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Spiders

Just when you think you can't fear spiders any more than you already do, new research comes out of Florida to change&nbsp;everything. A species of spider called the jumping spider reportedly eats&nbsp;the brains of animals three times its size - including vertebrates - something it's not known to do. These brain-thirsty creatures, which weigh in at&nbsp;just a tenth of an ounce, use their cunning skills to take down lizards and frogs. Scientists are calling the discovery incredible. And while this sounds&nbsp;like a bad thing, it appears the spiders&nbsp;attack an invasive frog that&nbsp;causes&nbsp;havoc in Florida. So, while the spiders' behavior remains&nbsp;somewhat scary, their zombie behavior appears to be&nbsp;helping&nbsp;out another growing problem.&nbsp;

Zombie Spiders Are Eating Brains Of Animals Three Times Their Size

General

Kate Jacobson

Judge Judy

Next to the US Supreme Court, Judge Judy is the most respected justice in this great nation of ours. Judge Judy - whose real name is&nbsp;Judy Schiendlin&nbsp;- is one of the most beloved TV judges on <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-daytime-tv-shows/ranker-tv" target="_blank">daytime television</a>. Her justice is swift, fair, and always entertaining. But she faced a particularly puzzling conundrum in a 2017 episode concerning the rightful owner of a cute pooch named Baby Boy. One man said it was his beloved pet, while a woman said it was her&nbsp;beloved pet. In the end, Judge Judy let the dog decide who he wanted to go home with, because Judy is the fairest judge in the land. The Judge Jude dog episode will truly be among&nbsp;the best <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/full-list-of-judge-judy-episodes/reference" target="_blank">Judge Judy&nbsp;episodes</a> in history.&nbsp;

Judge Judy Let A Dog Loose In A Courtroom To Let Him Choose His Real Owner

Game of Thrones&nbsp;is awesome –&nbsp;almost everyone can agree on that fact. But you know what's not so awesome? When people adopt dogs because of the show and then ditch them once they find out how much maintenance they are. That's exactly what's happening around the US, where people are buying&nbsp;their own &quot;direwolves&quot; and naming them after their favorite character, only to turn around and send them to shelters. These Game of Thrones huskies are placing a burden on husky rescue centers,&nbsp;and they're making breeders stress to future husky owners the amount of work these beautiful dogs really are.&nbsp;

More People Have Been Buying Huskies Because Of 'Game Of Thrones' – Then Ditching Them

Unspeakable Times

On August 12, white nationalists clashed with counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Virginia. One of the white nationalists –&nbsp;a man named James Alex Fields Jr., who openly admired Adolf Hitler –&nbsp;rammed his car into a crowd of counterprotesters,&nbsp;killing one woman and leaving&nbsp;at least eight others injured.&nbsp;While people around the world condemned the attacks as domestic terrorism, one group claimed the whole thing was a <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/false-flag-attacks/mike-rothschild?utm_expid=16418821-321.JB5yr2hCTp2WeaBHXzLclg.0&amp;utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F" target="_blank">false flag operation</a> organized by high-profile Democrats –&nbsp;specifically a prominent Jewish man.&nbsp;Yeah, no. It was a real thing that actually&nbsp;happened, not some sinister plot thought up by Democratic operatives. It was not done to discredit the Republican party, nor was it&nbsp;done as some sort of plot to silence the white supremacy movement&nbsp;or to crack down on freedom of speech. It was done because Fields is a white supremacist bigot who hates people so much he felt compelled to run his car over a group of them. Plain and simple. And, while it shouldn't be necessary to provide evidence to substantiate the veracity of what happened in Charlottesville or to point out all the obvious holes in the false falg theory, here they are.

No, You Idiot, Charlottesville Was Not A False Flag Operation

Lists about real men and women who have achieved everyone's childhood dreams to become astronauts, fly through outer space, and even walk on the freaking moon.

Men on the Moon

Social Media & Texts

Astronauts are already pretty cool –&nbsp;you know, the whole going up in space thing –&nbsp;and just when you thought they couldn't get any cooler, a guy like Jack Fischer comes along. Fischer is an astronaut with NASA, and he has a lit Twitter feed where he posts all the best pics and videos&nbsp;from his time up at the International Space Station. From just hanging around the good ol' station to exploring space, these pictures are sure to make anyone who has ever dreamed&nbsp;of being an astronaut super jealous.&nbsp;Fischer –&nbsp;who tweets under the handle <a href="https://twitter.com/Astro2fish" target="_blank">@</a><a href="http://twitter.com/Astro2fish" target="_blank">Astro2fish</a>&nbsp;– spent a stretch of 2017 in space. He's a member of the US Air Force and an MIT grad. He is also one heck of a photographer. Here are&nbsp;some of his most out-of-this-world shots.

