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Why Do Scientists Care About Whether Animals Can Dance?

The thing about dancing animals is that it’s not just about adorable viral YouTube videos. By studying animals with rhythmic entrainment – that is, the ability to synchronize the movement of its own body with an external auditory stimulus – then we might be able to learn more about the evolution of language. That’s because…

North Korea’s New Space Agency Logo Is a Space Age Throwback

North Korea’s space agency is celebrating its one-year anniversary with a new logo. And the Wall Street Journal fittingly describes its design in retro-futuristic terms: a “Jetsons-era throwback that captures the optimism of the Space Age.” The space agency is called the National Aerospace Development Agency or NADA. Yes, NADA. And it all sounds too…

Watch more cute dogs get hilariously confused by a magic trick

Seeing dogs get confused by a magic trick was so darn cute the first time that magician Jose Ahonen decided to pull the same disappearing treat trick again with more adorable dogs. You can laugh as they hilariously react to the sorcery of seeing something vanish right underneath their nose and cry aww as you…

Basically, On The Tomorrow People Stephen Is Everyone’s Bitch

The most memorable scene in last night’s episode of The Tomorrow People involved Hillary, the vaguely piss-and-vinegar-y Ultra agent, telling Stephen that he has to be her bitch because he lost a bet. This lacks a certain impact, because Stephen is already everybody’s bitch. Spoilers ahead… The basic concept of The Tomorrow People is that…

Spider-Man Meets Spider-Baby In This Completely Insane Commercial

Evian decided to pair up with The Amazing Spider-Man 2 movie to shill some of its water. No problem with that… until you see the commercial, which is all about Spider-Man discovering a tiny baby version of himself in a mirror and challenging it to a… dance-off? It’s a moment so terrible you could be…

First Footage From Extant: What Did Halle Berry Bring Back From Space?

One of the year’s most anticipated science fiction shows is this summer’s Extant, starring Halle Berry as an astronaut who returns to Earth after a solo mission. And as this new promo hints… she didn’t return alone. Cue creepy ultrasound fetus images. We’ll find out more when Extant airs in June on CBS.

When Ships Used To Be Painted In Zebra Stripes, For Stealth

Take a look at this WWI-era, 58,000-ton cruiser painted with magic-eye style black-and-white stripes! Doesn’t it just blend right into the background? Well, no. No it doesn’t. But there was a time when military scientists thought that it might. After reading about a breakthrough in our understanding of zebra stripes, commenter LtCmndHipster pointed us towards…

The Best Buildings In The World?

The winners of Architizer’s A+ Awards have been announced, and some of the picks are awesome. Here’s a round-up of the best, the most surreal, or simply the most inspiring, from private homes to international airports. Notice any trends? Let us know in the comments—and click through to Architizer to see more winners. [Architizer] Best…

“Kerplunking” Is An Actual Scientific Term

Fun fact: “kerplunking” is an actual scientific term used to describe a certain type of foraging behavior among bottlenose dolphins. Its first usage appears to have been in a 2000 article in the journal Marine Mammal Science written by Richard Connor and colleagues. You may recognize Connor’s name from just about every research paper written…

A Melancholy Short Film About an Elusive London Monster

“Woodhouse” is a beautiful, sad short film about a little girl who sees a monster in a London park. But it’s also about why we long to find monsters — and the forces that crush our desires. Watch this lovely short and end your day in contemplation. Written and directed by Fred Rowson, “Woodhouse” is…

The Very Best April Fools Jokes from 2014, Starring Adventure Kitty!

It’s April Fools, the day where everyone tries to be funny — and some people actually succeed! We’ve rounded up the best of the internet’s pranks, so you won’t be fooled into believing that tiny kitten hiking boots are a reality — sob! Samuel Adams’ HeliYUM Helium infused beer — we would buy this. New…

An Etch A Sketch Laser Cutter Makes Your Crappy Drawings Permanent

A useful hack can be a wonderful lifesaver, but sometimes an utterly pointless hack can be just as great. For no other reason than they could (and maybe to celebrate International Arduino Day), the folks at Just Add Sharks hacked a laser cutter to be controlled by an Etch A Sketch. Now, anyone who grew…

Turns Out All The Aliens In Star-Crossed Are Pansexual

Or at least, they don’t take gender into account in deciding whom they’re attracted to, or whom they fall in love with. Which means one thing: That sexual tension between Tahmoh Penikett and Drake the trainee Trag a while back? That was all real. And now I feel especially cheated. But there’s still time for…

Hugo Gernsback’s vision for the flying car of 1973, as it appeared on the May 1923 cover of Science and Invention magazine. The thing had two wheels, a bubble-top and a push-button control panel. I guess if we’re honest with ourselves, American designs for the flying car of tomorrow peaked in 1923, didn’t they? [Image…

Someone Just Bought a House in L.A. for $102 Million… In Cash

When Los Angeles’s most expensive house went up for sale at $125 million, no one expected it to go for that price in a million years. Well, someone, identified only as a “French billionaire,” has bought said house for only slightly less that that figure: $102 million. And just to rub it in, the dude…

Can a Parachute Save Your Life? Not According to Science.

This priceless paper, published in the BMJ, makes us take a good, hard look at our assumptions. Sure, we think that parachutes save lives. But in the end, as this study shows, the evidence is weak. Here is a paper that will either make you like scientists a little more, or a lot less. “Parachute…

Computers Are Now Able to Teach Each Other Pac-Man, The End is Near

Until now, humans have had one significant advantage over computers and robots: We meatbags were the only ones who could teach them how to function. Now, researchers at Washington State University have created computers that can teach other computers. And they’re using Pac-Man to do it. Is nothing sacred? Dr. Matthew E. Taylor, professor of…

8 hours of airliners departing from Los Angeles in one single photo

Los Angeles architectural photographer Mike Kelley posted this awesome image of almost all the departures and some of the arrivals at LAX during a period of eight hours last Sunday. You can buy the photo here if you want. Here is his explanation: This is (almost!) every departure and a few arrivals at LAX’s south…

Imagine Living Inside These Incredible Tower Homes

In the Middle Ages, towers were used as fortified residences of the wealthy, or strategic military outposts. But these buildings still capture our imagination in the 21st century. Here are some cool tower houses, converted from historic towers, or built in the last few years as modern reinterpretations. A modern home in Joachimstal, Germany, converted…

Why the Future of Bitcoin Depends on the Silk Road Trial

Over the weekend, Ross Ulbricht’s lawyer, Joshua Dratel, filed a motion asking the court to dismiss all charges against the Silk Road kingpin. It’s largely what you’d expect from a bullish defense attorney. But here’s the twist: Dratel throws bitcoin under the bus. It’s funny, really. Many would argue that Bitcoin has the Silk Road…