What a Weird Week Jan 9 2026: Big Tuna and Old Twinkies

What a Weird Week gets you caught up on the odd, interesting, strange, fun, and weird news that happened this week. Ten stories in 15 minutes!
See https://www.shownotes.page or "What a Weird Week" where you get podcasts.

These are the shownotes for Season 7, Ep 2 first published Jan 9, 2026.

10 Big Tuna!

https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2026/01/06/bluefin-tuna-sells-record-32-million-year-opening-auction-tokyo-fish-market/

9 World's Oldest Twinkie Celebrates Birthday, Inspires World.

https://www.bangordailynews.com/2026/01/05/hancock/hancock-education/worlds-oldest-known-twinkie-turns-50-maine-high-school-joam40zk0w/

Also see https://youtu.be/_yqOstfugjI?si=_kBi3v5aJQbRY0e7

8 AI tool used by Utah police department generated a false report claiming an officer had been turned into a frog.

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2026/01/05/Heber-City-Police-Department-AI-program-officer-frog/9641767634540/

7 Robocop Rabbits to take care of a Fla. python problem.

https://scienceclock.com/robotic-rabbits-invasive-burmese-pythons-florida/

6 Happy New Year? False.

According to new data, many workers face a "time-off tax," spending an average of 17 extra hours catching up after a week's vacation, which can make the first week back a struggle

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/new-data-suggests-time-off-tax-may-shape-first-week-back-to-work/

5 Again this year there were no fireworks, and again this year people were tricked into showing up.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jan/01/birmingham-new-year-fireworks-display-centenary-square-police

4 Sober Second Thoughts.

A thief returned two valuable mandolins to a New Jersey music store along with a handwritten apology note that read, "SORRY, I BEEN DRUNK, MERRY CHRISTMAS"

https://abcnews.go.com/US/drunk-thief-returns-stolen-mandolins-new-jersey-guitar/story?id=128748055

3 Scientists believe they may have extracted Leonardo da Vinci's DNA from a Renaissance-era drawing

https://www.livescience.com/health/genetics/leonardo-da-vincis-dna-may-be-embedded-in-his-art-and-scientists-think-theyve-managed-to-extract-some

2 Scientists using a remotely operated vehicle have spotted a rare giant phantom jellyfish

https://www.popsci.com/environment/giant-phantom-jellyfish-spotted-deep-in-pacific/

1 New research suggests that moderate screen time for "Me Time"—like watching TV or playing video games—can help people recover from daily stress

https://www.popsci.com/health/tv-good-for-brain/