Digging through the web this week, I uncovered all this geeky goodness. You can find the thousands of links from previous weeks here.
I have marked my favorite links with a ∞. Enjoy.
Science to Read, Watch
To get bigger stuff into space, some scientists have to become origami masters
A bite from this tick can make you allergic to meat and it’s spreading in the US
∞ Sun damage can be invisible, but invisible light can bring it out. It sounds weird, just watch
This museum has a lot of shark weapons, in case the zombie apocalypse comes and you’re out of options
How museum science can help track down shark fin traffickers
The girl who had a case of 2,000 psychogenic sneezes a day
∞ The velvet worm is like Spider-Man, only without the insufferable movie adaptations
The actual answer to “Who let the dogs out?” and more
Veritasium has the explanations for these 5 weird physics phenomena
There might be a way to get the benefits of a fecal transplant without the poo
That cooking show is wrong; don’t wash meat before you cook it
I let future Kyle handle my problems because I’m not psychologically connected to my future self
Watch a mako shark hurl itself out of the water like a torpedo
Polygraphs don’t work. So why do we still use them?
This “little” whale throws around thousands of pounds like it was nothing to gulp 100 times per hour
A good summary: Why E-Cigarettes Might Not Be as Safe as You Think
∞ In North America, there is a bat extinction happening right under our noses. It’s a terrible problem
Geckos use the weakest force in nature and the right angles to stick and detach from surfaces
This is why deer become deer in the headlights
Oh the stories that a 10-inch long whale ear wax plug can tell you
Crayfish can turn blood into neurons
∞ Watch NASA inflate an inner-tube on the edge of space!
Behold, the fish cannon
Remember that thing where the T. rex closed its pupil in Jurassic Park. Here’s a real version of that, reversed
Using mathematics to piece together the body making of ancient creatures
When your brain is working properly, it’s really hard to spot your own typos
The boomslang is usually harmless until it bites you and you bleed from everywhere
∞ Four reasons why when someone tells you their name you immediately forget it forever
A growth culture after 20 handshakes. You should see the one for fist-bumps
Extreme Nerdery
∞ A Stanford biologist gives my favorite explanation for why the Hulk is green
Song You Didn’t Know Had Lyrics: Super Mario World
Paint and markers makes a pair of Borderlands-style jeans I’d kill to buy
The physics of the railgun and making one (kinda)
∞ Platinum is worth about $13 million per shoebox.
Nearly perfect edible. chocolate. LEGOs.
The worst hurricane anyone in your town remembers
Commander Shepard does a dramatic reading of Commander Shepard
Dude makes a “working” Dragon Ball Z scouter. It’s fantastic
Another stabilized TNG
The joy of playing Skyrim, as told by Steam reviews
∞ I spoke with the very talented and kind Jennifer Hale about how her sci-fi roles are shaped by a love of learning
When the day of the universal converter comes I’m charging my phone with a gas pump
Watching 974 simultaneous Super Mario players is mesmerizing
If Superman was like the “supermoon”
Valar Morghulis: We have the data on Game of Thrones characters’ survival rates. It’s grim.
Sciencey GIFs and Images
Watching a table saw in slow motion is so satisfying
∞ When two moose walk together it can form an OCTOMOOSE
A boulder tumbles down a Martian cliff edge
The momentum behind a spinning chain
A water droplet at 2,500 frames per second
How the music industry has changed in the last 30 years in 30 seconds
∞ Krzywy Domek is an irregularly-shaped building in Sopot, Poland. It breaks my brain.
I’d wake up a tiger just to see the weird eye flaps move
These Spider Fangs Aren’t Going To Photograph Themselves
Releasing a bucket of paper airplanes looks immensely satisfying
They don’t have to, but I’m using these diving signals anyway
Two-headed dolphin looks just as weird as you’d suspect
∞ The bobbit worm. Sleep tight.
Bassin by Rainer Hamburg
Plane contrail and the perfect angle makes this roller coaster look like the ultimate ride
∞ This raptor clinic regularly makes owl burritos and it makes me so happy
Pop Culture Happenings
∞ Huge congratulations to Ann Druyan, writer and co-creator of COSMOS, for her Emmy win! She is a joy to talk to
David Lynch’s DUNE was complicated enough that theaters gave audiences a glossary
Why constant scientific skepticism is important: Yes, there are charlatans selling fake ebolavirus cures
Trying this on Monday: How to Get Through a Workday on No Sleep
Cameroonian singer-songwriter Irma has an incredible single-shot video with phenomenal projection-mapping tech
You used to be pretty good with construction paper and a scissors as a kid? That’s nice.
Iranian is first woman to nab highest prize in maths
Doping in esports is “rampant”
∞ Family Tree by Bobby Neel Adams uses combined family member portraits to show genetics’ power
“By liking everything, I turned Facebook into a place where there was nothing I liked.”
Shark Week!
Sharks don’t want us to have internet
∞ Has Shark Week jumped the shark? Jessica Chobot and I discuss
The frilled shark’s teeth are amazing
I’ve seen little to no support of Shark Week’s direction from scientists. This matters Discovery.
An ocean without sharks is scarier than one with them
Megalodon: The Monster Shark’s Dead
∞ My favorite shark video doesn’t involve blood or teeth. I watch it to calm down because it’s beautiful
These gorgeous shark x-rays aren’t just art, they are critical science
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