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​For Centuries, This Mystical Jewish Sect Lived Hidden In Plain Sight

New research by an Istanbul-based artist has documented hundreds of haunting, sepia-toned photographs belonging to Turkey’s mysterious Dönme community—a once-thriving religious sect that practiced a unique set of beliefs based on Sufi mysticism and Judaism. Today, few remain after their true identity was discovered. Dönme is a Turkish term meaning to “turn from one path…

This Could Be a First Glimpse of Windows 9

We know that Windows 9 is on its way—Microsoft even accidentally teased it!—but now we might be, maybe, possibly be looking at what it could look like. These images, leaked by German site Computer Base, show what seems to be the Windows Technical Preview, expected to announced later this month or early in October. In…

A Gigantic Pendulum Wave Made From 16 Bowling Balls

We’re used to seeing pendulum waves generated on tiny scaffolds with itty-bitty balls. But as this awesome demonstration points out, the same physics applies even at the largest scales. The key to pendulum waves — and understanding why the balls appear to move in and out of synch with each other — is that the…

The Mothman Who Created An Evolutionary Controversy

Every student of biology has seen photos of the peppered moths. In a forest polluted by smoke, dark peppered moths resting against darkened bark have a natural advantage and proliferate. In a pristine forest, light moths have the advantage. It’s a science legend, but is it the truth? Bernard Kettlewell learned entomology mostly via travel…

Low Gravity Makes Astronauts Fall Over

In the good old days of moonwalks, NASA astronauts fell over quite a lot. But they weren’t being clumsy or struggling with their suits: despite what you might think, low gravity actually makes it harder for astronauts to say upright. New research from York University in Toronto, Canada, reveals that the low gravity on the…

One of the most amazing nuclear explosions ever recorded on film

As things get hotter between Russia and NATO, Putin is waving his nuclear dick around. Russia plans to conduct massive nuclear war maneuvers. Yesterday it successfully tested its new Bulava (“Mace”) submarine launched nuclear missile,hitting its target with complete accuracy with its dummy warheads. The Red Fleet’s Commander-in-Chief Admiral Viktor Chirkov said that it blasted…

Full Star Trek Into Darkness Gag Reel Feels Like Watching Galaxy Quest

You’ve seen brief glimpses of the shenanigans aboard the Starship Enterprise, but now get the whole space enchilada. The entire gag reel from Star Trek Into Darkness has been released and it is glorious. Behold the majesty! If you’re wondering why this is just coming out now, that’s because the FULL blooper reel was only…

Here is the evidence that the Antonov An-124—the world’s second heaviest operating cargo aircraft—is a bishop of aviation. Just look at its, err, mitre. This excellent blue hour photo was taken at the Leipzig Airport in Germany, where military equipment for Northern Iraq was being loaded onto an Antonov cargo plane of the Volga-Dnepr Airlines.…

Millennials Are Reading More Books Than You Think They Are

A new survey has peered into our bookshelves, and it’s revealing some good news about the reading habits of young Americans. Pew undertook a sweeping survey of the reading habits of millennials compared to older generations, and publishers should be pleased. 43% of all people under the age of 30 read a book almost every…

This Is What the Apple Watch Would Look Like If It Were Round

The new Apple Watch was a very exciting surprise: a device with bucket loads of potential that’s also just a wonderfully sophisticated thing to wear, too. But what if it were a bit more… round? These renders, which have appeared on Facebook, show what the new Watch UX from Apple would look like if it…

A Stunning Rosetta Selfie, Taken 250 Million Miles Away From Earth

The European Space Agency used one of the cameras on Rosetta’s Philae lander to snap this selfie, with comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko visible 31 miles away. (Does that count as photobombing?) The image captures a side of the Rosetta spacecraft and one of its 45-ft-long solar wings. The selfie was taken with the Comet Infrared and Visible…

This Is What a Watch Expert Thinks of the Apple Watch

The New York Times calls Benjamin Clymer “The High Priest of Horology.” He’s the executive editor of the watch-enthusiast website, Hodinkee, which featured in Time magazine’s list of the 50 best websites in 2013. Which is what makes his unique take on the Apple Watch so fascinating. While the rest of us compare the Apple…

Old black and white photos come alive in disturbing ghostly GIFs

Droga5 art director Kevin Weir has lots of cool work in his portfolio, like his Flux Machine, a Tumblr in which he turns old photographs into nightmares thanks to some carefully crafted animation—sometimes crazy, sometimes subtle, always disturbing. Kevin Weir grew up in the woods of rural upstate New York, just outside of Binghamton. He…

It Takes A Lot Of Work To Make A Zombie Horde On The Walking Dead

Watching The Walking Dead, it can be easy to assume that the chaos of a zombie fight is just that — chaos. But here, stunt coordinator Monty Simons reveals not just how long it takes to choreograph these scenes, but how much effort goes into finding the best zombies, too. Pretty cool. [Via Comic Book…

Rumor: Avengers 3 Features At Least One Of The Guardians Of The Galaxy!

Plus, will Spider-Man actually be in the Sinister Six movie? Morgan Freeman joins the cast of Ted 2. Bryan Fuller hopes the American Gods show lasts more than one season. Agents of SHIELD’s executive producers tease appearances by even more Marvel characters. Spoilers now! Top image: Guardians of the Galaxy Sinister Six At the Toronto…

Isn’t it just adorable how our little 5S just grew into his new case? [Doghouse Diaries]

This Footbridge Spins Open on Two Giant Wheels to Let Boats Pass

If you ever find yourself outside the Brazilian headquarters of pharmaceutical company Bayer, you’re in for a treat—because you’ll get to walk across the beautiful, innovative bridge. Created by the architectural firm LoebCapote Arquitetura, the Friedrich Bayer Bridge creates a path for pedestrians and bicyclists to cross the nearby canal. But it does it in…

Light monster faces made of spinning molten metal

These cool alien-looking monsters—created by French photographer Nicolas Rivals—are made by taking long exposure photographs of spinning molten metal. Nicolas calls them Light Roscharch, like the famous psychology test. I see alien monster faces. What do you see? Nicolas Rivals is a French photographer based in Paris. He is a member of the Prisme Noir…

Watch This Robot Get Burnt, Frozen and Run Over By a Car — and Survive

This is the strongest robot I’ve ever seen. It was able to survive a snowstorm, being tossed into flames and being squished by a car and it still lived to tell the tale. The as-yet-unnamed robot, which was created by a Harvard University researcher named Michael Tolley and his team, has no rigid skeleton. It…

Conan Has Worked Out Why All Apple Jingles Sound the Same

Have you ever noticed how all of Apple’s product videos seems to have really very similar tinkly piano music? Well, Conan thinks he’s worked out why. If you choose to believe Conan (you shouldn’t), then all of Apple’s music is generated by a single virtuoso pianist going by the name of Jens Mueller. His compositions…