Which wine goes best with a Taco Bell chalupa? Taco Bell's food scientists have taken the guesswork out of that decision by creating an optimal wine for your economy taco cravings. It's called Jalapeño Noir. CNN reports:

Taco Bell Canada said in a release the duo is "irresistible," adding that "the rich taste and crunchy texture of the beloved Toasted Cheesy Chalupa complements notes of wild strawberry, cherry and beetroot in this silky limited-edition red wine." The wine is made at an Ontario, Canada vineyard.

The wine, which is being called a collector's item because it has three unique bottle labels, costs $25 Canadian or about $19 US. Fans can buy it on Taco Bell's Canada website or in some locations in Ontario.

Soon, Taco Bell will be as classy as it appears in Demolition Man, which takes place only twelve years into our future.

-via Dave Barry | Photo: Taco Bell Canada

Dad: We are not feeding that feral cat. Also Dad: I set up a heated cat house in the backward and put a camera so we can make sure she’s home safe every night. from r/dadswhodidnotwantpets

Maria Cassano posted this picture that became the top post of all time at the subreddit DadsWhoDidNotWantPets. There's more to the story of how her father went from never allowing his children to have pets to doting over a stray mother cat. Read the rest of that story and those of other men who fell in love with pets they didn't want, plus a look into the psychology of how a dog or cat can transform a gruff guy into a softie at Mel magazine. -via Digg

One of the oldest methods of preserving food is by drying. This method is still used to this day, and researchers from Queensland University of Technology are seeking to improve the method.

Published in journal PLOS ONE, researchers used QUT's supercomputing facilities to examine the micromechanical behaviour of plant tissues and how biological cells behave while dehydrated or dried.

Lead investigator Dr Charith Rathnayaka is a computational scientist from QUT's Faculty of Science and Engineering investigating the physics, mathematics, and biology of agricultural cell structures to improve food production.

"By developing the computational model, it is possible to estimate how the cells are being damaged when they are being processed for preservation, storage or packaging," Dr Rathnayaka said.

"This innovation has the potential to influence the future of food drying processes globally in terms of reducing cost, optimising food processing, energy conservation and increasing dried food shelf life."

More details about this over at EurekAlert.

(Image Credit: Jean-Louis Vandevivère/ Wikimedia Commons)

That’s what scientists found out in their detailed study of the skeletons of the hillstream loach fish family in Asia. This fish family includes Cryptotora thamicola, or the cave angel fish (which is also known as the waterfall climbing cave fish). Scientists also found out that 10 other species probably have the ability to walk as well.

By identifying which species of hillstream loaches can potentially go for a wander on terra firma (ignoring the breathing difficulties for a moment), the researchers hope to learn more about how the very first land-walking vertebrates might have made their way out of the water and onto land.

What makes these fish capable of walking? Find out over at Science Alert.

(Image Credit: Chulabush Khatancharoen/ Wikimedia Commons)

In a time where facemasks are a necessity to the point that you can’t leave home without them (please don’t leave your homes without a facemask on), it’s difficult to obtain disposable ones. Most of us are relying on reusable cloth masks, as they are inexpensive and easier to find. But do we need to wash them after every use? The answer is yes, as Vox details: 

“It’s definitely recommended to wash that mask every day,” said Dr. Ravina Kullar, an infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist. Kullar points out that the purpose of the mask is to prevent the virus from spreading, so if there are virus particles on yours, wearing an unwashed mask is counterproductive.

The CDC also recommends washing masks: “Masks should be washed after each use. It is important to always remove masks correctly and wash your hands after handling or touching a used mask,” the website says. According to the CDC, taking off your mask correctly means handling it only by the ear loops or ties, folding it to be placed in the washing machine, and washing your hands immediately after.

Cloth masks can be washed by hand or in a washing machine. Surgical masks, another popular option, cannot be washed and should be discarded after one use. There is very little “peer-reviewed” information about how to wash an N95 mask. Some potential options include vaporized hydrogen peroxide, using dry heat, or UV light — methods that aren’t really suitable for experimentation at home.

