Daredevil ‘Mad’ Mike Hughes Dies in Rocket Crash While Trying to Prove the Earth Is Flat; If You Hate Coriander, Today Is Your Day; and Scientists Are Infecting Thousands of Monkeys With Coronavirus in Hopes to Find a Cure.
‘Mad’ Mike Hughes, 64, planned to fly to the edge of outer space to see if the Earth is, in fact, round. He ended up dying when his rocket blasted off toward the desert sky before plunging back to the ground.
An article by the Science Channel read, “In a cosmic quest to explore the final frontier on a shoe-string budget, Mike Hughes and Waldo Stakes have built a steam-powered rocket that will launch “Mad Mike” 5,000 feet into the air.
“As ground-breaking and awe-inspiring as this event will be, it is only the first step towards an even more ambitious goal in space exploration.”
The Science Channel had been chronicling the event on Twitter. They sent out a message following the news of his death:
Michael ‘Mad Mike’ Hughes tragically passed away today during an attempt to launch his homemade rocket. Our thoughts & prayers go out to his family & friends during this difficult time. It was always his dream to do this launch & Science Channel was there to chronicle his journey pic.twitter.com/GxwjpVf2md
— Science Channel (@ScienceChannel) February 23, 2020
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement:
“A man was pronounced deceased after the rocket crashed in the open desert during a rocket launch event. Medical aid was staged for the launch and was on the scene immediately.”
Related: NASA Detects HUGE Meteor Explosion
Your genetics determine whether you like, love or hate coriander, and if you fall into the latter group, today is truly your day.
A Facebook group dedicated to the cause posted a message in honor of International “I Hate Coriander Day.”
“There are many of us, we are strong, we are organized, we are over 10 percent of the world’s population that HATE CORIANDER!”
The group also asked that restaurants remove coriander from their menus on this day. They plan to launch a scathing campaign to name and shame restaurants who do not comply.
Related: Your Favorite Foods, Including Coffee, Are Going Away Thanks to Climate Change
Attempts to find a cure for the Wuhan coronavirus epidemic are intensifying. Scientists have exposed more than 2,400 rhesus macaques to the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus.
This particular strain can cause shortness of breath, a cough, fever and sometimes organ failure, according to the World Health Organization. Hopefully, this trial can help fight against COVID-19, which has now infected around 75,000 people worldwide.
Scientists at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) developed an experimental vaccine called remdesivir, which seems to be effective in treating the animals who were exposed.
According to Drug Target Review, scientists tested three groups of monkeys. One group was given the vaccine 24 hours before they were injected with MERS-CoV.
They gave another group the vaccine 12 hours after they were infected. A third group did not get a vaccine.
Researchers observed each group for six days. The first group showed no symptoms. The second group suffered less damage to their lungs as a result. We don’t yet know if the untreated monkeys were able to obtain coronavirus flu symptom relief.
Related: ‘Black Death’ Mass Grave Discovered, 48 Bodies Including 21 Children
