They look so realistic, we can’t help but wonder. Just a little. All jokes aside, the 3-D printed eyeballs featured in the photo above were created by Weta Workshop, who designed effects for Xena: Warrior Princess and The Lord of the Rings. For their latest project, the New Zealand-based workshop is perfecting highly realistic human eyeballs:

Adam Savage went to New Zealand for his YouTube series Tested to check out Weta’s 3D printing lab. There, designers are hard at work perfecting. Savage talked to Weta founded Richard Taylor and 25-year-old 3D artist Tor Robinson about the project, and why it’s so important to create these detailed eyeballs.

Taylor went on to detail some of the challenges in creating eyes that look absolutely human. It comes down to getting the veins right, which can be challenging when painting. That’s where a specific type of 3D printing called “voxel printing” comes into play. The technology helps create the translucent look of the eye.

Image via Nerdist 

Coelacanth, what we call a ‘living fossil’ for its appearance, is apparently not the living fossil that we all thought it was. An analysis of the fish’s DNA suggests that its genome has undergone some changes in recent evolutionary history. Even though they resemble near-identical species spotted in the fossil record, one species of coelacanth, the Latimeria chalumnae, has acquired new genes in the past 23 million years: 

What’s more, the finding is further evidence that the living fossil concept is outdated and somewhat of a misnomer.

Not much is known about coelacanths, but they’re not particularly aggressive, and they’re actually somewhat social, Isaac Yellan, the first author of the new study, explained in an email. L. chalumnae lives in the Indian Ocean and the waters off the coast of southeast Africa, and, though not extinct, the fish is elusive and critically endangered, said Yellan, a graduate student with the Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto.

Image via Gizmodo 

Illinois is now trying to convince its residents that they can eat Asian Carp. It’s easy to tell people that yes, they could eat the fish, but it’s another to encourage them to do so. It’s like marketing something that hasn’t been used by people before or something that people initially do not like. For the record, the Asian Carp has a mild flavor, low in fat, and makes ‘excellent table fare’, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). So what was the state’s first step? Changing the fish’s name: 

According to USA Today, a new name for the fish has already been proposed, and it will be revealed this summer, just before the Boston Seafood Show.

"To us in America, we think of carp as a bottom-feeding, muddy-tasting fish, which it is sometimes," Dirk Fucik, the owner of Dirk's Fish and Gourmet Shop in Chicago, told the outlet. "But Asian carp is a plankton-feeder. It's a different type of flesh—much cleaner, sweeter-tasting meat."

Asian carp have become an increasingly big headache in the United States. They were imported into the country in the 1970s to eat the algae at wastewater treatment plants, and to help clean up catfish ponds. Flooding and other water-related accidents helped them escape from those controlled environments, and they're now found in the Missouri and Illinois Rivers, and Illinois is doing everything it can to keep them out of the Great Lakes. 

The idea of reducing the Asian carp population by putting them on American plates has been proposed before, but it's been a hard sell so far. Clay Ferguson, a Ph.D student in Virginia Tech's Department of Food Science and Technology admits that the word 'carp' is off-putting, because people tend to think of that fish as being 'dirty.' 

"It's a misconception that we're trying to get past," Ferguson told the Augusta Free Press. "Silver and bighead carp [...] don't rummage through the mud."

Image via Food And Wine 

We all know the story of Sgt. Alvin York, mostly because of the 1941 Gary Cooper movie. York killed 25 enemy soldiers and captured 132 more in one day in France. For his efforts, he received the Medal of Honor and legendary hero status. He was not the only one who displayed heroism on that day in 1918. You can read an account of the battle in which quite a few of York's comrades performed in exemplary fashion, in supporting roles, you might say. But it was York who became the face of the US efforts in World War I.  

It would be nice to say that York et al went on to live happily ever after, and in some instances that was approximately so. But even as the S.S. Ohioan carrying York’s company arrived in New York, a whispering campaign had begin casting some doubt on York’s reputation as a “one-man army.”

