A 2,700-year-old grave unearthed in the Gobi Desert near Turpan, China revealed the world's oldest marijuana stash! The grave belonged to a blue-eyed Caucasian man buried with a number of valuable items.

Scientists originally thought the plant material in the grave was coriander, but microscopic botanical analysis of the bowl contents, along with genetic testing, revealed that it was cannabis.

The size of seeds mixed in with the leaves, along with their color and other characteristics, indicate the marijuana came from a cultivated strain. Before the burial, someone had carefully picked out all of the male plant parts, which are less psychoactive, so Russo and his team believe there is little doubt as to why the cannabis was grown.

Nearly two pounds of pot were found in the grave. No, it's not fresh enough to get anyone high. Link -Thanks, Jorge Garcia!

(image credit: David Potter/Oxford University Press)

Casey Pugh wired LED lights to a motorcycle helmet and programed them to flash patterns, a la Daft Punk! This was his Halloween costume. See a time-lapse video and a discussion of how he did it at Vimeo. Link -Thanks, Gene!

You may recall the famous photograph known as "Migrant Mother", taken by Dorothea Lange of Florence Owens Thompson and her children in 1936. It was used over the years to illustrate the Great Depression. Thompson was a migrant worker with seven children who also worked the fields. 77-year-old Katherine McIntosh was the girl burying her head in her mother's shoulders in the photo. She was four years old at the time.

"The picture came out in the paper to show the people what hard times was. People was starving in that camp. There was no food," she says. "We were ashamed of it. We didn't want no one to know who we were."

The photograph helped define the Great Depression, yet McIntosh says her mom didn't let it define her, although the picture "was always talked about in our family."

"It always stayed with her. She always wanted a better life, you know."

McIntosh talked to CNN about what her life was like in those days. She now lives in Modesto, California. Link -Thanks, Geekazoid!

(image credit: Gregg Canes/CNN)

Atom has a rundown of five really strange animals, some you have seen here at Neatorama. Shown is Chrysopelea, the flying snake. Not something you want to invite into your dreams! Link -Thanks, Katharine!

Fourth grader Alec Greven wrote a pamphlet called "How to Talk to Girls" which became a best seller at his school book fair in Castle Rock, Colorado. The 46-page book has now been picked up by publisher Harper Collins. Some tidbits:

"It is easy to spot pretty girls because they have big earrings, fancy dresses and all the jewelry," he writes in Chapter Three.

"Pretty girls are like cars that need a lot of oil."

He advises, "The best choice for most boys is a regular girl. Remember, some pretty girls are coldhearted when it comes to boys. Don't let them get to you."

He believes the best way to approach a girl is to keep it to a simple "hi."

"If I say hi and you say hi back, we're probably off to a good start," he said.

As for his own love life, he said he is not dating anyone at the moment. "I'm a little too young," he confessed.

Link to story. http://www.amazon.com/How-Talk-Girls-Alec-Greven/dp/0061709999/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228331114&sr=1-1 to Amazon order page. -via Unique Daily

(image credit: Liz Sullivan)

Out-of-body experiences and even the sense of switching bodies with another person can be induced by tricking the mind with sensory illusions!

In a study presented Tuesday, neuroscientists at Stockholm's renowned Karolinska Institute show how they got volunteers wearing virtual reality goggles to experience the illusion of swapping bodies with a mannequin and a real person.

"We were interested in a classical question that philosophers and psychologists have discussed for centuries: why we feel that the self is in our bodies," project leader Henrik Ehrsson said. "To study this scientifically we've used tricks, perceptual illusions."

70-80% of the test subjects experienced the illusion "very strongly". How weird that feeling must be! Link -Thanks, Geekazoid!

(image credit: AP/Niklas Larsson)

Ever wondered what you would look like with a mustache? An application from Schick lets you add one to a picture and see. I know what I look like with a mustache (not a pretty sight), so I snagged a picture of Alex and gave him a handlebar. See a rather creepy moving version here. You can try out lots of different styles on your own picture (registration required). http://www.schickfreeyourskin.com.au/go3d/ -Thanks, StreetAttack!

HE Zao built a virtual drum kit (or it it an "air drum'?) out of a different Wii accessories and a bit of software!

With Nintendo Wii remote, Nunchuk and Wii Balance Board, it is easy to produce drum kit sounds from programming of their acceleration, joystick and weight data. These data can be transmitted from Wii controllers via Bluetooth to PC or Mac without Wii consoles. Wii Drum High integrates all three kinds of Wii controllers to stimulate a complete drum set of Hi-hat, Snare, Base drum, Crash cymbal, Ride cymbal, Mid tom and Low tom. Up to 4 sets of Wii remote and nunchuk can be used at the same time. (one of my colleague succeeded in connecting 5 wiimotes to a PC, but I've never tried)

No, it wouldn't be an "air drum" because it produces the sound itself. http://hezhao.net/project/wii-drum-high.html (with video) -Thanks, Joe!

The Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss is beginning a series of quizzes on well-known drumbeats.

Today’s quiz is our first entry in the Let There Be Drums series. All you have to do is listen to each of 10 drum intros to hit songs of the late 1960s, and match them with the correct song title. Easy? Maybe for some.

Not only did I score 100%, I didn't even have to look at the song titles to know them! http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/20657

The board game Scrabble is 60 years old, or maybe 70, depending on where you start counting from. PES created this eye-popping stop-motion ad to honor the occasion. Link (embedded YouTube video)

What's it like when a canal city has a flood? Venice, Italy is undergoing its worst flooding in 22 years as water has risen five feet above normal levels.

Venice’s lagoon often rises to 40 inches above its normal level during 'acqua alta’ or high tides, particularly in autumn and winter.

But anything above 50 inches risks flooding the city and causing chaos for its 60,000 permanent residents and the tens of thousands of tourists who descend on it each day.

The worst flood in modern times was in 1966, when the lagoon rose more than six feet and caused widespread damage.

Experts say the severity and frequency of floods is becoming worse due to silt deposits raising the floor of the lagoon and a rise in sea levels caused by global warming

Flood control barriers under construction are not expected to be operational until 2012. Link -Thanks, Freshome!

(YouTube link)
YouTube member blinktwice4y wrote a song about Mario Kart and love. The lyrics are available at the YouTube page. My younger daughter will adore this! She recently traded in ALL her Nintendo DS games to get Mario Kart. I didn't realize that my older daughter didn't have any games of her own until every game cartridge in the house was suddenly gone! -via Viral Video Chart

Walruses can be cute -if they can play the saxophone like Sara!

The flippered, whiskered creature is delighting audiences with her human-like skills, playing the saxophone, blowing a whistle, or simply adopting the universal expression for 'I'm bored, get me out of here'.

When handed the brass instrument she gripped it with her flippers and simulated an energetic jazz performance to some backing music.

Sara is one of the star attractions at the Istanbul Dolphinarium in Istanbul, Turkey.

See more pictures and a video at the Mail Online. Link -via Unique Daily

For coffee, a pot just won't do. Neither will a microwave oven. How about a YAG laser beam? For hot dogs, forget the grill or toaster oven. Cook them with a 10-foot tall Tesla coil! See videos of both procedures at Talk Like A Physicist. Link -via Dark Roasted Blend

Today's Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss will tell how well you really know your American history. Who was president at the time these events occurred? Not easy! I scored 77%, but that's only because I'm old enough to remember the events as they happened! http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/20599