Is This Art Gross?
Screw Rembrandt, Picasso and all that boring old guy paint-on-a-canvas stuff. The future of art is bacteria, ants, and the smell of sweat.
NASA's Mars Recruitment Posters Will Convince You to Go Die in Space
Okay, poster. You make a compelling argument—sign us up!
This Google Dream Bot-Inspired Artwork Is Mind Blowing
Last summer, the internet was overrun with six-eyed dog faces, human legs that are actually slugs, and other images reminiscent of the day you ate magic mushrooms and feverishly explored your kitchen floor. In fact, these were the dreams of an AI developed by Google. And it was only a matter of time before the…
These Images of Sound Waves in Water Are Hypnotic
It’s natural to think of sound as an exclusively auditory experience. But if you were to see a sound wave, what would it look like? Science photographer Linden Gledhill decided to find out using water and neon lights. And the result is some psychedelic synesthesia.
There Are Some Seriously Psychedelic Bacteria Living on Your Teeth
Like every other surface of your body, your mouth is teeming with a panoply of bacteria. It’s a thought most of us try to keep buried in the backs of our minds, but a new study shows that the tiny communities flourishing between your molars can be quite pretty. In a kaleidoscopic nightmare-fuel sort of way.
There's Some Complex Physics In These Photos of Ink Falling Through Water
Spherical Rayleigh-Taylor Instabilities, to be exact. That’s what happens when two fluids of different densities collide under the force of gravity. The pattern can be seen in everything from the mushroom clouds of nuclear explosions to cosmic supernovae. But as science photographer Linden Gledhill demonstrates, you…
This Physicist Makes Dazzling Snowflakes in his Laboratory
You might say Ken Libbrecht is into snowflakes. In fact, he’s made a career of studying them in his lab at Caltech. He’s even got a high-tech snowflake machine, which he uses to grow dazzling designer flakes of all shapes and sizes.
This Timelapse Video of Radio Observatories is Just Breathtaking
With gold-plated space telescopes promising to discover distant worlds and unravel the deepest mysteries of the universe, radio astronomy can sometimes feel a bit passé. But lest you think the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is no longer sexy, a glorious new photo collection featuring radio observatories…
Get me to the church on the Moon on time. Mural at Luna 9 in León, Spain. Photo by amateur photography by michel/Flickr.
Welcome to the Future Zoo, Home to a Menagerie of Creepy Mutants
We love to imagine how biotechnology might one day enhance our fleshy bodies, but too often, Earth’s wildlife are left out of the future entirely. Enter Kathryn Fleming’s future zoo, filled with a menagerie of fantastical, slightly disturbing, genetically modified mutants.
These Slow-Motion Videos of Fluids Vibrating on Speakers Are Wonderful
These videos aren't just colorful and fascinating — they're also educational. They're made using just some speakers and a non-Newtonian fluid, and they can teach us important principles in physics.
These Amazing Temporary Artworks Are Made Of Sand
When an artist creates a beautiful work of art, she or he usually wants it to last forever — or at least, to outlive its creator. But sometimes, an artist just wants to create a work of beauty that will last a short time, and then be gone forever. Here are the loveliest short-lived works of art... made of sand.
These Colorful Liquid Droplets Chase Each Other Like Living Organisms
When water hits a glass surface, it usually just spreads itself out. But when water containing the organic molecule propylene glycol (PG) hits glass, it comes alive. In a manner of speaking.
Stunning Timelapses Show The World's Largest Cities From The Air
The greatest cities on Earth are always in motion. Their bustling activity forms a great collective organism, whose shape changes over time. So there's a good reason why we're all fascinated by timelapses of cities — and there's nothing cooler than timelapses of aerial footage. See the world's biggest cities in a…
Lose Yourself In The Captivating Kinetic Sculptures of Jennifer Townley
Netherlands-based artist Jennifer Townley combines wood, metal, and electrical motors to build spellbinding mechanical creations.
Kenzō Tange's Buildings Will Make You Believe In A Better Future
These buildings by Kenzō Tange (1913-2005) look like matte paintings from futuristic movies — but they're actually some of the most unique megastructures in the world. One of the most famous architects of the 20th century, Tange combined traditional Japanese styles with modern architectural solutions and forms.
This puts everything in perspective. Here's an image of today's X2.2-class solar flare, along with the Earth for scale. Image via NASA/Solar Dynamics Observatory
This Painter Can Even Make Toxic Sludge Look Beautiful
If you didn't think anything beautiful could come from toxic waste, well, think again. Ohio University art professor John Sabraw and civil engineer Guy Riefler have joined forces and devised a method for extracting iron oxide metals from industrial waste. The extracts can then be turned into vibrant pigments and used…
These Light Painting Videos Look Like Classic Video Games On Speed
We've seen some amazing light paintings that make the real world look magical and surreal. But what's even cooler than a static light painting? A whole video, where beings made of pure light burst into existence and run around. Here are the most eye-popping and dazzling light-painting videos on the internet.
This Weird Video Installation Shows How Cosmic Dung Beetles Really Are
What do you get when you combine a planetarium projector and footage of dung beetles? If you're video artist Diana Thater, you get a science lesson as well as a meditation on how humans disrupt other forms of life on this planet without even meaning to.
