Hematogen, or gematogen, is a Soviet-era supplement notorious for containing at least 5 percent black food albumin, a technical term for cow’s blood.

In the Soviet Union, even sweet treats had a practical purpose. In the case of Hematogen, its controversial secret ingredient helped consumers treat anemia, malnutrition, and fatigue. It was consumed by both children and adults, who loved both its sweet vanilla flavor and the effect it had on their health and overall food. Once only sold to the public in pharmacies, Hematogen can now be found in a variety of stores and shops in ex-Soviet countries like Russia and Ukraine, and even as far as the US and Canada. You can even order them on Amazon.

Read More »

Ivan Djuric, a talented pyrographer from Serbia, creates incredibly detailed portraits of celebrities by burning them onto pieces of wood using a special tool.

Pyrography, as an art form, can be traced back thousands of years, with evidence of its early existence discovered in countries like China, Egypt and the ancient Roman Empire, but modern artists have really elevated pyrography to an unprecedented level. take Serbian artist Ivan Djuric, whose incredibly detailed portraits rival black-and-white photographs in terms of realism. Using a pyrography tool, he applies varying and precise amounts of pressure to change the intensity of the burn, thus achieving various tones and contrasts.

Read More »

Yakei, a 9-year-old female Japanese macaque at the Takasakiyama natural zoological garden, shocked staff by fighting her way through several strong males to become the first female alpha in the troupe’s 70-year history.

The story of Yakei’s rise to power sounds like the plot of a Hollywood epic. Born into the 677-strong troupe B at the Takasakiyama zoo in Japan’s Oita city, the female inherited the rank just under her mother, as per the rules of macaque society. The higher an individual’s rank, the greater its access to food, mates and resting locations. Last March, Yakei fought her own mother and won, becoming the leader of the other females in her group. For most females, this would have been more than enough, but for Yakei it was only the first step to a much more ambitious goal – leader of the entire troupe.

Read More »

The Onagadori (‘honorable fowl’ in Japanese) is a rare chicken breed known for its exceptionally long tail, which can reach over 10 meters, putting even peacocks to shame.

Of the seventeen chicken breeds considered Japanese national treasures, the Onagadori is the only one to have “special” status. Ever since it received this status in 1952, exports of Onagadori birds and eggs were forbidden, so there are very few specimens, if any, found outside of Japan today. The breed is famous for the non-molting, and thus incredibly long tails of roosters, which, if kept in the best conditions with high levels of animal husbandry, can grow for the lifetime of the bird.

Read More »

A medical student in India was recently caught cheating on his graduation exam with a Bluetooth device embedded in his inner ear to avoid detection.

On February 21, 78 medical students took part in the final MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) exam at the Mahatma Gandhi Medical College in India. One of them, however, was more desperate to pass than the rest. Apparently, the unnamed medical student had been admitted 11 years ago, but had failed the final exam multiple times over the last few years, and this was his final chance to pass. To increase his chances, the man apparently turned to cheating, getting a Bluetooth device surgically implanted in his ear.

Read More »

What do you get if you mix a bird, a squirrel and a lizard? Well, I think you’ll have a tough time finding a better answer than the Great Eared Nightjar.

Seeing a great eared nightjar for the first time, you’d be forgiven for mistaking it for a squirrel or even a lizard. The fact is it kind of looks like a combination of animals, or even a real-live version of Toothless, the dragon from DreamWorks Studios’ hit animation “How to Train Your Dragon“. You could say it’s living proof that birds are more closely related to dinosaurs than reptiles.

Read More »

In South Korea, people who can’t convince their neighbors to keep the noise down are increasingly turning to expensive but effective sound systems designed specifically to irritate neighbors.

South Korean media first started reporting on these specialized sound systems back in 2016, when they were viewed as an almost funny way that some apartment building neighbors used to settle their disputes regarding noise. However, as time went by, they became incredibly popular as they delivered on the promise of making next-door or above-floor neighbors pay for ignoring requests to keep noise levels down. There are now different types of wall-mounted speakers designed specifically to annoy.

Read More »

An Indian man was recently arrested for allegedly marrying at least 27 well-off women over the last 43 years purely for financial gains.

