Cool Finds
2001: A Space Odyssey’s HAL 9000 Was Originally a Female
Who knows, perhaps if HAL had been a lady, we'd all be scared of disembodied female voices and Siri would be a man's voice
You Get Slow As You Get Older—But Catching a Ruler Is Always Hard
Something as simple as catching a falling ruler triggers a complex process behind the scenes
Wander Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley With Street View
The Diagon Alley set from Harry Potter has been added to Google Street View
This Super Weird-Looking Bike Might Break the Speed Record
It has to be pushed to start and caught when he stops to not fall over but this strange fish-shaped bike might be able to beat the speed record
The Bikini’s Inventor Guessed How Much It Would Horrify the Public
The modern bikini, named after Bikini Atoll where the atomic bomb was tested, was first unleashed on the world more than 75 years ago
Barbie Gets a Real-World Makeover
Artist Nickolay Lamm created a 3D doll-sized model of a healthy, average 19-year-old American woman, then made her up like Barbie
How to Survive a Lion Attack
If you're managed to get yourself into a person vs lion situation, you probably don't know what to do about it. Thankfully, the internet is here for you
If Women Assume Fake Names, They Do Better on Math Tests
Assuming a false name helped women perform better on math tests
Buttercup the One-Legged Duck No Longer Has to Hobble
Buttercup's adorable plight, which concluded on Sunday when engineers successfully outfitted the duck with a 3D printed duck foot
Mars’ Tiny-Looking Moon Is Slowly Crash-Landing on the Planet
Mars' moon Phobos may look small in the sky, but it won't for long
Woman Builds a Prosthetic Leg Out of Legos
Vanity prosthetic legs aren't new - but this is probably the first one built out of LEGOS
Virus Hunters Are Testing Bats, Camels, Goats And Cats to Find a Deadly Illness’ Origin
Bats have been pinpointed as the most likely culprits behind MERS, though camels are a close second
Obama Tackles Illegal Wildlife Trade
Obama's plan will specifically address poaching of elephants and rhinos, though he has also reportedly begun conversations with China about curbing demand
One Thousand Robots Face Off In a Soccer Tournament
The roboticists behind RoboCup want their team of bots to beat the World Cup champions on a level playing field by 2050
Museum to Preserve Lonesome George, in All His Lonesomeness, Forever
There are no other Pinta Island tortoises preserved anywhere else in the world, so George will be alone forever
Happy 315th Birthday to the Steam Engine
Three hundred and fifteen years ago today James Savery's patented the steam engine
A Museum in New York City Is Exhibiting Fragments of a Melting Glacier
After the exhibition concludes, the ice will be relinquished to its original fate - a melted puddle
Invasive Lionfish Are Such Effective Predators They’re Becoming Obese
Unfortunately, so far local human populations haven't taken to eating the invasive, piggy lionfish out of existence
How Do You Shield Astronauts and Satellites From Deadly Micrometeorites?
Supersonic space dust can do a lot of damage. How do astronauts protect against it?
Smoke From More Than 800 Forest Fires in Indonesia Is Blanketing Southeast Asia
Most fires appear to be burning in palm oil plantations and land overseen by paper pulp companies, which are owned by Singaporean and Malaysian families
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