Frostbitten Flamingoes


Flying the wrong way due to “unusual climactic conditions,” four different flamingoes flapped their way into Siberia last week.

Great Topic.

What are those floaty things in your eye?

Imagining a Mars 3.5 to 4 billion years ago


As the search for life on Mars continues, the Curiosity rover is gathering up more evidence for proof of some type of Martian existence.

This Is Your Spine on Texting


All that looking down is equivalent to hanging a 60-pound weight around your neck.

“Parts of the brain that have never connected, suddenly join together.”


This is your brain on ‘Magic’ mushrooms

The Cutest Remote-Controlled Car. Ever.


Instead of just walking into a flock of emperor penguins to identify those birds tagged with RFID chips, researchers in the Antarctic drive this adorable lil’ remote controlled dude into the huddles, so that the penguins won’t get stressed.


The unexpected math behind Van Gogh’s “Starry Night”



Having A.D.H.D. characteristics in the Paleolithic era made you a success. Now, in the instant gratification-heavy 21st century, those carrying traits of this novelty-seeking behavior need to—in a sense—become digital nomads to be effective and keep their surrounding world interesting.

Illustration by Matt Leines

Square-Dance Style



The Affected

A Brief History of Melancholy



After complaining to physicians about abdominal pain, doctors found a sprouting potato deep inside a 22-year-old Colombian girl, which she had been using as some type of backwoods contraception device. Apparently, Mother does not always know best.

100.4 inches


The size of this year’s “giant’s penis” blossom at the University of Basel’s botanical garden. Officially known as the titan arum or “corpse flower,” the plant is native to the rainforests of Sumatra and is the largest flower in the plant kingdom. This is the third time that this specific flower has blossomed in its 20 years of cultivation in Basel, and is the biggest yet.

Only 36 Years Away…


Japanese construction giant Obayashi announced earlier this week that they will have an elevator to space constructed by 2050. Reaching almost 60,000 miles off the earth’s surface, transport time for humans and cargo up the space elevator will be roughly 7 days, which is really nothing at all in light years. According to the company, it is because of the development of carbon nanotechnology that “fantasy can now become a reality.” Bring down the mothership.



Just imagine that. Dale Decker is a Wisconsin man who suffers from a condition called Persistent Genital Arousal Syndrome, which causes him to have upwards of 100 orgasms per day. While the lazy may think that the condition would be amazing, according to Decker “It makes you never want to have another orgasm for as long as you live.” That’s no fun.

The Diatomist

Klaus Kemp is a master at placing single cell algae in cool patterns, or as the scholars call it, “the Victorian art of diatom arrangement.”

via, arbroath

The Science of the Slice


Unless you’ve been living under a delivery box, you should already know that bending a slice is the best way to gorge on pizza. But if you need further proof, here’s the math.

The Scientifically Accurate Truth About the Rescue Rangers

Chip n’ Dale were some dirty rodents.

“This was never wet before”


A random benefit from last month’s earthquake in Napa Valley? Water. Lots of it. Seems all that shaking in the earth opened up fissures in the rocks that have allowed massive deposits of groundwater to reach the surface, turning once parched land into pockets of green. At one creek north of Vallejo, an estimated 200,000 gallons of water are flowing daily down the tiny waterway into the bay. Like all good earthly things though, the surplus is bound to stop. As one hydrogeologist said: “There is only so much water in there. As the water table lowers, the water flow diminishes. It’s like a bank account. You’ve just reached into the bank account and borrowed some money, but the spending spree will eventually end.”

Mexican Mole Lizard











—Bec Crew / @BecCrew
