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That “Mysterious Object” on a Collision Course with Earth Just Burned In Our Atmosphere

I wasn’t worried. Were you worried? The Earth’s most infamous hunk of space trash, a rather-large object by the apt-name of WT1190F, has been thwarting astronomers since they first got a glimpse of it back in October. Its strange behavior hinted to researchers that they were dealing with space trash, and not an asteroid, for…

On Heroes Reborn, the Heroes Have Already Screwed Everything Up

Hey, remember how in the last two episodes, Hiro kept fussing at HRG to not change things while they were hanging out in the past, and HRG kept screwing with the timeline anyways? Well, turns out Hiro was right, and now everyone on the planet is dead (or at least will be shortly). Thanks for…

Here’s Everything You Need To Know About Syfy’s Version of Clarke’s Childhood’s End

Syfy is taking on the ambitious task of adapting one of science fiction’s greatest novels for the big screen. But how well with Childhood’s End live up to Arthur C. Clarke’s original vision? And how will they portray the themes of the book? Allow Charles Dance and the rest of the cast to explain, in…

These Cities Could Be America’s Next High-Speed Rail Hotspots

Faster trains are finally coming to the United States, in cities like Los Angeles, Miami, Houston, and Las Vegas. Where will they appear next? While countries like Japan, China, Germany, France, and others have been running trains that regularly reach around 200 miles an hour for decades, the U.S. has been notoriously slow to adapt…

Reminisce About Your Christmas Lists of Yore With the 1990 JCPenney Catalog

Those of you who grew up with the internet might find it hard to believe that assembling your Christmas wish list didn’t always involve compiling a long list of Amazon links. Many of us had to rely solely on catalogs when younger to guarantee we got exactly what we wanted under the tree. Those giant…

Get Apple TV’s New Screensavers On Any Windows PC or Mac

If you’ve grabbed one of those shiny fourth-generation Apple TVs then no doubt you’ll be enjoying the looping video wallpapers that come with them—professionally shot clips of famous vistas that change with the time of day. For those without an Apple TV but with a desktop or laptop, there is a way to get the…

In This Dreamy Animated Short, a Young Woman Frees Herself From Her Oppressive Family

In Les Liens De Sang (“Blood Ties”), we see the youngest daughter of an autocratic father take her birthday as the chance to break free. It’s a sumptuous short, filled with imagery that is both disturbing and revealing of her backstory. You’ve got to admire the work of Sophie Kavouridis, Manon Lazzari, Marion Louw, Simon…

The Wait Is Over, Thank God, VapersCupid.com (Where Vapers Find Love) Is Now Open

No more, no more, no more will the vaping community be relegated to searching for love on ordinary dating sites populated with #vapelife virgins who don’t even know how to prime. Vapers were ignored by the makers of niche web-based dating services for too long—until a brave vaper named Octavian seized vape dating as his…

Watch the Bloodsoaked, R-Rated Version of The Hobbit‘s Final Battle

Although The Hobbit movies were way too long as is, there is one solid reason for checking out the extended edition Blu-ray of The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies when it arrives next week. Peter Jackson has added blood to the climactic battle of Erebor—enough to upgrade this version of the movie to an…

Embrace This Wooden Hugging Machine and It Hugs Right Back

Sometimes all the coffee and chocolate in the world isn’t as effective a pick-me-up as a simple hug can be. That has to be what inspired Petri Eskelinen to design and build this wonderfully complicated wooden hugging machine that hugs you right back when it’s embraced. The user simply needs to stand on a platform,…

A Cockroach Can Bite Five Times Stronger Than a Human

The cockroach is a resilient little beast, and it turns out they also have the proverbial jaws of death. They can bite with a force 50 times stronger than their own body weight, and with five times more force than a human being. That’s the conclusion of a new paper in the journal PLOS ONE…

Hologram Pop Star Hatsune Miku “Announces” 2016 US and Canada Tour

If you’re a fan of virtual musicians with computer-generated bodies and voices, and you live in North America, then do I have news for you. Hatsune Miku, Japan’s “virtual pop star,” is coming to the US and Canada next year for a seven-city, synth-filled tour—her first tour in this neck of the woods. Miku herself…

Did A Tiny Star Wars Toy Just Confirm A Huge Force Awakens Theory?

Fitzsimmons fans are about to get their moment on Agents of SHIELD. Justice League could introduce another female superhero. The Flash teases a surprise return. Tomorrow’s episode of Doctor Who includes a weird first. Plus, James Gunn answers a ton of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 questions. Spoilers Now! Star Wars: The Force Awakens…

Terrifying car bomb shockwave caught on video

According to the Popular Mobilization Forces—an army formed to fight ISIS in Iraq—a car bomb exploded today in the north of Samarra, Iraq. Someone was recording with a cellphone and captured the explosion in the distance with pristine quality. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Why People Think Friday the 13th Is Unlucky

Being wary of Friday the 13th is much more than a quaint superstition observed by a few uneducated people in distant, unreachable towns and hamlets. In the United States alone, it is estimated that between 17 and 21 million people dread that date to the extent that it can be officially classified as a phobia.…

Pluto Shows Its Principal Colors in This Psychedelic Shot

Do not adjust your monitors. While this view of Pluto looks like it’s all screwed up, in fact it’s an image from New Horizons that brings out the subtle variations in color on its surface. The image uses a technique that NASA calls principal component analysis. It’s designed to “highlight the many subtle color differences…

Earlier this year, Snapchat introduced a new Lenses feature which provides a rolling set of free filters to make your pictures more fun. From today, via the medium of the in-app purchase, you can buy expired Lenses to use forever at mere 99 cents a pop.

Inside the Body Farms Where Human Remains Decompose in the Name of Science

Imagine your dead grandmother lying in an open field, being attacked by vultures. It’s a horrifying thought and may seem like the ultimate indignity. But, assuming she is an “inmate” at one of the human taphonomy facilities around the world, she could be making an invaluable contribution to the advancement of forensic science. Facilities for…

These Water-Filled Condom Raindrops are Art to Raise Water Awareness

You’re looking at 3,000 extra-large, extra-strength condoms that have been filled with blue water and hung above the head of the public, as part of an art installation designed to raise awareness of water use. Created by the Spanish design studio Luz Interruptus for the Waterman Arts Centre in London, the giant fake raindrops—said to…

This 360-Degree View From a Blue Angel Cockpit Is Amazing and Terrifying

The Blue Angels are insanely talented—and, if this video is anything to go by, also more than a little nuts. The 360-degree view from a cockpit of one of their F18s is amazing, exhilarating and absolutely terrifying all at once. The video is shot from Blue Angel 2, which assumes perhaps the most terrifying position…