The New York Times reported as much in May 1919, saying that while the men on the ship were “unanimous” in their praise for York, “several officers expressed regret that other members of York’s patrol squad which surprised the Germans at Hill 223 in the Argonne Forest, had not won recognition.”

In fact, Beardsley, Konotski, Wills, Sacina, and Donohue were cited for their “splendid conduct” by the 164th Brigade. Missing from the equation, though, was Bernard Early, who had led the patrol into that ravine and taken the initial surrender of the Germans, and Otis Merrithew, a.k.a. William Cutting.

Both were recovering from their wounds while the army performed its investigation of the Oct. 8 action; both would, to different degrees, become thorns in the side of York and cast doubt on the army’s official line about York’s heroism.

Jealousy? Maybe somewhat. The other men didn't so much begrudge York's acclaim as they resented the relative lack of acknowledgment of their own actions. Read what happened to the men who fought with York at Military History Now.  -via Strange Company

(Image credit: Frank Schoonover)

A hip-hop odyssey using footage spanning a decade. Welcome to the stormy inner world of one Congolese-American coming of age in the US.

Starring Nathan Nzanga

Directed by Caleb Slain

Created in community at Prodigy Camp

Support the film's mission on GoFundMe: http://bit.ly/2NLOx9Z​

Connect with Nathan

Spotify: https://cutt.ly/lkrokO7​

Apple Music: https://cutt.ly/JkrosJc​

TIDAL: https://cutt.ly/JkrotNI​

Instagram: https://cutt.ly/jkroQXD​

Twitter: https://cutt.ly/5kroIfM

Do you have any romantic ideas for what you can do with a pair of handcuffs this Valentine's Day?

The Sheriff of Nash County, North Carolina does. In a Facebook post, the Sheriff's Office suggests that if you have an ex who is currently wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant, give them a call:

This Valentine’s Day Weekend Special starts off with a set of limited-edition platinum bracelets, free transportation with a chauffeur, a one-night minimum stay in our luxurious ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ accommodations, and this special is capped off with a special Valentine’s dinner.

We know this special is so incredible that you may be tempted to provide additional referrals. We don't blame you, this special is too sweet to pass up. Operators are standing by!

-via Dave Barry | Photo: Max Pixel

Alasdair Beckett-King distilled Scandinavian crime dramas into one scene for us last month. Now he does the same with classic Hollywood noir. In the final scene, we can fairly well surmise what happens for the rest of the movie, and we should assume that the plot is full of twists that we can't keep up with and make no sense in the real world, just like many real movies of the crime noir era. Yet we often watched just to see our favorite stars do their thing. I'd watch a full-length version of this one just to see Beckett-King deliver his deadpan nonsense for an hour or so. -via reddit

New love may be all giddy with hearts and flowers and declarations of undying devotion, but when you've been in a committed relationship for a while, real love boils down to making your significant other's life easier. You'll get points for trying, and even noticing these things is a sign of love. It's still best to follow through. The Holderness family has plenty of examples in this medley of love song parodies. Happy Valentines Day!

(Image credit: BeExcellentToEachOtter)

This picture from December made an impression. These dresses at Target evoke memories of Little House on the Prairie, which is a trend no one asked for, but they inspired some Facebook users, particularly the group BYC (BackYardChickens), to use them for historical recreations. The pictures were so good that they went viral, and now the #targetdresschallenge has leaked out and gone viral.



Target must be ecstatic that they are selling so many dresses, even if it's for comedic purposes. See lots more of these images at #targetdresschallenge or a representative roundup at Buzzfeed.

Sparta was a dominant military city-state in ancient Greece for about 500 years. It was most notable for winning the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE) against Athens. Eventually, the Roman Empire came along and enveloped Sparta in 146 BCE. But the Romans knew of Sparta’s legendary history, and took advantage of it.  

