Clowns are creepy, I think most of agree on that. Some people are so creeped out by clowns that they fall apart in the presence of a clown. That is called coulrophobia, and it can be treated. It seems that it would be easier to just avoid clown.
Dr. Dena Rabinowitz explains some the reasons that we instinctively do not like clowns, and they make perfect sense. That touch od weirdness is great for pop culture horror stories. But if you are seriously coulrophobic, you'd be better off not going to see It in theaters, and just skip this year's American Horror Story on TV. -via Digg
In the 1880s, a Viking settlement was excavated in the town of Birka, Sweden. One grave stood out among the others: it was obviously a high-ranking warrior, a leader of men, buried with the accoutrements of war and honor. He was obviously a well-respected leader. Excuse me, did you just assume this Viking's gender? Archaeologists did, until just a few years ago, when osteologist Anna Kjellström noticed some oddities about the skeletal remains. She ordered a DNA test on the bones.
“It’s actually a woman, somewhere over the age of 30 and fairly tall too, measuring around 170 centimetres,” Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson, an archeologist at Uppsala University, told The Local of the findings that were published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology on Friday.
“Aside from the complete warrior equipment buried along with her – a sword, an axe, a spear, armour-piercing arrows, a battle knife, shields, and two horses – she had a board game in her lap, or more of a war-planning game used to try out battle tactics and strategies, which indicates she was a powerful military leader. She’s most likely planned, led and taken part in battles,” she said.
From our “Dustbin of History” files, here’s the harrowing tale of a little-known milestone in aviation history.
LOADED
It was January 7, 1785, and two men were preparing for the first ever balloon crossing of the English Channel. The one who financed the adventure was John Jeffries, a well-to-do American doctor. The one with the aviation skills was Frenchman Jean-Pierre Blanchard, one of the innovators of ballooning -which at that point had only been around for two years. A crowd gathered near the Dover cliffs to watch them lift off for France. At 1:00 p.m., Blanchard and Jeffries embarked on their 21-mile journey. But there was one problem: They were too heavy.
They were carrying 30 pounds of ballast weights (used to keep the balloon steady), plus steering gear, personal items, a bag of mail to be delivered in France, and scientific equipment. And then there were the four “wings.” Made out of silk and extending from the carriage, they served no real purpose except to make the balloon look like a bird.
As Hurricane Irma bears down on Florida, expected to hit the keys hard, many people are wondering about the Hemingway cats. The Hemingway Home & Museum in Key West has 54 cats on the property, most of them polydactyls, descended from Hemingway's favorite cat Snow White. General manager Jacque Sands says have all been brought inside. They, along with about ten employees of the museum, are staying put through the storm.
Transporting the cats in stop-and-go traffic, in 90-degree heat, was not an option, Sands said.
Forecasters think Irma will make landfall in Florida as a Category 4 with 140 mph peak winds.
But Sands said she, the approximately 50 cats and the other employees will be OK.
“I’ve been in this house in a (Category) 4. ... It’s one of the most fortified buildings on this island,” she said.
The Cassini spacecraft was launched on October 17, 1997. Seven years later, it arrived in orbit around Saturn, and has spent the last seven years exploring the gas giant, its rings, and its many moons. But Cassini's mission is coming to an end. On September 15, the probe will take its final dive toward the planet and destroy itself. I recommend clicking the video link and watching this video tribute in full size.
Yeah, we aren't supposed to tear up over the death of an inanimate object, but go ahead if you must. Cassini succeeded in its mission, so much that it was extended several times. The probe had a good life, and will always be remembered, especially by the scientists who spent their lives with it. You can find out more about Cassini at NASA's site dedicated to the mission, now under the name The Grand Finale.
A baby bear crashed the party, and everyone else had to move indoors. As expected, mama bear wasn't too far behind! If you an adult, you may feel a little nervous at how much noise all these kids are making in front of the bears. Baby bear was a little disappointed no one wanted to play with him, until he saw the pink flamingo-shaped pool float. That's what he'll play with!
