Scientists are baffled

Freak science news roundup.
Jellyfish attack, bedbugs attack, tiger attacks, birds flop to the ground, camels flop to the ground, comets explode, mud appears. A freaky month of December!

Six hurt as tornado hits London
Up to 150 houses and many cars were damaged when the freak weather hit the Kensal Rise area.

Dead camels still puzzle scientists
31 dec 2007
The several thousands of dead camels in North Africa and the Middle East have baffled scientists who are probing toxins, antibiotic pollution, viruses and even climate change as possible causes.

After a decade, bird flu still baffles
28 December 2007
Baffled scientists first watched a mysterious virus called H5N1 jump from birds to humans a decade ago in Hong Kong, killing six people and forcing the territory to slaughter its entire poultry population.

45 Birds Found Dead in Staten Island
December 23, 2007
On Friday, dozens of birds fell out of the sky and died on a street in the Great Kills section of Staten Island. Residents grew concerned as, the Staten Island Advance reported, birds "flopped and twitched...as they breathed their last"

Another bird mystery
New cluster of deaths on South Shore
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Staten Island, N.Y. -- Had not 50 dead and dying birds dropped from the sky over Great Kills on Friday, the sight three days later of a smaller cluster of dead birds in Eltingville might not have alarmed Staten Islanders.

Hundreds Injured in Mass Jellyfish Attack on Brazilian Beach
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sao Paolo, Brazil — Nearly 300 swimmers looking to cool off from a heat wave were stung by swarms of jellyfish that filled the shallow waters off a southeastern beach city, Brazilian media reported Sunday.

Mysterious mud waves found on Arctic seafloor
Surprise discovery of accumulated sediment baffles scientists
Fri., Dec. 14, 2007
San Francisco - Along parts of the Arctic Ocean floor, currents have driven mud into huge piles, with some "mud waves" nearly 100 feet across... The mud waves, however, were an unexpected surprise. The scientists aren't sure what formed them.

Comet Holmes brings brief burst of brightness to Orlando area
December 9, 2007
The strange thing about Comet Holmes is that you weren't supposed to be able to see it. The fuzzy blob in the northeast sky has scientists and astronomy buffs buzzing as they try to understand the comet's extraordinary transformation this fall from a dim mark visible only through high-powered telescopes to a bright light visible to many with the naked eye.

Bed bug epidemic hits New York City
31/12/2007
New York City is suffering from an unprecedented epidemic of blood sucking bed bugs, it has emerged. The number of infestations has increased more than tenfold in the last three years and no neighbourhood, no matter how upmarket, is immune.