This Astronaut's Twitter Feed Is Full Of Amazing Pictures And They're Out Of This World

Graveyard Shift

This sounds fake, but really, it is not. Authorities in South Carolina are advising citizens that it is entirely possible&nbsp;–&nbsp;and probable –&nbsp;that people will see the Lizard Man and/or Bigfoot&nbsp;during the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/next-total-solar-eclipse-usa/katejacobson" target="_blank">Great American Eclipse</a>, which happens on August 21. The total solar eclipse will bring darkness during the middle of the day –&nbsp;and with that comes the things that go bump in the night. Only they're going to be bumping during the day. So if you live in South Carolina and happen to see any of these creatures meandering around on August 21, take out your camera (with flash), and snap a pic for us.&nbsp;

Officials In South Carolina Are Warning Citizens Of Possible Lizard Man Sightings During The Eclipse

Be On The Lookout For The Lizard Man During The Eclipse

MTV Shows

MTV's new reality show Siesta Key&nbsp;is causing a lot of buzz this summer –&nbsp;and not because it's good television. The show's star Alex Kompothecras has come under fire for some bad behavior involving animals, and it's making people very angry. Kompothecras&nbsp;and his friends were allegedly filmed abusing animals –&nbsp;specifically sharks –&nbsp;and one of the videos went viral. The backlash against Kompothecras,&nbsp;the son of a wealthy Florida doctor who helped get the show off the ground,&nbsp;has been swift, and Kompothecras&nbsp;has been trying to distance himself from his friends. But as more and more videos roll out –&nbsp;including ones allegedly featuring Kompothecras&nbsp;– the abuse is&nbsp;hard to ignore.&nbsp;

MTV Reality Star And Son Of Millionaire Florida Doctor Accused Of Shooting Hammerhead Shark

Taylor Swift

Pop singer Taylor Swift says DJ David Mueller groped her during a celebrity meet-and-greet photo shoot in 2013. The drama really picked up in 2015, when Mueller claimed Swift got him fired over the meet-and-greet situation. He sued Swift for defamation, and she countersued&nbsp;for assault and battery, asking for only $1 as a symbolic gesture.Swift took the stand as part of the trial, which took place in August 2017. When lawyers attempted to bully her, she answered calmly and fiercely, <a href="http://time.com/5049659/taylor-swift-interview-person-of-the-year-2017/" target="_blank">saying</a>, &quot;I’m not going to let you or your client make me feel in any way that this is my fault. Here we are years later, and I’m being blamed for the unfortunate events of his life that are the product of his decisions – not mine.&quot;Ultimately, the court ruled in Swift's favor.&nbsp;The high-profile case won the singer legions of fans, and landed her a spot in <a href="http://time.com/5049659/taylor-swift-interview-person-of-the-year-2017/" target="_blank">Time</a> magazine's 2017 &quot;Person of the Year&quot; issue&nbsp;among other people shedding light on sexual harassment.

Taylor Swift Won A Groping Lawsuit And Stood Up For Women Everywhere

A California beautician is in a load of trouble after giving&nbsp;several women unauthorized butt injections using &quot;lamb fat,&quot; which was actually unlicensed silicone, authorities said. Ana Bertha Diaz Hernandez was arrested and charged with recklessly performing injections on at least 10 different women. One of the women had such a bad reaction to the injections that she had to go to the hospital. She also needed emergency corrective surgery thanks to Hernandez.And while you might think this is a relatively rare thing, you'd be extremely off base. This is becoming all too common as women flock to plastic surgeons to achieve the &quot;perfect&quot; body. For some women, that means they have to cut corners and go to underground &quot;plastic surgeons&quot; who offer their services at a fraction of the cost.&nbsp;

A Beautician Used Illegal Silicone She Got From Mexico To Give People Shady Butt Injections

The Space Page

Have plans this Saturday? Well, cancel them –&nbsp;because Saturday night will bring the brightest meteor shower of the year, and it promises to be a spectacular one. Yes, the night sky will be lit up with meteors –&nbsp;and some may even be visible during the daytime –&nbsp;for people all across the Northern Hemisphere. It's a once-in-a-lifetime event that must be seen. And while this particular meteor shower isn't a rarity itself –&nbsp;the Perseid meteor shower happens once a year –&nbsp;scientists predict this year's show is going to be exquisite.&nbsp;So clear your calendar;&nbsp;get thee to an open field with very minimal light pollution;&nbsp;and grab some of your BFFs to catch this amazing meteor shower.

