Mysterious Mice, Marketing Cats, and Fake Scorpions

In this week's Odder News, getting married once a year, an unexpected reaction to COVID-19 in mice, and cats help sell things.

• A nonthreatening scorpion has been discovered in a river in Barnaul. It only looks exactly like a scorpion, but it isn't one. It does sting, but the sting will not harm humans any more than usual bug stings or bites. Don't worry; climate change has not driven scorpions from Australia to Russia – yet.
• If your brick-and-mortar business is flagging, try installing a cat in the window; he is sure to draw people in. One inconspicuous tour company in Sochi put a cat next to its excursion advertisements, hitting a gold mine. Of course, Fluffy cannot actually take any money while his owner is going to the bathroom or taking a break. But he certainly attracts attention to a business that otherwise looks just like every other tourism company on the street.
• On a weird new TV show, famous people sing duets with unknown partners, separated by a wall that only the audience can see around. Aptly named "Duets," the show promises to "warm your chilly autumn evenings." Those involved in producing the show think the best duet so far has been Sergei Lazarev and Nikolai Baskov.
• Would you like to plan your own wedding once every year? Married bloggers Darya Bulavina and Stas Vasilyev decided to throw wedding celebrations for themselves instead of anniversaries every year. Unsurprisingly, they are both cosplayers and have thrown "Game of Thrones" and "Lord of the Rings" weddings. Though they only have one "marriage stamp" in their passports, they renew their vows in interesting and beautiful places and costumes each year – even during the pandemic. This year's wedding was a traditional Russian peasant wedding on Kizhi Island. Blogging must be a lucrative career to be able to afford a new wedding every year.
• Lab scientists in Novosibirsk infected transgenic (genetically modified) mice with COVID-19 - and the mice got healthier! The purpose was to test a vaccine, but "something went wrong." The scientists are still trying to figure out why the mice did better after catching coronavirus – a happy accident that might suggest a positive use for COVID-19 for people with certain genes.