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Over 90 Chinese warriors will light up the University of Edinburgh's quadrangle.

Celebrate Chinese New Year With These Life-Size Warrior Lanterns

The University of Edinburgh is displaying life-size lanterns inspired by the famous army of terracotta soldiers

What’s Up With This Russian House? The Ceiling

As part of an art installation, the “All-Russian Exhibition Center” built a house — the wrong way

The Spanish Entertainment, 1825, Francisco de Goya (1746-1828), c. 1816-24, Lithograph

Rare and Imaginative Drawings Reveal an Untold Chapter in European Art History

A new exhibit in Santa Fe showcases 132 drawings and prints from Spain—some of which have never been on display before

Viewed from Lake Superior, ice caves on Apostle Islands.

Deep Freeze Reveals Lake Superior’s Secluded Ice Caves

For five years, the winter wonder of Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands sea caves have been hiding—but recent freezing temperatures have revealed their beauty

Ballistic Recovery Systems, based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, has outfitted small aircraft with parachutes designed to support as much as 4,000 pounds.

Tech Watch

Will Commercial Airplanes Have Parachutes Someday?

Whole-aircraft parachutes are already being used in small planes to save lives, but one company believes they are also feasible for commercial airlines

The fact that only 87.5 percent of trains arrived within three minutes of their scheduled arrival time has the Swiss up in arms.

Cool Finds

Trains Running Three Minutes Behind Anger Swiss People

The Swiss media is very displeased by the late-ness

Welcome home! Photo:

Meet Some of the Lucky(?) People Shortlisted for a One-Way Trip to Mars

Applicants who missed out on this selection round but who are still bent on living out their final days 140 million miles away can reapply in the future

Courtesy of Flickr user

Is Today Really the Most Depressing Day of the Year?

Blue Monday: scientifically-grounded downer day or invention made up to sell more vacations and protein shakes?

People Pirated Many More Files (And Many Fewer Ships) in 2013

While there were zero Somali pirate hijackings this year - the amount of content that was uploaded to The Pirate Bay this year increased by 50 percent

The new Temperfect mug harnesses the heat-soaking properties of what's called phase-changing materials.

Tech Watch

This Mug Keeps Coffee Warm (Not Piping Hot) For Hours On End

An inventor may have perfected a way to make scalding hot coffee or tea instantly warm, and keep it that way

Some Chinese Donkey Meat Actually Contains Fox

Some customers in China now know both what the fox says, and what it tastes like

Going the distance: Evolution mavens in the Quantock Hills of England walked for some 3.5 billion years.

Evotourism ®

Take a Hike on Britain’s Ancestor’s Trail and Travel Back 10,000 Years

On a wild hike inspired by famed evolutionist Richard Dawkins, every step promises a strange encounter with the origins of species

Futurists Once Dreamed of Submarine Helicopters And Spaceships Powered by Swans

The ships that we’ve dreamed up tell us a lot about just how badly humans have wanted to travel beyond our own world

Central Park’s Horse-Drawn Carriages Could Be Replaced With Old-Timey Electric Cars

Demand for horse-drawn rides has reportedly spiked as tourists and locals alike rush in for a chance to take one last buggy ride through the park

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London’s New Years Eve Will Feature Edible Confetti And Scented Fireworks

Only time will tell whether the sites and sounds and tastes and smells are a success, but no one can say London didn’t try

The tracks and individual cabins of a new train would be built so that, as the high-speed and local train move alongside each other, a link can be secured momentarily, creating a transfer gate for passengers to get on and off.

Tech Watch

This High-Speed Train Picks Up Passengers Without Having to Stop

It’s possible to let passengers board trains through separate cars that latch on, but who will take the risk to make it happen?

Automatic is designed to collect and relay vitals such as the distance, duration and fuel costs for each trip.

Tech Watch

This Device Can Save You Money On Gas (And Maybe Even Your Life)

The Automatic Smart Driving Assistant is designed to warn drivers when they accelerate too quickly and make other fuel-costly choices

Hövding is a helmet cyclists wear on their necks—not their heads.

The Bicycle Helmet That’s Invisible (Until You Need It)

Riffing off of airbag technology, Swedish designers have created a helmet, worn around the neck, that inflates during an accident

Every Year, a Swedish Town Builds a Giant Straw Goat, And People Just Can’t Help Burning It Down

In the 47 years that the town has erected Gävlebocken, it’s been set on fire 26 times

Facebook’s Most Popular Check-In Spots This Year Include Places in Iceland, Argentina and Nigeria

Top world destinations for check-ins are a bit unexpected, but perhaps reflect Facebook’s popularity among varying cultures, interest groups and nations

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