The Brightest Meteor Shower Of The Year Is This Weekend―Here's How To Watch

The Brightest Meteor Shower Of The Year Is This Weekend

Weird Nature

An awful video has emerged on the Internet showing&nbsp;staff members at the Chengdu Research Base in China abusing panda cubs in their care. The video –&nbsp;which is extremely difficult to watch –&nbsp;shows multiple handlers throwing, kicking, and dragging the panda cubs violently in their pens. While the center itself has condemned the video, at least one of the handlers filmed defended himself, saying he was just doing his job.&nbsp;But that doesn't mean some people aren't seriously upset. The Internet was abuzz with people calling to boycott the center, leaving many with questions about the treatment of animals, in general, in different parts of China.&nbsp;

This Awful Video Of Research Staff Abusing Panda Cubs Is Going Viral

An Ohio woman was arrested on August 2 for killing two 14-year-old girls while she was texting and driving. Natasha Boggs, 24, is charged with involuntary manslaughter, among other things, for a May crash that killed Taylor Galloway and Amber Thoma. It also left a 15-year-old boy severely injured, but he ultimately survived. It's another tragic example of how dangerous texting and driving is, and what happens when people behind the wheel are not paying attention. Boggs is now facing years in prison, and the girls' families are left to try and pick up the pieces without their daughters.

A Woman Who Was Texting And Driving Runs Over And Kills Two Teen Girls

Rescue crews are searching for a young couple that went missing while hiking in Joshua Tree. Rachel Nguyen, 20, and Joseph Orbeso, 21, both of California, were supposed to check into their accommodations near Joshua Tree National Park on July 28. But they never arrived, and now search crews fear&nbsp;the worst. In an even more horrific twist, temperatures at the national park continue to soar&nbsp;- so much so even rescue crews required&nbsp;extensive breaks due to heat exhaustion. And while it seems unlikely the couple remains&nbsp;still alive, it's entirely possible they are, as lost hikers before them&nbsp;survived similar conditions.

Rescue Crews Are Searching For Two Hikers Who Went Missing In Joshua Tree Amid Rising Temperatures

A Mexican teenager drank a bottle of liquid meth to &quot;prove&quot; it was apple juice after he was questioned by US authorities at the border. A few hours later he was dead from a massive overdose. According to the lawyers for the boy's family, he was carrying the liquid meth over the border for a Mexican drug cartel, and knew if he was caught with the drugs, his family would face life-threatening consequences.&nbsp;The video - which was taken in 2013&nbsp;but released to the public in July 2017&nbsp;- shows the boy drinking the substance at the behest of two border patrol agents. Now those agents are being sued for putting the boy's life in danger.&nbsp;

A Teenager Drank Liquid Meth In Front Of US Border Patrol And Then Died

Entertainment

From the mind that brought us House of Cards - arguably one of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/political-drama-tv-shows-and-series/reference" target="_blank">best political dramas</a> in recent years - comes Mindhunter, a show about FBI profilers who study serial killers. This new show - made for Netflix by executive producers David Fincher&nbsp;and Charlize Theron - follows two fictional FBI agents as they create a profile for serial killers in the 1970s. It's based on&nbsp;a non-fiction book,&nbsp;John Douglas's <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Hunter-Inside-Elite-Serial/dp/0671528904?&amp;tag=rankercom-20" target="_blank">Mind Hunter: Inside FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit</a>. The show is already gaining a following, and if it's anything like Fincher's other projects (which include the thriller Se7en) it's sure to be a hit.

WATCH: Netflix's New Show About Serial Killers Looks Horrifyingly Good

Lists about the disgusting details revealed from real slaying and sprees, including forensic files and pics.

At the Scene 

Despite having what most would assume would be a piece of&nbsp;slam dunk evidence - a pair of dentures with his full name imprinted on them - a man wasn't&nbsp;arrested until 16 years after raping a woman in Memphis, TN. That man - Thomas Maupin - was apprehended after DNA evidence linked him to the crime. Where did they get that DNA from, you ask? That would be the dentures he left at the scene of the rape.&nbsp;Maupin, now 67, committed the offense in 2001. But because of a backlog of rape kits, the material was never tested for DNA. If they had tested it at the time, they would've learned Maupin was a violent criminal. It's unclear why police didn't connect Maupin to his dentures at the time of the case, but nonetheless, it was the piece of evidence that sealed his fate in 2017.

