Here is a rundown of the week in oddball news, questionable claims and medical mess-ups from the past week courtesy of Doubtful News.

This week was abuzz with odd sea tales. First, there was vehement negative reaction by science writers and reviewers to the Animal Planet's second installment of a mermaid fake documentary.   

This is just weird. Dolphins are called on to detect cancer and to help in natural childbirth -both are really awful ideas. 

A mystery hairless animal appears in Indiana. 

A new ancient bird fossil is evaluated cautiously but curiously as it comes from China where many spectacular fossils are actually faked.   

Also in prehistoric animals news, the claim that searchers have found mammoth "blood" should be reserved until they determine that is actually IS that.

Pakistan had its share of health woes in the news this week. Another vaccination worker was shot.

And quack medicine substituting for real treatment is a big problem.   

Speaking of dubious medical claims, acupuncture is dead. Or is it?   

Dietary supplements and herbals are causing additional calls to poison control centers.

In Nigeria, an herbal abortive drug resulted in death for several women.   

Previous seller of dubious dietary supplement and other questionable products, Kevin Trudeau may be hiding his assets from the federal government.    

Creationist Kent Hovind, in jail already, is still fighting with the law since he only obeys God's law, not the Tax laws.

A way to get around taxes as well as other pesky regulations that are good for society, is to start a church. The anti-vaccination people in Australia are trying that tactic 

You could also call yourself the next Messiah 

In order to keep your project funded, you can keep putting out teasers for the rather thin evidence you find for Amelia Earhart's plane.   

Believe it or not, sometimes people do radically change their minds in the face of evidence.   

The continued use of polygraph by the U.S. government and certain employers is a disgrace and should be stopped considered it lacks a basis is science and is unreliable. Yet, it is still used.   

And there was some rather silly, kooky stuff last week: An animal communicator was said to have helped find a wayward horse. But the evidence was unimpressive 

If the kids claim they see a hairy little monster in class and then panic, you might have to chalk that up to mass psychogenic illness, not an ACTUAL hairy monster.   

Finally, in the continuing of rocks seen on Mars that resemble strange things, we have a lizard/rat and an even BETTER rat. Are Mars rats like mall rats?

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Sharon Hill runs Doubtful News, a unique feed of news stories about the paranormal, pseudoscience, the weird and the unexplained with questioning commentary.