Ramesh Chandra Swain, a 66-year-old man from Odisha, in Eastern India, stands accused of tricking dozens of women into marrying him by posing as a successful doctor and important official of the Indian Ministry of Health. Swain, who only has a Class 10 education, used fake identity documents to convince his victims, before proceeding to swindle important sums of money and assets from them. Interestingly, most of the women he married over the last decade were very well-educated, ranging from doctors and accountants to Supreme Court lawyers.

Read More »

A Chinese man who won the praise of his employer by working 12-hour shifts basically 30 days a month recently sparked controversy in his home country.

On February 18, pictures of a framed billboard depicting the “model employee” of a company in Zhengzhou, Henan went viral on Chinese social media, sparking a heated debate. The honorary billboard praises the man, one XueLintao, for working 12-hour days, basically 30 days a month, influencing both new and old employees through his actions, improving the company’s daily production, saving his employer money in labor costs and improving equipment utilization. But most netizens didn’t see Xue as an example, but rather as a “traitor” and as an “accomplice in overtime hell”.

Read More »

A Georgia woman allegedly faked several pregnancies in order to benefit from paid maternity leave, but co-workers became suspicious when they saw her fake baby bump detach from her body.

In October of 2020, Robin Folsom, who worked as Director of External Affairs at Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency, told her bosses that she was expecting a baby and arranged to take maternity leave. She reportedly had a yearly salary of $100,000 and was entitled to $15,000 in paid leave. However, during her alleged pregnancy, one of her co-workers noticed a bizarre incident in which Folsom’s baby bump seemed to “come away” from her body, which led them to believe that she was wearing a fake pregnancy stomach.

Read More »

A Chinese man claims he was kidnapped by a criminal gang whose members used him like a “blood slave,” routinely draining his blood and selling it on the black market.

We’ve heard of people being kidnapped and having their organs removed, but one 31-year-old man from Beijing claims his kidnappers were more interested in his blood. The man, whose identity has not been revealed, to protect his privacy, used to work as a security guard in Beijing and Shenzhen, but decided to try his luck as a nightclub bouncer after finding an online job advert. The pay was a lot better, so he decided to travel to the southwestern region of Guangxi for an interview, not knowing that the job offer was actually a trap.

Read More »

A successful businessman in Vietnam’s Thanh Hoa province has been getting a lot of attention because of the opulent mansion he built for himself and his family.

Looking at the architectural masterpiece built by Mr. Trinh Dinh Xuan, a businessman who operates in the construction sector, it’s easy to see why photos of the edifice have been going viral on social media ever since it was completed, in 2018. Featuring an imposing facade with giant stone columns flanking the entrance, three large domes topped with gilded statues, and a baroque architectural style inspired by European palaces, the so-called “Xuan Truong Mansion” is one of the most eye-catching buildings in all of Vietnam.

Read More »

Talented makeup artist and self-described illusionist, Aurelio Sanchez, has been getting a lot of online attention for his ability to transform into celebrities like Mariah Carey or Shakira.

Aurelio Sanchez has always had a thing for impersonating people and film characters, but it wasn’t until one day, at age 18, when he acted out a character for his mom, that he knew that was what he wanted to do with his life. He went on to study makeup and used this newfound knowledge to fulfill his dream, turning himself into doppelgangers of celebrities like legendary Mexican singer, Selena, Oscar-nominated actress and singer, Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey, and many more.

Read More »

A feline lover in California spent several decades and over $100,000 turning his home into the ultimate house for cats.

House of Nekko is a 3,000-square-foot home just north of Santa Barbara. It looks pretty ordinary from the outside, so few know that this is probably the world’s most amazing cat house. Featuring over 300 feet of catwalks, 15 feet of tunnels, 8 bridges, individual feeding spots suspended on the walls giant hamster wheels and giant scratching posts, among other feline attractions, House of Nekko is unlike any other house we’ve ever seen before.

Read More »

Three African men were recently arrested in Algeria for allegedly disguising themselves as Arab women in order to reach the wealthy country of Dubai.

In a scene reminiscent of the cult comedy film “White Chicks”, three black with half their faces covered in thick makeup foundation can be seen posing for mug shots in Algeria. The sad-looking trio were reportedly apprehended in Algeria, after officials noticed that they were not who they claimed to be – Arab women wearing traditional clothing, including niqab face covers. They had gone through the trouble of covering the exposed parts of their faces with a thick layer of foundation and used black eyeliner to increase their chances of passing off as women, but it wasn’t enough.

Read More »