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Trick-or-treat night draws close, and with it come the warnings about the dangers (hidden razor blades and saturated fats) lurking in your candy—all the while ignoring the real threat at hand: that house around the corner handing out full-size candy bars. Understand, the problem with the full-size bar is not too much candy. You people…
Ben, the protagonist of this film, doesn’t know if the end of the world is real or if it’s all just a nightmare. But! It’s a nightmare that’s so cool that I actually wouldn’t mind living there. I would sit comfortably on a rooftop, grab a beer, and just watch that beautiful world go to…
“The Bronx is burning.” Throughout the 1970s, hundreds of buildings went up in flames in New York City’s poorest neighborhoods. But nowhere were the fires more prevalent than The Bronx, where on a single night in July 1977, 400 blazes were raging. And flawed urban planning data was to blame. The photos and films from…
This soundtrack was recorded in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. Imagine hearing this at night, in the woods; it’ll send a tingle up your spine. What’s you’re listening to is the sound of rutting deer and a howling wolf pack in the central Apennines. About 500 wolves still roam those mountains and the western…
Look here. An American marine ribbon worm is giving birth. Honestly, it doesn’t look terribly dramatic: there’s a little writhing, and a miniature Prosorhochmus americanus crawls out of its mother’s anus and heads off on its merry way. But for these animals, giving birth through the anus is the least weird part of their reproductive…
When people try to spot a lie, they generally make a judgment on a number of factors, including body language, expression, and word choice. This may be a mistake. People are complicated creatures, and they send mixed messages. Picking just one criterion to indicate truthfulness improves the odds of ferreting out a lie—but only a…
When it comes to the emergence of new lifeforms, we typically think of a single species evolving into another. But as a new study of fruit flies and parasitic wasps demonstrates, the emergence of a new species can set off a domino effect that, in this case, creates not one, but several new species. An…
Not every encounter with a serial killer ends in death, just like not every kidnapping victim dies in captivity. Today, we take a look at five people who not only survived their violent ordeals—but played an important part in bringing their attackers to justice. 1. Carol DaRonch Most women who were lured into Ted Bundy’s…
In the next ten years, Earth’s population is expected to increase by one billion, and only 3% of our planet’s water is fit for drinking or farming. Most of that relatively small amount is trapped in frozen glaciers. But Egyptian researchers have developed a way of removing the salt out of sea water for our…
Tired of all those talented parents posting photos of the artsy-fartsy pancakes they make for their spoiled kids? Of course you are. But if your own brood grows tired of your boring (barely) round flapjacks, this pancake maker will easily turn them into edible Vaders—no skill required. Is $40 too much to spend to make…
Did you hear the news that Yelp was suing South Park? Or that Breaking Bad was coming back for another season? Neither is true. But you can blame one website for starting these fake rumors: NBC.com.co, a “parody” site with no affiliation to NBC. And NBC wants them to stop. NBCUniversal recently issued a cease…
Yesterday, Saturn’s Cassini probe took its deepest dive yetthrough the icy geyser erupting from Enceladus’ south pole. We’re getting our first pictures of the historic flyby back now, and naturally, they’re incredible. At around 11:30 am EDT Wednesday, the Cassini probe sailed a mere 18.6 miles above the south pole of Enceladus, Saturn’s tiny, eruptive…
The Formdrill cuts through all kinds of metal with friction energy, which means that not only is a hole drilled out but a sort of thick metal ring is created around the hole too. ARVADEST writes, “the increased material thickness provides additional strength and mostly eliminates the need for inserted bushings or welded nuts.” SPLOID…
According to reliable leaker @evleaks, the big announcement at T-Mobile’s Un-carrier X event on Nov. 10 could be unlimited video streaming that doesn’t cut into your monthly data. This means Netflix and chill could go mobile. What Blass is proposing sounds like T-Mobile’s Music Freedom—in which music streamed from select sites like Spotify and Google…
Today, alum, as a chemical, is barely good enough to rub on your armpits as deodorant. During the 1400s, it became so crucial to the economy that the Papacy formed cartels to protect its monopoly on the trade. Alum is known more specifically as potassium alum KAl(SO4)2, a combination of potassium, aluminum, sulfur, and oxygen.…
The California King Snake slithers effortlessly across the terrain, thanks to its well-lubricated slippery scales. And the unique structure of those scales may help scientists devise new kinds of water-resistant paints, coatings, or plastics, or design better snake-like robots. That’s the conclusion of researchers from Oregon State University and Germany, who wanted to know why…
Turgai, Kazakhstan might not look like much besides wide, sweeping plains. But over the past few years, archaeologists have revealed more than 200 massive earthworks, so large that you’d never notice them from the ground. As the New York Timesreports today, no one knows their purpose–yet. They’re called the Steppe Geoglyphs, or the Turgai Geoglyphs,…
Hot Toys is known for its incredibly detailed and life-life action figures, but can you really call them art? Not if they’re being compared to Figma’s Table Museum series which now includes a perfect action figure replica of Michelangelo’s David. Every last feature of the famous renaissance sculpture, from David’s slingshot to his (ahem) stones,…
Well, that didn’t take long. Back in April, we learned that the Seattle Police Department had hired hacker and transparency activist Tim Clemans to help move the department into the future. Clemans is already out following a conflict with a police captain. Clemans was hired by the police department following a series of provocations meant…
Solar arrays are the unsung heroes of the International Space Station, drawing power from the sun to create an oasis of warmth and safety in the vast darkness of space. Eight wings form four matched solar arrays on the International Space Station. Image credit: NASA Eight massive wings on the International Space Station hold 262,400…
