A new ghost story from the White House, a man who was arrested during a rather ill-advised treasure hunt, and the discovery of an Antarctic hum, as well as an ancient child 'vampire burial' found in Italy were among the weird news items which made headlines this week.
A mesmerizing discovery was made by scientists studying the largest ice shelf in Antarctica when they examined seismic data from the site and realized that the location constantly emitted an eerie humming sound that is inaudible to the human ear. It was later determined that the noise is created by wind sweeping over the thick layer of snow atop the ice cap. Beyond being pretty amazing to hear, the newfound sound, scientists say, could be used to monitor the condition of ice shelves and possibly predict when they may break apart or collapse.
Tales of ghost sightings and haunted happenings at the White House have circulated for years and this week saw a new account of potential paranormal activity at the historic location. The story was shared by former first daughter Jenna Bush-Hager, who recalled an eerie experience she and her sister had while living there when their father was president. According to her, the duo were roused from their sleep one night by her phone inexplicably ringing and then they were stunned to hear "1920's piano music" coming out of the fireplace in their room. Strangely enough, the same thing happened again about a week later, but that time they heard opera music.
The saga of the Forrest Fenn treasure took an odd turn this week when it was learned that police recently arrested a man who broke into the author's home looking for riches. The would-be treasure hunter smashed through the window of a guest house and retrieved a chest which he believed contained the $2 million dollar cache of gold and jewels said to be hidden somewhere in the American southwest. Unfortunately for the burglar, he proceeded to exit the property just as Fenn arrived home, leading to his eventual arrest. Adding insult to injury, he later learned that the chest he tried to steal contained towels and not treasure.
Meanwhile, a more macabre find was made in Italy when archaeologists excavating an ancient cemetery found the body of a child who had been given a 'vampire burial.' It is believed that unfortunate youngster died from malaria during a devastating outbreak of the disease in the town of Lugnano during the 5th century. As such, experts theorize that the body was buried with a rock wedged into its mouth as a way of preventing the child from rising out of the grave and afflicting other people with the illness which had plagued the town.