days later.

The hunting group tracked the bear until it climbed a tree to evade them. While the group took cover, one hunter fired a shot, striking the bear as it perched in the tree.

Harvey was standing roughly 10 feet from the tree’s base when the bear fell, landing on him, the report said. Despite immediate aid from another hunter and two hospital admissions, Harvey died from his injuries. (Read more from “Hunter Killed After Dead Bear Falls From Tree” HERE)

Ancient Engraved Amulet Could ‘Turn Back History’ of Christianity, Experts Claim

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Just ahead of the holidays, archeologists have “digitally unrolled” a 1,800-year-old silver amulet to decipher an inscription that’s being hailed as the oldest known evidence of Christianity in Europe. . .

The amulet housed a “wafer-thin” foil, measuring 1.4 inches, and featuring text referred to as the “Frankfurt silver inscription.”

It was found beneath the chin of a man’s skeleton at a burial site on the outskirts of Frankfurt in 2018. However, the ancient wording, dating back to between 230 and 270 — when the predominant religions in Europe were Judaism and paganism — has been virtually illegible until now.

[It reads,] “In the name of Saint Titus. Holy, holy, holy! In the name of Jesus Christ, Son of God! The Lord of the world resists with [strengths] all attacks [or setbacks]. The God grants entry to well-being. May this means of salvation protect the man who surrenders himself to the will of the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, since before Jesus Christ every knee bows: those in heaven, those on earth and those under the earth, and every tongue confesses (Jesus Christ),” reads the translation, per DailyMail.

The deific discovery closely trails the recent decrypting of the Meggido Mosaic, a 1,800-year-old relic that says, “Jesus is God.” It, too, follows the July 2024 unearthing of a nearly 2,000-year-old manuscript that details the earliest known account of Christ’s childhood. (Read more from “Ancient Engraved Amulet Could ‘Turn Back History’ of Christianity, Experts Claim” HERE)

Actress Dead After Participating in Dangerous Ritual

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Mexican actress Marcela Alcázar Rodríguez, 33, died Sunday after reportedly participating in a high-risk ritual involving poisonous frog venom in the Mexican state of Durango.

The actress willingly consumed the Amazonian frog venom as part of a longstanding spiritual cleansing ritual endemic to indigenous South American cultures, according to Infobae, an Argentine outlet. Rodríguez suffered a severe reaction to the poison and was taken to a Red Cross hospital, where she died.

Rodríguez reportedly began vomiting and expelling severe diarrhea shortly after ingesting the venom, which is known to be poisonous to humans.

Jonathan Moreno, the shaman administrating the ritual, allegedly refused to allow the actress to leave for a hospital following the onset of her symptoms and fled the scene thereafter, according to the outlet. She later went to a Red Cross hospital after a friend arrived and noticed her worsening condition. . .

“Kambo,” the ritual substance in question, is known to be a dangerous concoction with the potential for unpleasant, even deadly side effects. The Amazonian giant monkey frog secretes a venomous substance as a defense mechanism against predators, and some humans apply the substance to their body believing it wards off bad luck and benefits health, according to Healthline. (Read more from “Actress Dead After Participating in Dangerous Ritual” HERE)

The Nuclear Battery That Can Power Your Smartphone for 50 Years Straight

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The Chinese company Betavolt plans to produce a battery that will last for 50 years by 2025. They have produced a nuclear battery which is approximately the size of a small coin and requires no recharging. The company is now moving from the developmental stage to the pilot stage, and they are preparing for full-scale production as they ready themselves for the market.

Betavolt is based in Beijing and they claim that they are the first in the world to miniaturize atomic energy successfully. They have managed to fit 63 nuclear isotopes onto a module that is smaller in size than a coin. The battery works by converting the energy that is released by the decaying isotopes into energy. This process was initially explored in the previous century. Betavolt claims to have achieved modularization and miniaturization in atomic energy batteries in a cost-effective manner. This marks a significant breakthrough in making nuclear energy compact enough to be used for an array of practical uses.

The Chairman and CEO of Betavolt, Zhang Wei, stated in a press release that the BV100 “marks a groundbreaking achievement as the world’s first mass-produced nuclear battery”. It uses 100 microwatts of power and operates at 3 volts. Its small size measures just 15 x 15 x 5 millimeters, which is smaller than a typical coin. These amazing nuclear batteries are able to produce energy continuously, generating 8.64 joules per day and 3,153 joules every year.

These nuclear batteries have more than ten times the energy density of the more traditional lithium batteries. They are able to store an incredibly huge amount of energy – 3,300 megawatts – just in a single gram of material. Most importantly, it can do this all while being safe from fire or explosions. This makes this nuclear battery a much safer option for energy storage. Additionally, the compact size of these batteries means they can be used in various applications where space is usually very limited. The nuclear battery has been designed to provide stable power generation and performs very well in tough environments. These amazing batteries maintain consistent performance even in extreme temperatures, ranging from 120 degrees above zero to minus 60 degrees. However, the press release for the nuclear battery doesn’t state if these temperatures are in Celsius or Fahrenheit. (Read more from “The Nuclear Battery That Can Power Your Smartphone for 50 Years Straight” HERE)

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Slimy, Orange ‘Alien Egg Pods’ Discovered in River — And They’re ‘Spreading Rapidly’

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Just in time for spooky season, a bizarre, slimy orange bag said to resemble a glowing dinosaur egg has been pulled from a river.

And while scientists say they know what it is — a colony of Bryozoans, slimy little hermaphrodites that cluster together to create a dinosaur-egg like pod — they’re puzzled as to why the creepy crew was literally hanging out in a canal in Utrecht, Holland.

Volunteers found the grotesque blob clinging to to a floating island in the canal. Experts say that colonies can grow to up to nearly seven feet in diameter.

“It is the first time that they have been discovered here. So it is a very special story,” Nijs said.

The expert added that the aesthetically unsettling phenomena is in no way harmful. (Read more from “Slimy, Orange ‘Alien Egg Pods’ Discovered in River — And They’re ‘Spreading Rapidly’” HERE)

Brainless but Smart? Fungi Have ‘Mind-Blowing’ Problem-Solving Power

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Can organisms without a brain still demonstrate intelligence? Researchers from Tohoku University and Nagaoka College sought to answer this question by investigating the decision-making abilities of fungi, specifically their abilities to navigate around spaces.

While it might sound like something out of science fiction, the concept of basal cognition—intelligence that doesn’t require a brain—is proving to be a real phenomenon, even in organisms as simple as fungi.

“You’d be surprised at just how much fungi are capable of,” says Yu Fukasawa from Tohoku University. “They have memories, they learn, and they can make decisions. Quite frankly, the differences in how they solve problems compared to humans are mind-blowing.”

Fungi grow by releasing spores that germinate into long, thread-like structures called mycelium, which spread underground. While we usually notice only the small mushrooms that sprout on the surface, beneath the ground lies a vast network of interconnected mycelium. This network operates similarly to the neural connections in a brain, allowing fungi to gather and share information about their surroundings.

The study explored how wood-decaying fungi, specifically their mycelial networks, responded to different spatial arrangements of wood blocks. Researchers placed the blocks in two configurations: a circle and a cross. If the fungi lacked decision-making abilities, they would have grown evenly from a central point, without regard to the position of the blocks. However, what the researchers observed suggested a more complex behavior. (Read more from “Brainless but Smart? Fungi Have ‘Mind-Blowing’ Problem-Solving Power” HERE)