For cloth masks, if you’re using a washing machine, the CDC recommends regular detergent and “the warmest appropriate water setting for the cloth used to make the mask.” If you’re washing your mask by hand, you should prepare a bleach solution and soak your mask in it for five minutes, then rinse in cool or room-temperature water. Mask filters should be washed by hand.

Image via Vox 

This artist repurposed vintage railway tracks to create an outdoor pavilion. The Interchange Pavilion is a 350-square-meter outdoor pavilion can be found in Sydney, Australia. The rails in the Interchange Pavilion were crafted to go in several paths upwards, where they converge at a central point. This repurposing project isn’t the first from the artist. In 2017, Chris Fox, the artist, reused old wooden escalators to create  a sculptural ribbon above Sydney’s Wynyard Station. 

Image via Colossal 

Sacha Jafri is using his art to raise funds for kids in need. His upcoming piece, The Journey of Humanity, will be the world’s largest painting on canvas. The artwork will also be used to raise $30 million to fund health and education projects for children living in poverty. The painting is approximately the size of two soccer fields, and will be unveiled to the public in November to be evaluated by the Guinness Book of World Records to certify that it is, indeed, the world's largest painting on canvas. My Modern Met has an exclusive interview with Jafri about his goals for this project and what it feels like to complete the world’s largest painting. Check the full piece here. 

Image via My Modern Met

Microsoft’s new “Video Authenticator” tool can analyze photos and videos and provide a “confidence score” that can tell you if these photos or videos have been altered. If a video is being analyzed, the tool can provide the “confidence score” on each frame as the video plays. The tool works by detecting the blending boundary of the deep fake and subtle fading or greyscale elements that might not be detectable by the human eye. 

Image via PetaPixel 

Everybody likes Shrek. Some people like Shrek so much, they travel from all over the world to attend the annual Shrekfest. This year, the event is still on, and it's still free, but it will be online so you can attend without all that travel. Enjoy communing with other Shrek fans, and enjoy cosplay, fan art, animations, and other entertainment, ending with a screening of the movie Shrek Retold. It all happens online Saturday, September 19th.

2020 marks Shrekfest’s 7th year. It started out in 2014 as an internet joke, but blossomed into an actual event that same year thanks to 3GI Industries, a comedy troupe in Milwaukee, WI. The event has exploded into an international event since then, seeing Shrekheads travel from all across the world to celebrate the big, green ogre. Shrekfest has always been free to the public and is known for its inclusive, easy going atmosphere. The physical fest event included live music, a costume contest, a roar contest, an onion eating contest, and an outdoor screening of Shrek.

Shrekfest has shifted gears into an Online event this year amidst the ongoing pandemic. While typically a physical event, this transformation opens the doors for an even larger audience and larger, more interactive spectacle. Earlier in the year 3GI had requested fans send in their artwork, films, animation and music. The end result is hours of content submitted from artists all over the world. They will be streaming these carefully curated Shrek tributes on September 19th as part of the Shrekfest 2020 Online experience.

Shrekfest will be hosted on Twitch. Find out more at the festival's website. -Thanks, Grant!

In order to encourage private companies to explore the lunar surface, NASA has taken a big step once again. This time, the agency is asking private companies to collect moon dirt, and it will pay them for doing so.

"The bottom line is, we're gonna buy some lunar soil for the purpose of demonstrating that it can be done," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said today (Sept. 10) during an online presentation at the Secure World Foundation's Summit for Space Sustainability.

The agency just issued a request for proposals (RFP) to this effect, Bridenstine explained in a blog post today. NASA wants private companies, from the United States or abroad, to snag 1.8 ounces to 18 ounces (50 to 500 grams) of lunar material by 2024 and officially transfer ownership of the stuff to the space agency on the lunar surface.

NASA will pay $15,000 to $25,000 for each of these caches, with 80% of the money delivered after sample collection. Companies will get 10% upon signing a contract and 10% after launching their spacecraft, Bridenstine added. 

It is for good reason that they are doing such a thing.

The use of lunar resources is critical to establishing a sustainable human presence on and around the moon, a goal NASA aims to achieve by the late 2020s via its Artemis program of crewed exploration. This lunar work will help the agency prepare for crewed trips to Mars in the 2030s, NASA officials have said.

Still, it is a lot of money.

