Stanley Milgram’s Chain Letter Experiment

Stanley Milgram got a lot of press for his experiment in which participants thought they were shocking people to death. We don’t give him credit for his other experiment – in which participants forward the ultimate chain letter. If you thought Stanley Milgram was only responsible for the inner sadness that comes from knowing that…

This Is Why You Don’t Hide Under A Tree During A Lightning Storm

Via the US National Weather Service comes this staggering footage of a lightning bolt making matchsticks of a tree in Upstate New York. The footage was captured Tuesday by a surveillance camera at Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, NY. Between 2006 and 2012, 127 Americans died from being struck by lightning. To avoid…

Peyton Reed Is Ant-Man‘s New Director

Two weeks ago, director and co-writer Edgar Wright stepped down as director of Ant-Man, a film whose development he was involved with for years. Today, the film gets a new director and co-writer in Peyton Reed and Adam McKay, respectively. Last week we reported that McKay was in the running to replace Wright as director,…

Chobani Issues Non-Apology For Ridiculous Anti-Science Campaign

Chobani – maker of garbage yogurt – faced considerable backlash this week over a slogan, printed on the lids of its 100-calorie “Simply 100” yogurt cups, which read: “Nature got us to 100 calories, not scientists. #howmatters.” The company has since discontinued the campaign,and issued a weirdly backhanded apology. “We were too clever for our…

The SciFi Story Robert H. Goddard Published 100 Years Ago

In 1904, while Robert H. Goddard was a student at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, his professor of creative writing asked his class to write a theme on the subject of what travel might be like in 1950. Goddard imagined what it might be like to travel in a mag lev train that shot…

The Creator Of Calvin and Hobbes Has Been Drawing A Comic In Secret

Bill Watterson, the famously reclusive creator of beloved comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, returned to your newspaper’s comics page this week, and you probably didn’t even notice. The sub rosa comic strips – three of them, to be exact – are the first Watterson has illustrated and published in almost 20 years. So why didn’t…

Continuum Crams About 10 Episodes’ Worth Of Plot Into One

Continuum’s fast-paced storytelling has gotten pretty exhilarating since the more episodic first season. This show burns through plotlines at crazy speed. But sometimes, the result can feel kind of rushed. Exhibit A: This week’s episode, which tore through a ton of plot twists in a bizarre feeding frenzy. Spoilers ahead… Seriously, I kind of despair…

SpaceX To Offer A Private Tour Of Its Headquarters

Commercial space-transportation company SpaceX is auctioning off a private tour of its rocket and spacecraft factory in California for a group of up to 10 people. Auction proceeds will go to the Women in Technology Education Foundation, whose goal is to empower “women and girls to change the world by excelling in technology-related careers.” Above:…

This Audrey II Model Is Pitch Perfect

These are photos from Joe Dunaway‘s Grow For Me model kit. The perfectly detailed Little Shop of Horrors’ Audrey II has a moving mouth but remember: Don’t Feed the Plants. More photos at Dunaway’s site. Update: Joe Dunaway has new, updated photos of the kit. Here are a few:

Back Off Criminals, Toronto’s Neighborhood Watch Is Intense

A Toronto local is jazzing up the “Neighborhood Watch” placards of the city. Andrew Lamb’s affixing superheroes, action stars, and everything else under the sun to the signs. Who’d mess with the neighborhood protected by Buffy? Lamb (not his real name) says that he was just inspired by the signs, telling CBC: I walked by…

How Do You Kill 86 Mammoths? With Dogs.

The new study “How do you kill 86 mammoths? Taphonomic investigations of mammoth megasites” proposes that one possible way for early humans to kill mammoths was with the beginnings of what would become man’s best friend. In the study, anthropologist Pat Shipman investigates makeup of mammoth remain “megasites” — areas with remains number from five…

Learn Animal Trivia With Adorable Animated Gifs

These come from the QI Zoo, which is by the people behind the television show QI. It’s a treasure trove of random facts and goofy animation. If there was one thing missing from these, it’s a link to more information. Because once you know that wombat poo is square, you need to know more. Below…

Don’t Worry — The Mechs Are Here to Protect You! Have a Safe Evening!

It’s just not a Friday night until there’s an alcohol rationing riot and the mechs come out with their smart machine guns. That’s when the party really gets started. This illustration is the work of Johannesburg digital artist Riyahd Cassiem. You can see more of his work on his website. Spotted on Nuthin’ But Mech!

Nocturnal Transmissions: What Are You Up To?

It’s Friday, it’s almost the weekend, so what are you up to? Everything’s fair game in Nocturnal Transmissions, your nightly open thread.

Unofficial Guardians Of The Galaxy Posters Capture Our Excitement

These aren’t the official posters for Marvel’s space movie, but they probably should be. The folks at Poster Posse have whipped up a couple dozen fan-made Guardians of the Galaxy poster to show off their excitement for the film. You can see a few of our favorites below, but check out the rest at BLURPPY’s…

NASA has approved funding for 12 futuristic projects, including a submarine to explore the methane lakes of Titan, an aerial drone for Mars, and a probe to analyze the surface of Europa. You can learn about each individual project here. Image: Ron Miller, who wants to call this “Lake Bonestell” after famous Titan artist Chesley…

These Posters Immortalize the Cars From Your Favorite Films

To those of us who pay attention to these things, a movie character’s car can tell us more about that person than nearly anything else. Sometimes, those cars even become characters—without the DeLorean, Back to the Future would be a 1980s Waiting for Godot. Designer Jesús Prudencio’s poster series Cars and Films pays tribute to…

No, Eating Breakfast Will Not Help You Lose Weight

There’s a popular conception out there that skipping breakfast leads to weight gain. A new study now shows this is pretty much bullshit. Observational studies have correlated low body weight with eating breakfast, leading nutritionists to recommend that breakfast be eaten by people trying to lose weight, particularly those who are obese. But when this…

NASA’s Next Space Rover Could Be This Six-Limbed Robot Within A Robot

Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity have rolled their way into a special place in our hearts, as the first of our rovers to kick-off our exploration of other planets. But this six-limbed, flying rover with the ability to break apart into two separate robots definitely has us intrigued. Image: ATHLETE rovers crossing the dunes / NASA…

The Most Astounding Must-Read Science Fiction And Fantasy Books In June

There’s never been a greater time to be a fan of science fiction and fantasy books — the sheer number of great reads coming out every month can be overwhelming as well as exciting. So many books, so little time! So here are the 23 science fiction and fantasy books we think you should check…