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TEXT: MARIA BIRMINGHAM PHOTOS: NIO, WEIBO (SHAKING CAR); TYLER THRASHER (BUG BACKPACK); MICOIN (QUIZ WHIZ); THE PET PIANO (PET PIANO); HMD (SMARTPHONE GLASSES); ADOBE STOCK (GLASSES KID); NASA (CHRISTMAS TREE CLUSTER) S ome might call it creepy, but we call it cool. Designer Tyler Thrasher makes canvas backpacks that look like cicada shells. (Young cicada larvae shed their shells as they grow into adults.) And he has a very specific reason for focusing on these bugs in particular. This past spring, two different broods of cicadas emerged from the ground at the same time across the United States for mating season. One had been living underground for 13 years and the other for 17 years. Thrasher decided to recognize that two broods of cicadas haven't emerged together in over 220 years and won't do so again for another 220 years! So he began making the cicada backpacks to mark the once- in-a-lifetime event. CAN YOU GUESS WHAT THIS OBJECT IS? THIS GADGET IS A: A DENTAL FLOSS CONTAINER B FLASHLIGHT C CAR KEY Quiz Whiz Answer page 33. A car company recently unveiled a vehicle that behaves like a dog. No, it doesn't fetch or roll over. But it does shake itself just like a wet pooch trying to get water off its furry body. The electric vehicle, called the Nio ET9, has special parts on its frame and behind each wheel that allow it to shake from side to side. By doing a dog-like shake, the car gets rid of any snow or ice that's covering its windshield, body, and windows. All in seconds. The handy vehicle is set to be released late next year. So long, snowbrushes! READY FOR WINTER BUG BACKPACK WHAT'S BUGGING YOU? S A E IT K H O F F ! weird zone STORIES IN THE NEWS STRANGE & TRUE 6 OWL December 2024

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