A Man Left His Dentures At The Scene Of A Rape, And Wasn't Caught For 16 Years

A drug-dealer who somehow convinced people broccoli was marijuana was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Why? Because the people he sold the fake weed to quickly figured it out, got pissed, and confronted him. That's when the dealer - Sababu Colbert-Evans - decided to shoot them. Talk about adding insult to injury!For the first time ever, broccoli has been considered a (nearly)&nbsp;lethal substance. Colbert-Evans's special stash was green in all the wrong ways - more cabbage and less chronic, so to speak - and now he's going to pay. Hopefully they serve broccoli in jail!

A Guy Who Tried To Pass Off Broccoli As Weed Gets 16 Years In Prison

Death

A woman was murdered aboard a Princess Cruises ship in Alaska by her husband after he said she &quot;wouldn't stop laughing&quot; at him. According to police, Kenneth Manzanares and his wife Kristy, of Utah, were aboard the ship with their family when the brutal murder occurred. Almost ironically, it was the same night as a cruise murder mystery dinner. Authorities said Manzanares brutalized his wife in their cabin. The shocking crime is <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/presidents-investigated-by-fbi/stephanroget?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">being investigated by the FBI</a>, and it has&nbsp;many people wondering how a husband could kill his wife over something so silly.

A Man Murdered His Wife On A Cruise Ship Because She Wouldn't Stop Laughing

Animals

Just look<a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DFaFy5lXYAALof1.jpg" target="_blank"> at this big boy</a>. No, it's not a bunny rabbit;&nbsp;it's an African land snail. Yes, this guy is a snail –&nbsp;but definitely not the kind you might find on the sidewalk after a rainy day. These giant African land snails can get as big as a very small dog, hail from Africa (hence the name), and also apparently make really great pets. Now they're taking the Internet by storm –&nbsp;and how could they not? These snails are both adorable and extremely creepy at the same time. So meet the giant African land snail: a creature who is simultaneously&nbsp;mind boggling and ready to love you.

Is That A Bunny Rabbit? No It's A Big Boi Snail Who Just Wants Love

Giant African Land Snails Look Like Mutant Bunny Rabbits

A one-armed, machete-wielding clown terrorized&nbsp;a small Maine town in July and seriously freaked out a bunch of people. Because, hello - it was a one-armed, machete-wielding clown. Okay, so the clown was actually a man - who did really only have one arm - who was hoisting a machete and walking around the town of Waterboro, Maine, prompting police officers to track him down and arrest him. Witnesses said he was walking up and down the road, making scary movements toward motorists before disappearing off into the woods (man, ain't that just like a creepy clown).&nbsp;

There's A One-Armed, Machete-Wielding Clown In Maine Right Now So Watch Out

in 2012, Mark Redwine&nbsp;allegedly killed his 13-year-old son, Dylan,&nbsp;after the teen discovered compromising&nbsp;photos of Redwine wearing a diaper and eating feces. On July 21, 2017, Washington law enforcement arrested&nbsp;Redwine&nbsp;for Dylan&#39;s murder -&nbsp;nearly five years after the boy <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/lost-children-who-were-found/anabel-conner" target="_blank">went missing</a>. The authorities extradited Redwine back to La Plata County in Colorado.&nbsp;According to authorities, Dylan&#39;s older brother, Cory, said Dylan discovered several photos of Redwine in compromising positions, and he wanted to confront his father about it. Investigators suspect Dylan brought <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/weird-sexual-fetishes/trent-walker" target="_blank">the photos</a> to his father, who became enraged and beat the boy to death. Dylan subsequently went missing, and authorities&nbsp;recovered his body seven months later on a rural road near Redwine&#39;s&nbsp;home. Redwine is charged with second-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death. In June 2018, now 55-year-old Redwine pled not guilty and awaits a 2019 trial.

A Son Was Murdered Over Pictures Of His Dad In A Diaper

Otter

Just when you thought the world grew to be too much of&nbsp;a dark, horrible place, along comes a light that shines. And that light comes in the form of an adorable little otter friend who you can actually swim with. No, for real. There&#39;s a place in San Diego, CA, that let&#39;s you get up close and personal with these lil&#39; guys for a nice afternoon swim. Swimming with otters is something everyone who isn&#39;t lying to themselves wants&nbsp;to do, but very few ever get the chamce to live out this dream.

