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Science Needs More Women (And Not For The Reason You Think)

You’re probably thinking it has to do with the lack of women conducting research. And yes, you’re right, that is a problem. But the issue we’re talking about, while connected to the absence of women in scientific research, is actually the relative shortage of women having research performed on them. Above: In 1927, the Fifth…

10 Fad Diets, Debunked

What should you cut out of your diet to be more healthy? Everything. According to the most popular diet books on the market, there’s barely a food on Earth that’s safe to eat. But what is the actual benefit of these diets? Here’s what science has to say. 10. Cut Out Wheat to Slim Down…

Cheap Bluetooth Speakers, Discounted Cold-Weather Gear, and More Deals

Lumsing is offering a pair of Bluetooth speakers for just $25 today on Amazon. One is splash-proof and great for camping trips, and the other is a typical Jambox-style speaker with NFC pairing. Lumsing MM-526 Wireless Double-coil Bluetooth Speaker($25) | Amazon | Promo code 69DAICRC Lumsing B9 Portable Wireless Stereo Bluetooth Speaker ($25) | Amazon…

Attention Grandparents: An Adventure Time Sweater Is Totally Acceptable

In recent years, ironically hideous Christmas sweaters have become more and more acceptable, but that doesn’t mean you can’t gift one to someone they’d actually want to wear. So if you’re already shopping for gifts for your grandkids, there’s a good chance they’d love this knitted number featuring Adventure Time characters atop a festive holiday…

Waldo from Where’s Waldo? has different names all over the world

This may come as a shock to some Americans, but Waldo from the Where’s Waldo? books has different names throughout the world. In France he’s called Charlie. In Norway, he’s Willy. Germany? Walter. And in Britain, the home of the illustrator Martin Hanford and the original books, he’s called Wally. Since the first Where’s Wally?…

These Are the Movies Recommended by the Church of Satan — Here’s Why

Tucked away on the official Church of Satan website is a list of recommended films, offered up without much context or explanation. Naturally, we had to find out more, so we reached out to Magus Peter H. Gilmore, the Church of Satan’s High Priest. He gave us an amazing lesson on what Satanists look for…

Crowdfund a haunting photo book of Abandoned Space centers and More!

Beautiful photographs of Space Launch and Research Centers across the US lead our weekly look at all things crowdfunding, but that’s not all there is to see – there’s Lovecraftian Action Comics, in-depth looks at the final season of Star Trek, and a rad webseries about futuristic video game culture. Header Image Credited to Abandoned…

Help Come Up With a Better Star Wars Title Than “The Force Awakens”

In a tweet heard ’round the galaxy, the title of Star Wars Episode VII was revealed to be the somewhat gratifying but also quite puzzling The Force Awakens. Just because J.J. Abrams slapped some space words together doesn’t mean we can’t do better. The internet is already putting its best ideas forward. Surely you’ve got…

Geoengineering could be used to prevent catastrophic climate effects caused by giant volcanic eruptions. New research suggests it may be possible to counteract these effects through deliberate emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, dampening the abrupt impact of a massive eruption. Such measures could stave off perpetual winters that follow these eruptions. Image: ESO

Silk Road 3 Is Already Up, But It’s Not the Future of Darknet Drugs

There are three things you can count on in life: Death, taxes, and people buying drugs on the internet. Yesterday, the FBI seized black market website Silk Road 2.0 and charged the alleged admin Blake Benthall in federal court, trumpeting its bust with a sassy takedown notice. This is a blow to the cocaine information…

Captain America 2 Is Even Better As A Low-Budget ’80s Action Flick

2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier? Pretty good. Captain America: Winter Soldier, as if it had been made by legendary B-movie producers Golan and Globus as part of their cheese-tastic Cannon Films line? GLORIOUS. You know, if Marvel skipped Civil War and just made this, I’d be totally fine.

If You’ve Never Seen An Insect Breathe, You Are Seriously Missing Out

Honestly, I’m not sure what to say except that YouTuber Precarious333’s video of a Giant Texas Katydid (Neobarrettia spinosa) chirping, breathing, and grooming is way more captivating than I expected it to be. Full screen it, and crank it to the highest resolution your Internet connection can muster. You won’t regret it. Pretty incredible, right?…

The LEGO Movie‘s Batman Is Jealous Now That Emmet Has Become Star-Lord

LEGO Batman was always pretty secure in the fact that he was much cooler and darker than everyone else in The LEGO Movie, especially Emmet. But when Emmet turns into another character played by Chris Pratt—Guardians of the Galaxy’s Star-Lord—Batman finally feels a twinge of jealousy. The folks at How It Should Have Ended teamed…

Our Best Look Yet at How Material Design Will Transform Google Apps

Yesterday the overhauled Google Maps app rolled out for iOS and Android, giving us access to new features like the ability to book restaurants inside the app. But it also gives us a peek at how Material Design will transform the whole suite of Google-built products. The release of Lollipop this week was our first…

Cool photos of jet engines with their shell open

I like to see everyday objects under different, almost unrecognizable perspectives. Like these jet engines with their shells open. Above: a General Electric GEnx turbofan engine. Above: A General Electric CF34. The red light is heating lamp used to cook off the resin used in a lining repair. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us…

These beautiful Lego birds available soon!

Along with the announcement that they are going to make a Lego set based on The Big Bang Theory, Lego has chosen another, more artistic theme to produce in the next round of Lego Ideas. Thomas Poulsom‘s Lego Birds Project hopes to see these sets in zoos, museums, wildlife centers and of course the Lego…

Stephen Hawking Biopic Might Steal Your Heart, But Won’t Blow Your Mind

The Theory Of Everything is a remarkable, moving portrait of Stephen Hawking, who overcame unthinkable obstacles to revolutionize science. It’s a beautiful romance that spans the 1960s through the 1980s. Too bad the movie mostly glosses over the actual science that Hawking became famous for. Minor spoilers below… Based on a book by Hawking’s first…

A Bunch of People Wearing Oculus Rifts and Falling on Their Butts

Let’s talk about the physical realities of virtually blasting your brain into another world: People are falling on their faces and butts. The first time I saw the video below (which is GIFed above), I laughed and laughed and laughed. Haha! That poor schmuck! He was just innocently getting his senses rearranged in some mall…

How many times keys get pressed in a Chopin piano piece

If you like classical music, Joey Cloud’sPlanogram is a fascinating toolto analyze the frequency of notes in different piano pieces. Above you can see Chopin’s Etudes Op. 10. Listen to it below. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Fast-Acting Nuclear Reactor Will Power Through Piles of Plutonium

Even the latest generation of nuclear power reactors can only harvest about five percent of the energy stored in their radioactive fuel supplies, and the toxic leftovers must then be buried deep underground to slowly decay over hundreds of thousands of years. But thanks to a new breed of sodium-cooled pool reactor, we may soon…