The Euryclid Dynasty capitalized on this legacy by reorganizing their city into what was essentially an ancient Roman tourist trap.  The city had most of the things Romans enjoyed such as games, gladiatorial combat, theater, baths, brothels, and taverns. Like most other tourist hotspots there was probably a proliferation of tacky souvenirs and the like.  However, what interested the Romans the most was Spartan culture, especially their strange militaristic warrior traditions.  Ancient Spartan traditions became a show for wealthy Roman patricians who paid good money to see them. The hottest show in town was the Spartan coming of age ceremony held at the Temple of Artemis Orthia were a Spartan boy would be whipped to near death, at which point if he survived he would be considered a man and a warrior.  The Spartans rebuilt the temple into a theater so that large audiences could view the ceremony.  Because seeing children being beaten to near death is the height of entertainment amiright!

Read more about what happened to Sparta after its glory days at Lock, Stock, and History. -via Strange Company

Companies all over the world are in a race for robotic advancements. Joining the race is the Asian car manufacturer giant Hyundai Motors. Hyundai’s mobility department New Horizons teamed up with US software company Autodesk to develop a motorized robot. They called the concept T-I-G-E-R, which stands for Transforming Intelligent Ground Excursion Robot. 

The main goal of the company is to create an android that would aid humans in navigating remote and complex terrains which are too difficult for ordinary vehicles to access. 

TIGER has a structure similar to Hyundai Motor's "Elevate" walking car concept that was unveiled at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The TIGER is 80 centimeters long, 40 centimeters wide and weighs 12 kilograms. It has four legs with extendable wheels that make it capable of moving in any direction over complex terrain.

This project is still in the experimental stage, but who knows? It might be really part of interplanetary explorations in the future.

(Image Credit: Korea Times/Hyundai Motor Group)

Hair styles come and go, but no matter what the era, there will always be outliers who do things differently for attention, or maybe just by mistake. Robert E. Jackson (previously at Neatorama) has an extensive collection of vintage photographs. He shares some of men from the earliest days of photography up through the mid 20th century who have hairstyles that don’t quite fit our vision of those eras.

See a roundup of weird men’s hairstyles at Flashbak. -via Boing Boing

This conch shell was discovered in 1931 during an excavation in France and has been sitting in a museum for decades. Now it has made a comeback to the headlines after producing near-perfect musical notes. 

Archaeologists from the University of Toulouse hired a French horn player to play the old instrument. The sound was deep but the notes were lucid.

Carole Fritz, one of the archaeologists, was quite anxious that the shell would snap during the experiment as it is already 18,000 years old. Luckily, it did not.

“Hearing it for the first time, for me it was a big emotion — and a big stress,” said archaeologist Carole Fritz.

She feared that playing the 12-inch (31-centimeter) shell might damage it, but it didn’t. The horn produced clear C, C sharp and D notes.

To date, it is the oldest wind instrument of its type.

(Image Credit: Carol Fritz/ AP/NBC News)

The artist probably is a big fan of Hermes and got the idea of turning the orange peels into baby footwear. He or she must have thought of a good way to put the abundant supply of orange peels, which were probably from the Chinese New Year celebration, into good use. Oranges are really popular during this time of the year as they are believed to bring good luck.

Of course, these sandals are just made for fun and are not recommended for use.

(Image Credit: Baby Lover/Facebook)

John D. Boswell, better known as Melodysheep (previousy at Neatorama), brings us a visually-stunning illustration of the things that can happen in a fraction of a second across the known universe.

When we look up at night, the universe seems pretty quiet. But that perspective is an illusion; in reality, there are millions of world-shattering events happening every instant across the cosmos. This short film explores just how much is going on every moment in our ridiculously enormous universe.

In the fraction of a second it takes to blink your eyes, thousands of stars will be born, hundreds will explode and die, millions of planets will form, and our universe will expand by half a million kilometers in diameter.

When you put it that way, it makes one’s individual world seem kind of small and insignificant. But since our own is really the only perspective we have, keep blinking. You don’t want your eyes to dry out. -via Laughing Squid