Odd News Roundup: 'Free meat for a year' offered in JBS U.S. vaccine sweepstakes; Frog whisperer: Australian scientist speaks to frogs, fears their silence and more

Meatpacker JBS SA said on Thursday it will give away beef, pork and chicken for the next year to 50 U.S. families that participate in company-sponsored vaccination clinics over the coming weeks. Frog whisperer: Australian scientist speaks to frogs, fears their silence Wading through a moonlit pond on Australia's east coast talking to frogs makes Michael Mahony feel like a kid again.

Following is a summary of current odd news briefs.

'Free meat for a year' offered in JBS U.S. vaccine sweepstakes

Want free meat for a year? Get a COVID-19 shot. Meatpacker JBS SA said on Thursday it will give away beef, pork and chicken for the next year to 50 U.S. families that participate in company-sponsored vaccination clinics over the coming weeks.

Frog whisperer: Australian scientist speaks to frogs, fears their silence

Wading through a moonlit pond on Australia's east coast talking to frogs makes Michael Mahony feel like a kid again. The 70-year-old biology professor and conservationist at Australia's University of Newcastle has mastered imitating and understanding the shrills, croaks and whistles of frogs.

Far from home? Spider-Man drops in at the papal audience

A different type of participant dropped in on Pope Francis' general audience at the Vatican on Wednesday - Spider-Man. A man dressed in a full, skin-tight, red, black and blue costume of the comic book and film character - including head cover - sat in the VIP section of the audience in Vatican's San Damaso Courtyard.

Despite ancient cat connections, Cyprus is swamped with strays

Every day at dawn, as Dinos Ayiomamitis' small truck slowly navigates the pathway of a cemetery, cats quietly emerge from among the surrounding tombstones. "Here you go, Bourekka mou," he murmurs using a Cypriot term of endearment, as the animals circle his legs and wait for him to scoop food from the back of his pickup for them to eat.

Italian hospital uses CT scan to unveil secrets of Egyptian mummy

Ancient Egypt met modern medical technology when a mummy underwent a CT scan at an Italian hospital as part of a research project to discover its secrets. The mummy of Ankhekhonsu, an ancient Egyptian priest, was transferred from Bergamo's Civic Archaeological Museum to Milan's Policlinico hospital, where experts will shed light on his life and the burial customs of almost 3,000 years ago.

(With inputs from agencies.)