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In a way, the pace of the self-driving car revolution will really be determined by a single technology: How quickly 3D laser scanners will improve until they’re as good as the old-fashioned 3D scanners in our human eyes. Lots of companies are working specifically on improving that scanning tech, also known as lidar. For a…
The Sahara is about the worst place on Earth to find water today, but that wasn’t always the case. Thousands of years ago, its sandy dune fields were lush and verdant. A new scientific paper helps explain why: the Western Sahara used to be irrigated by a vast river network. That’s the fascinating conclusion of…
Jiggle, jiggle, jiggle. That’s what it looks like from afar when a fully automatic glock starts shooting its bullets at the ballistic gel dummy. And it’s almost funny how the gel moves! But then you look a little closer and see the true damage of the gun and it’s a whole lot scarier. The bullets…
Oh, what a happy picture. At left, that’s millionaire Jacques Mossler; at far right, his blonde wife, Candy. They’re with court officials, formally adopting the offspring of Leonard Glenn, who murdered his wife and infant son. Tragically, it would not be the last time these kids would experience murder. That photo was taken in August…
This video shows us what happens when a kid has to judge someone else’s reaction. Surprisingly, even a baby can do this, and this test shows how scientists find that out. This test is meant to show that babies know, to a certain extent, what other people are thinking. We can see the reactions during…
Atmosphere is the gateway musical drug that gets you hooked on anything and everything Rhymesayers, a hip-hop indie label out of Minneapolis. On this new track, Slug (the lyrical brains behind Atmosphere) is joined by Aesop Rock and Blueprint, two other Rhymesayer compatriots. “This Lonely Rose” shares the vocal load equally among the three with…
The biggest western diamondback rattlesnake ever caught? An Arkansas man borrowed a hot pink snubnose revolver from his wife to shoot this one after it bit one of his dogs. As with all things “biggest,” there’s controversy over this critter’s size. Some claimed 8’ 9” when photos were originally posted to Facebook last month. But…
Punching opponents in virtual reality is as awesome as it sounds, but soon it’ll also be a double-edged sword. Meet Impacto, an armband that re-creates the experience of actually being punched–without the pain, of course. Virtual reality accessories have a tendency to be bulky, uncomfortable contraptions that are often a hassle to wear. That’s why…
What a complete and total mind spin. Kriss Kyle and Red Bull teamed up for this totally trippy BMX video called Kaleidoscope that employs what is essentially a fun house filled with ramps that are moving around and fun little holes to spin in until you disappear and so much more cool stuff. It’s like…
In 1721, the first known inoculation in America took place. It was conducted with the enthusiastic support of a man whose previous passion included finding, interrogating, and —if need be — hanging witches. And the backlash from the Salem Witch Trials made it difficult to convince people that inoculation worked. Cotton Mather is a familiar…
Countless states have laws preventing you from using a smartphone while driving, but trying to find a button on an in-dash navigation system is just as distracting. To remedy this, Bosch has created an automotive touch screen with buttons that feel real so they’re easy to find without taking your eyes off the road. Remember…
Tibetan singing bowls are known for their soothing harmonic tones, ideal for meditation. But they can also produce “chatter,” a kind of knocking sound. A group of Florida undergraduates think they’ve figured out why this happens. Singing bowls are usually made from bronze metal alloys, containing cooper, zin, zinc, silver, nickel, gold, and other common…
Magical. Vincent LaForet’s stunning photo series of cities all over the world at 10,000 feet are exactly just that: magical. It lets you see cities as you’ve never seen them before. Colorful and bright and in the clouds. In extreme detail but also in its entirety. Jaw-popping, eye-dropping, the world we’ve created looks great from…
I’m one of the first people in the world to listen to Sennheiser’s new $55,000 Orpheus headphone system. The new hardware’s 20 years in the making. Real, real serious shit. I’m trying hard to concentrate on the music–trying to give this crazy thing the severe attention I think it deserves. But I keep laughing my…
Police arrested a suspect today for posting threats against University of Missouri students on bulletin-board style messaging app Yik Yak. This isn’t the first time a jackass has been arrested in connection with making threats on the app—because Yik Yak is not anonymous. Yik Yak plays up the fact that you don’t have to attach…
When the lights go out, everything we don’t see gets all that much more beautiful. Here are your photos of night. Winner: Quiet These were shot on a Canon SL1 with the kit lens 18-55mm. These were taken on the outskirts of Lake Del Valle Park around Livermore. ISO 400, f5.6, 20sec. I set my…
“Wow, the tremendous amount of support I have received from the community is truly humbling,” reads the most upvoted comment in the CEO of REI’s Ask Me Anything on Reddit. Except it’s not from him, it’s from an employee complaining about working conditions. And he’s not alone. Update! Yesterday, Jerry Stritzke attempted to capitalize on…
After 52 years of groundbreaking science, the renowned Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico faces an uncertain future. According to a Nature News report, operations director Robert Kerr has resigned after a bitter dispute with the National Science Foundation over funding cuts. The trouble began over the summer, when Arecibo was offered the opportunity to accept…
For decades the number one way kids learned about barnyard animal sounds was through a See ‘N Say. They’d point that arrow at a specific animal, pull a lever, and hear a pig, cow, or other beast. So wouldn’t a See ‘N Say then be the perfect way for kids to learn about Star Wars?…
Astronomers have discovered a rocky, Earth-sized planet 39 light years from home—right in our cosmic backyard. With a surface temperature of 440 degrees Fahrenheit, GJ 1132b is more of an intergalactic furnace than a vacation prospect. Yet some are hailing it “the most important planet ever found outside our solar system.” That’s because GJ 1132b,…
