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
Zoom lenses are getting kinda scary
Q: Do big cats like catnip? A: So much
∞ Older elephants know the best anti-lion moves
Why do all the planets in the solar system orbit in the same direction?
The cutest lion cub needs laser eye surgery
∞ Surgeons’ green scrubs are meant to prevent optical illusions
Gluten sensitivity may very well be real, but science has yet to conclusively show it
Lockheed Martin tests a laser weapon that melts car engines over a mile away
What secrets will Ceres share?
∞ Why Killer Whales Go Through Menopause But Elephants Don’t
Glue a praying mantis’ abdomen and it will jump into stuff face-first. Here’s why
The most technical origami you’ll see today
I love when we have to put “extinct” in quotes
That thing where you’re ice fishing and catch a live bird
∞ I will never ever tire of a good octopus camouflage reveal
A “full-body” transplant is an insane idea
Most cultures’ “It’s all Greek to me” phrase uses “Chinese” instead
When the facts don’t fit our beliefs, we make our beliefs less testable
“This study assures us that there were not widespread ‘acid casualties’ in the 1960sâ€
A jaw found in the deserts of Africa winds back human evolutionary history
Does this octopus own the rights to these photos?
Yep, that’s the face of terror
Wild pandas are making a comeback, probably
∞ I had no idea how astonishingly fast an underwater hippo charge could be
“…according to an analysis of more than 15,000 penises around the world.”
OK, yes, a flying fox eating a banana is adorable
It is insanely creepy to see “Dudley” appear over a mile below the ocean’s surface
Birds aren’t evolved to avoid the faster and faster vehicles we create
How fast is our “number sense”?
The goshawk is nature’s fighter pilot. Here’s its technique
We’ve now nailed down an astonishing amount of HIV’s evolutionary history
∞ Termites are efficient, prosperous, and diligent guardians of the soil
A round-up of all the organisms that make real zombies
Extreme Nerdery
The profundity of hydrology on hot tub signs
What dinosaur DNA is going into Jurassic World’s hybrid “Indominus rex”?
We are about to send 25 of the world’s best robots into what is basically Legends of the Hidden Temple. For robots.
We might finally understand consciousness with something just like Chappie
The math on why all hipsters look the same
∞ If you are “barehanding” a power line, you can play Palpatine. Amazing.
Spend some time playing with this gravity simulator
How Minecraft Generates Such HUGE Worlds
∞ According to the statistics, the best candidate for the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game isn’t Kevin Bacon
Sciencey GIFs and Images
∞ The BAE hypervelocity projectile thinks your armor is adorable
Ferrofluid will always be the best desk toy
GIF compression is getting *really* impressive
∞ If you build your koi pond and know a thing or two about air pressure and vacuums, you can make a heck of a display
Time-lapsed planes look like bad special effects
The simple soap bubble has more surface tension than you think
A Eurasian wryneck, when disturbed, hisses and does its best snake impression
∞ I don’t know why I expected a comb jelly to not eat weirdly. But it totally does.
You don’t have to be a crab to be completely mesmerized by a cuttlefish
That thing where there are so many spiders that it is raining spiders
Mother bald eagle warms eggs while buried in snow, is the real MVP
Proper airbag timing is kinda important
Know your ant worker anatomy
The NASA probe SERT-1 had twin ion engines. It was a TIE fighter
Eye lashes up close are like face stalactites
∞ 1 metric ton of gunpowder used to simulate the gunpowder plot
Astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt stands near a boulder and the abyss
Pop Culture Happenings
What Is The Best Thing To Do When A Grenade Is Thrown At You?
Guitar prodigy Tina S. is back with a blazing cover of “Through the Fire and Flames”
“I won’t present both sides of the argument because it’s like supporting a group who say pancakes make you gay”
California will likely pass a law that eradicates ‘personal belief’ exemptions for vaccines
Bravo, Ringling Brothers, for Taking Elephants Out of Circuses
∞ “The Mail’s editorial model depends on little more than theft”: My Year Ripping Off the Web with the Daily Mail
The next generation of lava lamps should be magnetic
Magnets and origami make for a delicate dance show
It looks like a pretty boring game until exponential growth turns it into an acid trip
∞ John Oliver has an excellent report on US infrastructure, featuring a movie trailer with Oscar-nominated actors
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