Silly, Strange and Sad: Our Best Stories You Might Have Missed This Week

With fall officially in full swing, we're working as hard as ever to generate killer stories and podcasts to keep you informed and entertained about everything from nude beaches and national parks to those now-extinct (and big-boned!) saber tooth kittens and the ever-present North American tree squirrel. So sit back, pull up a chair and catch up on everything new you might have missed this week.

The Silly

So it turns out the octopus doesn't deserve its gloomy reputation after all. In fact, marine biologists at Alaska Pacific University found that they're a lot more social than we thought and that these smart cephalopods actually crave contact. So much so, that they've formed sites off the coast of Australia — two have been discovered so far — where the octopuses were observed communicating, fighting and generally making some members of the group feel unwelcome. Read all about Octopolis and Octlantis here.

The Strange

Since the National Park Service was created in 1916, hundreds of people — maybe more — have disappeared while visiting the parks. The odd thing is the government doesn't keep a database of exactly how many people have gone missing from these federal lands. Stuff They Don't Want You To Know hosts Ben, Matt and Noel discuss how so many have disappeared with cryptologist David Paulides, who suspects some of the disappearances could be blamed on strange creatures like Bigfoot. Listen here (or read here) for all the strange details!

The Sad

For everyone who considers their four-legged friends members of the family, grab your tissues and prepare to shed a few tears. This may not come as too much of a shock to anyone who's an animal lover, but caring for sick pets places enormous emotional burdens on their parents, especially when they're forced to make gut-wrenching choices about paying for veterinary care. Find out more about this first-of-its-kind study here.