Otters are lovers, majestic swimmers, they own pet rocks,&nbsp;and they&#39;re so cute they make you want to cry (okay, just me?) If you wanna fulfill your truest dream of swimming with an otter, read more. You won&#39;t regret it.&nbsp;

God Bless America - You Can Actually Swim With Otters

Look, we've all had those days. You know, the ones where you'd rather just watch Netflix in your pajamas and stay inside all day. Now, imagine if there was a force of nature outside your home that made it literally impossible to leave.&nbsp;Meet the Ansell family, who was held hostage by a giant beast nightmare spider who terrorized them for hours.The Ansell family of Australia said a massive huntsman spider –&nbsp;a hostile spider that bites if you try to&nbsp;mess with it –&nbsp;was posted up on their front door. And, despite attempts to shoo the hell beast away, it would not leave. Finally, it gave&nbsp;up and disappeared. To prey on more human flesh? Probably.&nbsp;

A Giant Spider Held A Couple Hostage In Australia Because Nightmares Are Real

A 38-year-old man who allegedly raped and impregnated an 11-year-old girl is saying it's her fault. He's alleging it was actually she who raped him. Sure.Justin J. Armstrong, of Springfield, MA, was charged with forcible rape of a child. But when he went to appear in court for the first time on July 21, he said it was he who was the victim. He claimed the girl has sex with him as he slept, and he had no idea what she was doing. The sex abuse came to light after the girl became pregnant with Armstrong's child, but, according to local news outlets, the sexual abuse had allegedly gone on for months.&nbsp;

A Man Who Allegedly Raped And Impregnated An 11 Year Old Says It Was Her Fault

In a horrific and disgusting act of revenge, Jessica Edens,&nbsp;a 36-year-old mother of two, killed her children and another woman. Edens then turned the gun on herself. According to police Edens&nbsp;was angry that the other woman - Meredith Rahme - was dating Edens's estranged husband. Out of jealousy, she cornered 28-year-old Rahme&nbsp;in a parking garage. She then went to her apartment and killed her the children.What kind of mother could do this to her own children? And what kind of mother would let a bit of jealousy over a failed relationship do something so drastic? People are trying to grasp Edens's&nbsp;actions, but it's something so horrific, it's almost too difficult to understand.

A Mom Killed Her Ex's New Girlfriend, Her Own Children, And Then Herself

The animal kingdom&nbsp;can be a confusing place. Take, for instance, a viral video from National Geographic showing the unlikely friendship between a baby hippo and a crocodile. Believe it or not, hippos are actually very aggressive. And animals that share their habitats with these creatures know it. So it makes sense that a vicious predator like a crocodile wouldn&#39;t want to mess around with a hippo&nbsp;-&nbsp;even if the hippo&#39;s&nbsp;a baby.

Baby hippos actually use crocodiles as chew toys. No, really! These babies -&nbsp;accompanied closely by their moms -&nbsp;walk right up to sunbathing crocs and chew on their hard spines. This doesn&#39;t cause any serious harm to crocodiles, though it&#39;s probably super annoying. Chew away, you precious baby hippos.

Baby Hippos Use Crocodiles As Chew Toys - And Crocs Don't Seem To Mind

Lists about the gazillions of things spinning around the whole infinite universe.

Space: The Final Frontier

Space

In 1997, NASA launched the Cassini-Huygens&nbsp;spacecraft to explore and photograph the mysterious planet Saturn. And 20 years later, NASA&nbsp;released high-resolution photos of exactly what the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/new-horizons-discoveries/stacie-hougland">unmanned spaceship was able to see</a>.&nbsp;

Researchers at NASA and the European Space Agency teamed up to design Cassini-Huygens in the 1980s. Named after astronomers Giovanni Cassini and Christiaan Huygens, the spacecraft was designed to not only photograph the planet, but also to collect data from it and its 62 moons. These latest photos came from Cassini-Huygens&#39;s&nbsp;final phase - called the Grand Finale - which started in April 2017. On September 15, 2017,&nbsp;Cassini&#39;s mission came to a close, and it burned&nbsp;up in Saturn&#39;s upper atmosphere.

The 16 Most Gorgeous Pictures Cassini Took Of Saturn Before Dying In Her Atmosphere

16 New Pictures of Saturn That Are Simply Breathtaking

Great news, everyone! Just in case you don't already wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night dreaming of all the things that can kill you on this planet, here's some more nightmare fuel for you. Scientists now say spiders are literally all around us and could theoretically eat us all if they really felt like it. Yay!No, but seriously. As if <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/scary-facts-about-spiders/justin-andress">spiders aren't terrifying enough</a>, we now know they are everywhere and they eat basically anything. So buckle in, friends, and join us in the terrifying discovery that spiders will probably become our new murderous overlords.&nbsp;

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