What a Weird Week Fri Aug 8 2025: Potatoes are Tomatoes and Radioactive Wasps!

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!
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Hi friends, I'm Scott and this is What a Weird Week, a look at the odd, interesting, strange, fun and weird stories that made news this week. See bottom of shownotes page for a transcript of the podcast episode.  To Subscribe/ get in touch/ other/ see www.shownotes.page.
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Potatoes are Tomatoes. It's Science.

https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/evolution/tomatoes-randomly-mated-with-another-plant-9-million-years-ago-the-result-potatoes

New Addition to Stuff to Worry About: Radioactive Wasps

https://www.popsci.com/environment/radioactive-wasp-nest/ and also https://www.facebook.com/reel/4225602121097433

Video Games Linked to Boost in Kid IQ

https://www.sciencealert.com/playing-video-games-has-an-unexpected-effect-on-kids-iq-study-discovers

Squonkapalooza: A Festival to Cheer Up that sad ol' Squonk

https://nypost.com/2025/08/02/us-news/pas-ugliest-saddest-pig-the-squonk-needs-festival-cheer/

Most Expensive Labubu Doll Fuels Labubu Mania

https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/worlds-most-expensive-labubu-doll-sold-for-125-times-its-original-price-9010811

Comedian Matt Rife now owns world's most haunted doll

https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/us-comedian-buys-ed-and-lorraine-warrens-home-and-museum-becomes-legal-guardian-of-demonic-annabelle-doll-9009577

Paddleboarding Pooches Break Records

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2025/08/01/UK-Dog-Surfing-Championship-paddleboard-records/1591754070614/

New Tarantula Genus 'Satyrex' Discovered with Record-Long [redacted]

https://www.livescience.com/animals/spiders/it-seems-that-size-really-does-matter-males-of-4-never-before-seen-tarantula-species-have-record-long-genitalia

Scientists Find Asteroid Impact More Likely to Kill Than Rabies

https://www.sciencealert.com/youre-more-likely-to-die-from-an-asteroid-than-rabies-scientists-find

Giant, Cat-sized Rat Discovered in England Sparks Calls for Action

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2025/08/05/massive-rat-Eston-North-Yorkshire-England/6271754424099/

Denmark Zoo Asks for Pet Donations to Feed Predators

https://abcnews.go.com/International/denmark-zoo-asks-people-donate-pets-feed-predators/story?id=124367988

Keep talking to your Sunflower, Alex!

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2025/08/06/Guinness-World-Records-tallest-sunflower/5901754496391/