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Scientists have begun investigating possible health impacts of e-cigarettes, and the preliminary findings aren’t good. “The nicotine-laced vapor generated by an electronic cigarette promoted the development of cancer in certain types of human cells much in the same way that tobacco smoke does,” notes Barry Meier in the NYT.

8-Bit Fifth Element Has The Most Adorable Multipass Moment

Be warned — watching this super-cute Fifth Element edition of 8-Bit Cinema will make you want to watch the whole movie, right now. [Cinefix via Mary Sue]

A Point And Shoot You’ll Actually Want, Roku 2, West Wing Complete Set

We’ve shared this deal through Amazon a few times in the past, but if you missed out on the excellent C720 Chromebook, you can grab a refurb again today for just $150. Acer C720 Chromebook | $150 Everyone’s talking about the Fire TV, but that headphone jack on the remote is a killer feature, and…

Self-Stacking Building Blocks Are Nothing Short of Magic

Deciding that the lowly building block was due for an upgrade, researchers at MIT have created something amazing. The simple-looking M-Blocks are made from an aluminum frame filled with electronics, an electric motor that can spin up to 20,000 rpm, and a flywheel. And they can perform some amazing feats without any human intervention. A…

When Was the Last Time You Felt Schadenfreude, and What Did It Mean?

So you’ve suffered an embarrassing and public setback, and the people who dislike you are rejoicing. Their glee at your misfortune is called schadenfreude. Should you hang your head in shame, or should you consider their happiness a huge compliment? The Joy of Shame Schadenfreude is the good, old-fashioned joy that we take in other…

Rerouting Rosetta after a Rocket Explosion

The Rosetta spacecraft was scheduled to launch in February 2003 when its rocket rudely exploded while carrying a different satellite. The European Space Agency was stuck with an expensive craft, an approaching launch date, and no ride. It was time for new plan. Rosetta was scheduled to catch a lift into orbit with the then-newly-designed…

How to Lie With Data Visualization

Data visualization is one of the most important tools we have to analyze data. But it’s just as easy to mislead as it is to educate using charts and graphs. In this article we’ll take a look at 3 of the most common ways in which visualizations can be misleading. Truncated Y-Axis One of the…

A Bat-Killing Fungus Has Spread Over Half The Country

White nose syndrome, a condition spread by a killer fungus making its way rapidly through America’s bat population, has now spread to over half the states in the U.S. With its confirmed arrival last week in both Michigan and Wisconsin, the total of states with infected bat populations hit 25. As you can see on…

The Third Hobbit Movie May Change Its Title To Something More Badass

Even back when it was the second Hobbit movie, the third Hobbit movie has always held the subtitle There and Back Again, based on the actual secondary title of Tolkien’s book. But now New Line may be thinking of switching the name to the somewhat more exciting The Hobbit: Into the Fire. The reason that…

The Science Behind Making the Fastest Possible Pinewood Derby Car

You wouldn’t think that a four-wheeled car would go faster if one of its wheels didn’t touch the ground. Or if its axles were bent. Or if it was designed to grind against a wall. But you’d be wrong, and here’s the science to prove it. Our old friend Mark Rober—former NASA JPL engineer—has put…

Jobs’ Death “Best Opportunity to Attack iPhone,” Wrote Samsung Exec

The longrunning legal battle between Apple and Samsung has certainly had its low points, but an internal email unearthed by CNET sent by a Samsung executive just five days after Steve Jobs’ death sheds new light on just how callous the competition got. In this case, the subject was how to leverage the death of…

“Lebbeus Woods, Architect” opens at New York’s Drawing Center later today, kicking off with a public reception at 6pm. Woods was widely celebrated as a fearless designer and incredible draftsman, an architect whose prolific and conceptually relentless work explored unstable and even dangerous conditions, such as war zones, tectonic faults, and geopolitical borders. Woods passed…

​Can You Control Your Metabolism With Your Mind?

Well… maybe. In this intriguing video piece, NPR’s Alix Spiegel discusses the work of Columbia psychologist Alia Crum, whose research suggests that food labels have a placebo effect on the way our bodies respond to food and experience hunger. But to what extent do these results mean that we can think ourselves thin? Crum designed…

What Do You Do When Your Son Says He Met Jesus? Surprisingly, Not Much.

Heaven Is For Real, in theaters today, is based on the mega-bestseller by a pastor whose four-year-old had major surgery, after which he knew things he couldn’t possibly have known, and also claimed to have met Jesus. But what’s surprising about the film version is how little impact this experience actually seems to have. Spoilers…

How Yesterday’s Drugs Became The Medicines Of Today

My sister is a witch. Or, more precisely, a Wiccan astrologer and tarot reader. Growing up as a kid who worshipped Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking, I found it hard to square her worldview with my own. But that didn’t stop me from feeling a thrill when I visited her shabbily ornate, mist-clad Victorian house…

A Map Showing The Popularity Of Musical Genres Across the US

We recently showed you maps of the most loved and hated popular musical acts in each U.S. state. Now, there’s a new interactive map showing the popularity of musical genres across the country. Rock may still be king, but other genres are defying regional stereotypes. Online real estate broker Movoto calculated the musical taste scores…

Samsung Gear Fit Review: A Beautiful Wristable Gone to Waste

Samsung’s Gear Fit had every chance to be by far the best activity tracker you could own. It isn’t. Not by a long shot. And there’s nothing sadder than unrealized potential. What Is It? It’s a stunning fitness tracker slash smartwatch wristable. It counts steps, tracks sleep, displays notifications from your phone, and even takes…

​Why Bitching About Children’s Cartoons Is Such A Noble Pursuit

We have a very special mail column today, in that it is slightly different from my other mail columns! I hope you don’t mind. If you do, I’m a still a fake mailman in the future being chased by rogue armies, post-apocalyptic thugs, and god knows what else. I have bigger problems than your feelings.…

Hey Googlers in Mountain View! I’m doing an Authors@Google talk today 4/16 at 1 PM. Come say hi, learn about the history of mass extinctions and the future of humanity — and ask questions! I’ll be in building 40.

Claw Machines Continue to Devour Our Children Whole

Those who thought the world was safe from arcade claw machines gobbling up our youth, take heed. The ravenous mechanical creatures have struck again, this time claiming a three-year-old Nebraskan boy. The tyke was returned safe to his mother not long after finding himself in the belly of the toy-filled beast, and got to keep…