What are your thoughts about this one?

(Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

You know Centralia as the Pennsylvania coal town that has been on fire since 1962. The burning subterranean coal seams finally forced the town's residents out by 1992, although eight people still remain. As the town grew smaller, it became a tourist draw, first for the smoldering fires, then later for an organic art project that grew up on the pavement of Route 61.

Formally closed in 1993 due to a decades-long mine fire simmering beneath its surface, this abandoned 0.74-mile stretch of road had achieved cult status in the first decade of the 2000s. After years of disuse, it took on new life as an artistic commons adorned with everything from pineapple-carapaced turtles to less-than-family-friendly fare, often of the male anatomical variety. By 2017, it was anecdotally cited by some locals as the sixth-most-visited attraction in the state. Its warped surface was a magnet not just for taggers, but also for horror fans and gamers in search of one of the inspirations behind Silent Hill (the 2006 movie based on the video game), mountain bikers, skaters, ATV enthusiasts, photographers, local party people, ghost hunters, and the generally curious.

The new owners of the land did not welcome the visitors, and the art, and the road itself, are gone. Read the story of Centralia's Graffiti Highway and what happened to it at Atlas Obscura.

(Image credit: Flickr user R. Miller)

Photographs were meant to immortalize unforgettable moments — funny, shocking, historic, and romantic moments that you could look back from. Of course, we don’t just photograph ourselves. We photograph nature and animals, too, and their moments could also be as funny and as shocking as ours.

See the pictures over at IFL Science.

(Image Credit: Christina Holfelder/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020)

There are times when you don’t need to make your child hold the real thing for him or her to understand how you use the object. Sometimes, a creative approach, and a child’s highly imaginative mind, is enough. It has many benefits, too. Not only do you put your child away from harm and the danger of breaking the real thing; you also give him or her a toy to play with.

Sydney Piercey recycles and repurposes her excess cardboard into delightful replicas of everyday items for her children to enjoy. Starting as a few projects (a quarantine hobby) for the amusement of kids in her neighborhood, it soon shifted as Piercey’s young daughter drew interest in the creations as well. Piercey’ love of creativity and engineering kicked in further as she started brainstorming different types of items to construct and materials to use.

“We buy dog food, beer, baby wipes and the like in bulk, and these boxes turned inside out become perfect for creating appliances out of,” Piercey tells My Modern Met. The pieces not only afford her with ample opportunities to continue in a day to day practice of sustainability—something that she’s committed to—but also adds an entertaining spin on early childhood education.

Check out Piercey’s creations over at My Modern Met.

(Image Credit: My Modern Met)

Being drunk is such an interesting state to be in. I believe that no one has experienced the same thing when they were in this state. 

Perhaps what’s interesting about this is how people reveal a different side of them when they are drunk. Some people become creative, while others become apathetic. But if there was something common to drunk people, it’s the way they give the people a reason to laugh.

See 50 of these funny drunk people moments over at The Mind Circle.

(Image Credit: The Mind Circle)

Phosphine can be created in the lab, but as a naturally-occurring chemical, it is usually formed by the decay of organic matter. At least here on earth. It appears that astronomers have detected phosphine in the atmosphere of Venus. It's too early to say what that really means, but the news is exciting. 

The presence of phosphine is seen by many astrobiologists as a "biosignature" i.e. an indicator of the possible presence of life. The detection was made by the Atacama (ALMA) array located in Chile and the James Clerk Maxwell telescope located in Hawaii. The research team includes members from the University of Manchester, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Cardiff University. A paper will appear in the 14 September issue of Nature Astronomy.

From what we're told the researchers have concluded that abiotic mechanisms (i.e. ones that do not involve life) that might produce phosphine cannot account for the large amount that they have detected. The phosphine has been detected in the region within the atmosphere of Venus that is considered by some to be potentially habitable.

Much more research is needed to detect whether this might mean that microbial life forms are floating in Venus' atmosphere, or possibly that some life existed long ago. Or maybe it means that some mechanism for producing phosphine exists on Venus that does not exist on Earth. See a video on the subject at Astrobiology. The announcement from the Royal Astronommical Society is here. -via reddit

(Image credit: NASA)