Ria Misra

Is This Smiley Face From 1648 The Very First Emoticon?

Depending on who you’re talking to, emoticons have been adding drama to our typefaces since 1982, possibly even as early as the late 1960s. But was the emoticon actually invented 300 years earlier by an English poet? Over at The Atlantic Tech, they highlight Robert Herrick’s 1648 poem “To Fortune”, which Levi Stahl argues on…

Who Are You? Introduce Yourself To Us!

We’re doing an introductions-thread, today! So take a moment and tell us: Who are you? It’s been just over six-months since we first asked you to tell us a little about yourself. Tell us — either again or for the first time, whether you’ve been here for years or if this is your first comment…

Remember When CEO Used To Stand For Chief Electricity Officer?

Labor markets, and the jobs within them, are constantly re-inventing themselves. And sometimes they leave behind curious relics, including the period of time when companies were hiring Chief Electricity Officers. In response to this post on jobs that once were thriving career paths, but have now gone extinct, commenter KeithA0000 offered this example of a…

Why Are So Many Bee Colonies Dying Off In Europe?

We know that honeybee dieoffs have been a problem in America, but what about their European cousins? A new report takes the first comprehensive look at just what is happening to the bee colonies in Europe — and the news is very bad indeed. A report from the European Union’s Reference Laboratory put together an…

NASA Is Planting A Veggie Garden In Space

It’s spring planting season and NASA is getting in on the action with a vegetable garden bound for the International Space Station. The experimental garden will be grown in a sealed, expandable chamber which researchers are calling Veggie. Their first crop will be Outredgeous lettuce, a red romaine variety that we can confirm tastes pretty…

It’s GIF Party Time, And We’re All Invited!

There’s no time to waste, GIFs — this party begins now! How has your week been? Did you start something new, finish something you’ve been working on, or add to your collection of party GIFs? Whatever you’ve been up to, tell us — and show us — all about it! GIF: h/t commenter Thayder.

It’s not so hard to tell Dallas from Milan, but what if you were looking from more than 500 miles above – and in the dark? This quiz from Nautilus takes city light maps snapped via satellite and asks you to sort which city matches which light signature — a surprisingly tricky task. Image: NASA…

What Book Series Would Work As A Television Adaptation But Not As A Movie?

There are some books that we can’t wait to see as movies, and then there are some that we reallyonly want to see unspool across seasons on television. Which are the book series that you hope to see make it to the little screen, but not to the theater? Responding to reluctance for a Sandman…

This Map Shows Which Jobs Are Most Unique To Your State

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has crunched the numbers of the jobs Americans have now. The most common profession overall for the nation: office and administrative support. But what about the jobs that are both unique to your state and common there? The findings are the result of a numbers crunch using BLS data from…

Sriracha Factory Declared A Public Nuisance In California

Irwindale, California, home of the sriracha factory, has declared the factory where that particular bit of hot sauce-alchemy happens to be a public nuisance. No, not to other, lesser condiments (hi there, ketchup), but to the air. After a series of complaints from residents in the area (and one country court case,) the South Coast…

The U.S. Gets More Tornadoes Than Anywhere Else In The World. But Why?

Though tornadoes have touched down in almost every country in the world, the greatest number of tornadoes shows up in the United States. And this isn’t just coincidence, — there’s a scientific explanation for why it happens. Atmospheric scientist Harold Brooks joined us today to take our questions about tornadoes — just as twister season…

This Tiny Plane Just Flew Using Fuel Made Out Of Seawater

This scaled-down replica of a World War II-era fighter plane may not look so unusual on the outside. But inside of the engine is something exceptional: a fuel made with a new process using seawater. The plane, and the fuel inside it, are the work of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, who announced that they’ve…

It’s Tornado Season! Ask An Atmospheric Scientist All Your Questions

Harold Brooks is an atmospheric scientist specializing in tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. He’s here today to answer our questions about tornadoes, climate change and extreme weather patterns, and the kick-off of twister season! Brooks is a senior research scientist at the National Severe Storms Laboratory, where he specializes in the why, when, where and the…

An Awesome Photography Trick That Lets You See Sound

You can take pictures of what you see, but what about what you hear? It is possible, using a photography trick that can make sound visible. It’s called Schlieren Flow Visualization, and it can be used to watch any changes of density in the air, including those caused by heat. But it’s an especially cool…

Who Wins When Captain America Goes Up Against Batman and Superman?

Just who would win in a fight between Captain America, Batman, and Superman? Before you answer, please note that this fight takes place entirely at the box office. In response to the news this morning, that Captain America 3 and Batman Vs. Superman are projected to go head-to-head in theaters on May 6, 2016, a…

Watching Movies Together Might Synchronize Brain Activity

We may not all have the same taste in movies, but at the most basic level, we may at least have the same response. A new study looking at the brains of people as they watch movies found a striking similarity among their brain patterns. Researchers at Aalto University in Finland conducted the study by…

A Game That Lets You Build — Or Destroy — Your Own Solar System

If you’ve ever wondered just how skillful you might be at designing a solar system, here’s your chance to try your hand at it. A new game lets you build a solar system — and then see it in action. The game is the work of Stefano Meschiari, a postdoctoral fellow at The University of…

Here’s The Most Accurate Measurement Of The Universe’s Expansion Yet

How much has the universe expanded and how quickly? A pair of new analyses yields the most precise answer to that question we’ve ever had. So, how much is the universe expanding? 10.8 billion years ago, the universe expanded at a rate of 1% every 44 million years. Or, to put it another way, its…

A Story About Pluto, Romantically-Inclined Robots And Tiny Spacesuits

We invited you to tell us a six-word science fiction story today, and you responded with stories that ranged all over time and space, from the furthest reaches of the solar system to the here and now… with a slight detour onto a parallel track. Image: Artist’s conception of the view of Pluto, from one…

This Sponge-Filled Syringe Is Ready for the Battlefield

This syringe is capable of stanching a gunshot-wound within 20 seconds — practically on contact. And it was just approved by the FDA to be used out on the battlefield. (Note: Medical images ahead.) So far, the syringe, known as the XSTAT, has only been approved for use by the military, but it could make…