💬 Quoted: “I think he was somehow relieved that he finally knew what was up.”

• Think of the most improbable thing you’ve ever heard that turned out to be true – over the next 30 seconds, we may one-up it. A Belgian man with an exceptionally rare condition that causes his body to naturally produce alcohol had a drunk-driving charge dismissed in court on Monday. The 40-year-old successfully proved that he has auto-brewery syndrome (ABS), which causes carbohydrates in his stomach to be fermented and turned into ethanol – effectively brewing alcohol inside the body (though people with ABS generally feel less of its effects). It was the third time the man had been cited for drunk driving since 2019, but he was unaware that he had ABS until doctors ran tests after his latest charge. Currently, only ~20 people globally have been diagnosed with the condition, though scientists believe the total number of cases is underestimated.

🥤 Stat of the Day: Having a Coke may bring a smile – but in many cases, it also brings plastic waste. Coca-Cola is responsible for more than one-tenth of all plastic pollution worldwide, followed by Pepsi (5%), Nestlé (3%), Danone (3%), and Altria (2%), according to a study published yesterday in Science Advances. Overall, 56 brands account for more than half of the world’s plastic pollution.

🤔 Did You Know? Former West Virginia Gov. Cecil Underwood is both the youngest and oldest governor in state history. He was first elected in 1956 at the age of 34, decided against running 1960, then successfully ran for a second term in 1996 at the age of 74.

📰 Worth a Read: Do you have an inner monologue? Here’s what it reveals about you → (National Geographic)