Cheryl Eddy

Why Do Penguins Sneeze?

The answer, via the New England Aquarium: “Penguins can drink salt water, but the salt is removed from their bloodstream by a salt gland behind the eyes. Then they sneeze out the salt!” Photo of king penguins emerging from Fortuna Bay on South Georgia Island by David Stanley.

Discworld Cake Is Almost Too Wonderful To Eat

Paris bakery Paint Cakes (which bills itself as a “pâtisserie geek”) crafted this marvelously detailed pastry tribute to the late Sir Terry Pratchett. https://gizmodo.com/rip-sir-terry-pratchett-1948-2015-1691042794 Check out more geeky Paint Cakes (how do you say “It’s a traaap!” in French?) creations here. [Via Geek Art Gallery]

Karen Gillan Joins HBO’s Salem Witch Trials Drama 

HBO’s pilot for “provocative period drama” set during the Salem witch trials, The Devil You Know, has added a grip of new cast members as it rolls toward production this spring, including Karen Gillan (Doctor Who, Guardians of the Galaxy). The actor shared her excitement yesterday: Eddie Izzard stars in the latest project from the…

This Week, The Archer Gang Takes Aim At The Office Smoochie-Poochies

Lana and Archer are back together, and it’s grossing everyone out (except Malory, who’s best kept in the dark … the only thing everyone agrees on). In this week’s episode, “Reignition Sequence,” the gang attempts to drive a wedge between spy-dom’s most repulsively happy couple. But will they succeed? Spoilers follow! We open with a…

Stephen King’s Teleportation Tale “The Jaunt” Will Be A Feature Film

The 1981 Stephen King short story The Jaunt (popularized by its inclusion in 1985 collection Skeleton Crew) will be made into a feature film by Andy Muschietti, director of Guillermo del Toro-produced horror flick Mama. Deadline reports that Plan B (Brad Pitt’s production company) optioned the rights to the tale, which first appeared in Twilight…

How “Fair” Are Science Fairs?

Science fairs require more parental help and involvement than ever before, writes Hana Schank in The Atlantic. Filled with tales from the front lines, including the author’s, the piece also explains the pros and cons of keeping this classroom tradition going. Photo by woodleywonderworks

This Is What A 250-Year-Old Burnt Pretzel Looks Like

Step aside, Twinkies. The most enduring snack just may be the pretzel, as evidenced by fragments of bakery castoffs discovered during an archaeological dig in Southern Germany. They are estimated to be around 250 tooth-breaking years old. Reports the Guardian: Dorothee Ott, spokeswoman for the Bavarian Office for Historical Conservation, said the pretzel fragments went…

Frozen 2 Should Be Titled “We Are Printing Our Own Money At This Point”

Not shocking: Frozen 2 is officially in the works. Will it be theatrical or straight to video? Will it contain a hit song that becomes woven into the cultural DNA of a generation? Does it even matter, because we already know that this movie in any form will rake in eleventy billion dollars? Here’s the…

It Follows Proves That Horror Movies Don’t Need To Be Dumb To Scare You

Most contemporary horror films underestimate the audience’s intelligence, with jump scares and obvious “twists.” But It Follows refuses to dumb anything down. Its story about a girl who becomes infected with a mysterious, relentless curse is smart and original — not to mention scary as hell. And that’s not all. Writer-director David Robert Mitchell‘s film…

Boas Given A Passssss On List Of Snakes Banned From Import

Last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service added four constricting snakes to its trade and import ban list: the reticulated python and three kinds of anacondas (DeSchauensee’s, Beni, and green). However, in a controversial decision, the boa constrictor was dropped from the list. The new additions, identified by the agency as potentially injurious to…

Epic Fantasy Sculpture Wins Top Prize At World Ice Art Championships

Behold “Fighter,” crafted by a team of ice-carving artists (Japan’s Junichi Nakamura and Shinichi Sawamura, and the U.S.’s Chan Kitburi and Dean Murray). It took first prize in the multi-block division and a Governor’s Award (voted on by event volunteers) at the 2015 World Ice Art Competition. According to the event website, the Fairbanks, Alaska…

All The Reasons Why This True-Crime TV Movie Became A Cult Classic

Made-for-TV movie Helter Skelter aired in 1976, two years after the book it’s based on was released, and seven years after the Manson Family murders it depicts were committed. Over time, it’s become a cult classic among true crime fans, and it holds up amazingly well today. Here’s why. It feels chillingly authentic Despite so…

Dance Meets Motion Capture In This Otherworldly Performance

Artists Maria Takeuchi and Frederico Phillips’ Asphyxia is more than an experimental dance film; it’s also one of the more creative uses of Xbox One Kinect’s motion-data capture capabilities we’ve seen. Much of the piece’s power is due to dancer Shiho Tanaka’s elegant grace, which somehow manages to transcend her body being transformed into a…

Stop And Admire This Charismatic, Saucer-Eyed Octopus

This fetching creature comes courtesy of the NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program,”Our Deepwater Backyard: Exploring Atlantic Canyons and Seamounts.” The caption on NOAA’s Flickr photostream page notes: As we prepared to leave the seafloor at Physalia Seamount, ROV Deep Discoverer came across this photogenic octopus. What a great way to end a dive! More striking photos…

An Intriguing Theory That Explains This Winter’s Intensely Cold Weather

In this scenario, put forth by physicists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the rise in air pollution via coal emissions from China and Southeast Asia is to blame for the relentless snows that have blanketed parts of the United States. NPR’s Goats and Soda blog reports: The animation from NASA [seen below] shows how pollution…

Florida’s Environmental Strategy: Banning The Phrase “Climate Change”

The devastating effects of rising sea levels are well-documented in Florida, but officials in the state’s Department of Environmental Protection are ordered against using the terms “climate change,” “global warming,” or “sustainability” in any official communications or documents. This impressively detailed report by the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting cites records as well as past…

Photographer Robert Shults spent nine months shooting inside the Texas lab that hosts the intensely powerful Petawatt laser to create new collection The Superlative Light. He drew inspiration not just from his evocative subject, but from his favorite scifi movies, like Alphaville and The Fly.

Just A Really Mesmerizing Video Of A Mochi Machine At Work

Watch this video of a mochi machine working its transformation magic on a portion of rice, and three things are pretty likely to happen: 1) You will feel very relaxed; 2) Your sweet tooth will start making demands; 3) If you’re me … both. [Via The Awesomer]

New Doc About Victorian-Era Taxidermy Puts The “Aww” In “Macabre”

Walter Potter: The Man Who Married Kittens is a short doc written and directed by Ronni Thomas, who’s the filmmaker-in-residence at Brooklyn’s Morbid Anatomy Museum. It explores the macabre yet oddly adorable work of Victorian England taxidermist Walter Potter. DO WANT. Here’s a more detailed description from the Morbid Anatomy site: This film takes a…

Thor Stops By SNL To Do Running Man, Celebrate Victory Over Ultron

Last night’s Saturday Night Live was hosted by Chris Hemsworth. Naturally, Avengers: Age of Ultron … specifically its final scene … made for a ripe target. Watch the video below, but beware: SPOILERS GALORE! (Obviously not really). Booooom! H/T Uproxx