According to theory, it may be possible to create an advanced propulsion system that would harness the available energy from an evaporating black hole, a so-called Schwarzschild Kugelblitz drive. Here’s how it would work. Read more…
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How to power a starship with an artificial black hole
How distorting are map projections? Here’s what four commonly used systems of projection do to a human head. Read more…
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This is how map projections warp your understanding of geography
In an alternate universe, the feature-length adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! isn’t a live-action film starring Jim Carrey but a CG animated film, with Jack Nicholson voicing the Grinch and designs by Bloom County cartoonist Berkeley Breathed. Read more…
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Berkeley Breathed’s concept art for a Grinch movie with Jack Nicholson
After 10 years of painstaking development, the Gemini Planet Imager has returned its first image of a distant exoplanet. Behold Beta Pictoris b, a massive planet several times larger than Jupiter — and over 63 light-years from Earth. Read more…
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Powerful new planet finder snaps a direct image of an exoplanet
Dark Horse has just announced that they are losing the Star Wars comics license, as Disney has chosen to give it to their more-or-less in-house publisher Marvel. Damn. Read more…
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Disney is giving the Star Wars comics license to Marvel in 2015
How the heck did they come up with some of the crazy monsters in Dungeons & Dragons ? There are a lot of weird, memorable monsters that GMs can use to strike fear into the heart of players — and the inspiration behind them is way different than what you probably expect. Read more…
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The Surprising Inspiration for Dungeons & Dragons’ Weirdest Monsters
Remember that super-realistic telemarketing chatbot who denies she’s a robot ? Turns out “Samantha West” may not a robot after all — but the real story is just as bizarre. Read more…
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Robot-denying telemarketing robot may not actually be a robot
Scientists from the University of Toronto have discovered a human-made chemical lurking in the atmosphere that’s an exceptionally long-lived greenhouse gas. Called perfluorotributylamine (PFTBA), it’s a record-setting molecule that if left unchecked could have a profound impact on climate. Read more…
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Chemists discover a greenhouse gas that’s 7,100 times worse than CO2
Anthill Art fills ant colonies with molten aluminum, creating massive, intricate castings of the architecture of the ants’ nests. They’re for sale on Ebay (surprisingly cheap, too), and they’re spectacular. I make casts of ant colonies using molten aluminum to fill the tunnels and chambers of the nest. The result is an amazing sculpture showing the intricate detail of the nest architecture. The cast is then mounted for display on a wood base. Each display has a stainless steel plaque mounted on it with information on the cast and a unique cast number. These make perfect displays for a home or as an educational piece for teachers and professors to display in a science classroom or laboratory. Anthill Art – Artistic and Educational Ant Colony Castings ( Thanks, Fipi Lele! )
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Aluminum castings of ant-nests
There may be an answer for people suffering from traumatic brain injuries. It’s a device called a brain-machine-brain interface — and it has the potential to revolutionize the way brain damage is treated in humans. Read more…