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What Real-Life Plants Could Groot Have Evolved From?

Where did Groot come from? In reality, he came from the imaginations of Jack Kirby, Dick Ayers, and Stan Lee. In the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, he came from another planet. In this essay, he came from the stuff in your yard. We’ll see which plants might have evolved, over time, to become the…

Why We Yawn (And Why It Really Is Contagious)

Babies, dogs, cats, birds, mice, rats and even snakes yawn, and some of us were even doing it in the womb. Although for thousands of years the reason has remained elusive, recent scholarship may have uncovered the truth as to why we yawn. Physiology of Yawning When a person yawns, the stretching of powerful jaw…

Lionsgate Buys Secret Super-Powers Book The Wonder of All Things

Is this the next teen sensation? Lionsgate has picked up the latest secret super-powers novel The Wonder of All Things by Jason Mott, author of The Returned. The Wonder of All Things is similar to the film Phenomenon and less like superhero movie. A miraculous thing happens to a character, and then that character has…

Extreme wide angle photos turn mosques into beautiful kaleidoscopes

Mohammad Reza is a self-taught photographer from Iran. The wide angle lens and the colorful Persian architecture give to his pictures a mesmerizing kaleidoscopic effect. Most of my pics are covering a very wide angle of view (showing an entire building in one picture ) and also they are high dynamic range, for me light…

The shock waves of IED blasts can damage the eyes of troops, causing retinal displacement — even if soldiers are not injured by shrapnel or debris, according to a new study. Ocular injuries account for 13% of all battlefield injuries, and researchers hope that this data will eventually lead to better protective eyeware.

This turquoise gem is what summer looks like in southeastern Alaska. From an altitude twice that of commercial jets, NASA’s arctic research airplane ER-2—a civilian version of the Air Force’s U2-S reconnaissance plane—captured this view of a summertime melt pond atop a glacier on July 16, 2014. [NASA Earth Observatory]

What’s The Most Egregious Example Of Fictional Scientific Misconduct?

Whether we’re talking about archeologists who smash their way through ruins or doctors who seemingly never perform diagnostic tests, there are some troubling protocols among scientists in fiction. Today we want to know which fictional scientist offers the worst example for good scientific practices. Tell us in the comments now which fictional scientist — from…

Peter Parker Meets His Dad In Alternate Amazing Spider-Man 2 Ending

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 had its issues, but the sudden, inexplicable reappearance of Peter Parker’s dad was not one of them. That’s because this alternate ending, in which the elder Parker accosts his son at Gwen Stacy’s grave, wasn’t used — which was probably for the best. I mean, the whole scene just seems weird.…

This Floating Glass Hotel Will Let You See Northern Lights in Luxury

If you dream of watching the Northern Lights in decadent style, then you should wait until 2017—when this wonderful, floating, snowflake-shaped hotel will be ready in the icy reaches of northern Norway. The creation of Dutch Docklands, which specializes in the construction of floating structures, the 86-bedroom Krystall hotel is planned to float in the…

UK Intelligence Has Endorsed Cyber Security Courses For Wannabe Spies

The UK intelligence agency GCHQ has accredited six BritishMaster’s degrees in Cyber Security as meeting its “stringent criteria” for training young Cyber Security staff. And, presumably, future spies. For those of you interested in pursuing a career in Cyber Security that’s respected by British intelligence, the courses are: Edinburgh Napier University (MSc in Advanced Security…

What Comes First: Captain Marvel, Or An Avengers/Guardians Crossover?

Simon Kinberg explains why Josh Trank is perfect for Star Wars. Get a complete rundown on the Fantastic Four movie. A release date for The Martian could mean delays for Prometheus 2. Felicity Smoak’s mother is coming to Arrow and Gotham adds another villain to its cast. Spoilers now! Top image: Gotham Marvel Woo! Let’s…

This render is so realistic that you might think mermaids are real

The guys at Lightfarm Studios tell the classic impossible love story between a mermaid and a human in this impressive 3D composition. Everything but the model—the corals, the diver, the tail of the mermaid, the shipwreck—is made in 3D. I could spend hours watching these guys work. NSFW-ish. The video on how they made it…

This may look like some kind of rainbow top hat, but in fact you’re looking at the changing state of quantum bit—a qubit—over time. This experiment helps predict how quantum systems evolve, and may help us steer and control them more effectively in the future. [Nature via New Scientist]

Gmail Scans Caught a Sex Offender Who Left No Trace Elsewhere Online

We all know that our Gmail inboxes are scanned, and that Google uses automated image scanning to track down child exploitation—but it’s now been made clear the two overlap: searches of a Gmail inbox have led the arrest of a registered sex offender who has illegal photos of children in his email account. News reports…

Spray-On Solar Cells Are Finally Viable Technology

The concept of spray-on solar panels has existed for some time, but it’s been hard to make them efficient. Now, a team of scientists from Sheffield University is using a new material to create a solar paint that could change that. The researchers have claimed for for a while that this should be possible. But…

On The Last Ship There’s Good Virus News and Bad Russian News

And that’s pretty much the show in a nutshell: When it comes to the crew fighting against circumstance and the disease, it’s a fun romp with inventive problem solving. When it comes to the human villains, it’s a cliché-ridden mess. Welcome back, Admiral Ruskov! You’re the worst. Spoilers … The Good: Viruses, Competence, and Chemistry…

Why Can’t We Get Addams Family Nesting Dolls Everywhere?

Not only are these great representations of the Addamses, but there’s something about the high-gloss and painting style of the typical matryoshka doll. Here’s the description of them from the artist’s blog entry: My new matryoshka doll is a mixture between the original Addams Family show and the 90’s movies that I’ve loved for many,…

How to Plan an Epic Backpacking Trip

One of the most incredible ways to explore this planet is on foot, carrying everything you need to survive on your back. Here’s how to make backpacking as awe inspiring as possible. Choose an Epic Destination: My favorite part about living in LA is leaving LA. We are close enough to the Sierra Nevada that…

Bear Interrupts Meal to Rescue a Crow.

Well, fuck. I don’t know how we’re ever going to defeat the corvid apocalypse if crows can convince bears to join their side just by being loud. This bear at the Budapest Zoo waded into his pool to rescue a crow and then just returned to his lunch. Mostly, he seems annoyed at the noise.…

This Nintendo Avengers animation short should be made into a game ASAP

Here’s a fun mashup that combines two things most people who enjoyed childhood video games and comic book movies: Nintendo characters as The Avengers. Mario is Iron Man, Pikachu is Thor, Luigi turns into the Hulk, Link as Captain America and so on. They basically re-create The Avenger movie in this video by James Farr.…