In this week’s edition of the strangest news, we cover a range of topics from Japanese lawmakers’ renewed interest in UFO investigations to a study revealing children’s surprising trust in robots, and even a new vodka infused with meteorite fragments.
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First up, Japanese politics takes a turn for the extraterrestrial. Despite the defense ministry’s earlier statement that there is no evidence of UFO sightings being linked to extraterrestrial activity, Japanese lawmakers are planning to establish a nonpartisan group to investigate the phenomenon further. The group, led by Yasukazu Hamada, a affairs leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and former environmental minister Shinjiro Koizumi, is set to hold its founding general meeting on June 6th. This move comes four years after Japan’s defense ministry issued orders for self-defense forces personnel to record and analyze information pertaining to UFO sightings in September 2020.
Moving on to a recent UFO sighting closer to home, a small, swift-moving object was spotted during the Bethpage air show at Jones Beach in New York City on Memorial Day weekend. The sighting, which was captured on video and released by TMZ, described an object traveling at extraordinary speeds and making abrupt maneuvers. Interestingly, this incident is reminiscent of similar sightings during air shows in England in 2022 during the Platinum Jubilee, and 2023 during the coronation of King Charles III, raising questions about the nature and purpose of these appearances.
In a thought-provoking study, an international research team discovered that children aged 3–6 tend to trust and befriend robots more than human adults. The study, involving 111 children, found that they were more accepting of robots’ mistakes and more likely to believe them compared to adult humans. This preference extended to sharing secrets, forming friendships, and even having robots as teachers. As children are increasingly surrounded by technology, these findings could have implications for education and the way we interact with AI and robots in the future.
Lastly, a French distillery, Pegasus, has created a unique vodka called Shooting Star Vodka, which is infused with fragments of a meteorite. The limited-edition vodka, priced at $180-$200 per bottle, is said to have a smooth and refined texture thanks to the presence of chondrites, a mineral found only in meteorites. While the idea of a meteorite-infused vodka may seem odd, it has already garnered interest, with pre-orders being placed for the 4,000 bottles available.
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