Invading aliens are really into cool neon colors! Redditor fweng posted one of the better pictures of a flying saucer I've seen in quite some time. It's reminiscent of the mothership in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, but if you look at the lower part of the picture, you realize it's a reflection in a window. The ceiling light in the restaurant is reflected in the sky, in the building across the street, and somehow partially in the tree to the right. You can enlarge the image here.
You might also be shocked at the price of gas, which is not $1.18 a gallon, but £1.18 per liter, as the picture was taken in Watford, Hertfordshire, UK. That comes out to about $6 a gallon. The restaurant is Indo Sports Bar & Restaurant, featuring Chinese-influenced Indonesian and Sri Lankan cuisine. That by itself is more intriguing than the faux alien invasion. Or at least more relevant to my interests.
Do plants form memories? They don't form new synapses in their brain cells, because they do not have brain cells. But if you look at learning and memory as observed changes in behavior, plants certainly do conform their behavior to changes in their environment. We once thought their behavior was genetic, the result of the survival of the fittest, and that plants either lived or died in the conditions in which they sprout. But experiments show that plants can adapt their behavior to conditions not found in their normal environment -and remember those behavioral adaptations over time. Evolutionary ecologist Monica Gagliano first worked with animals, and when she switched to plant studies, took some of the animal experimental techniques with her in a study on how plants learn and retain their lessons.
At the center of the experiment was the plant Mimosa pudica, which has a dramatic response to unfamiliar mechanical stimuli: Its leaves fold closed, perhaps to scare away eager herbivores. Using a specially designed rail, Gagliano introduced her M. pudica to a new experience. She dropped them, as if they were on a thrill ride in an amusement park for plants. The mimosa plants reacted. Their leaves shut tight. But as Gagliano repeated the stimulus—seven sets of 60 drops each, all in one day—the plants’ response changed. Soon, when they were dropped, they didn’t react at all. It wasn’t that they were worn out: When she shook them, they still shut their leaves tight. It was as if they knew that being dropped was nothing to freak out about.
Three days later, Gagliano came back to the lab and tested the same plants again. Down they went, and … nothing. The plants were just as stoic as before.
This was a surprise. In studies of animals such as bees, a memory that sticks for 24 hours is considered long-term. Gagliano wasn’t expecting the plants to keep hold of the training days later. “Then I went back six days later, and did it again, thinking surely now they forgot,” she says. “Instead, they remembered, exactly as if they had just received the training.”
This kind of learning is what plants do to the best of their ability, in order to survive in a world with changing temperatures, amount of sunlight, and water supply. But how? Is it genetic, epigenetic, or some secret chemical process? Read about the research into plant memory at Atlas Obscura.
Kurt Vonnegut wrote several stories that were never published until now. Five of these stories from the 1950s, very early in his career, were only discovered recently, and will be published in book form to be released next month. One of the stories ohs called "The Drone King." Here's a little video preview.
“The greatest advance in communications since the invention of wireless telegraphy!” he said.
“Yup. Yessir,” I said. I sighed and squared my shoulders. “If you’d discovered this before somebody else had discovered wireless telegraphy,” I said, “maybe you’d have something. But, good gosh, what person in this day and age is going to want to write eensy-teensy messages on tissue paper and send them by bee?”
Die Hard is a classic Christmas movie, and now it's an illustrated children's book! Written by Doogie Horner with illustrations by JJ Harrison, A Die Hard Christmas: The Illustrated Holiday Classic is told in rhyme, in the style of A Visit from Saint Nicholas.
Yes, it's violent. After all, it's Die Hard, and you know the story. It would make a perfect gift for a family member, co-worker, or friend who has a sense of humor and a soft spot for John McClane. You can pre-order the book before its release date of October 17. See more pages from the book at Geeks Are Sexy.
Jumpy is a video game character who lives to jump. It's a good thing, because that's all he does. However, he can get frustrated when his controller isn't that great at jumping. And there's a tinge of envy when other character outperform him. Oh yeah, things can get worse.
But ultimately, Jumpy is a joyful story -and cute, too. Creator Anthony Falleroni also has a behind-the-scenes video about the making of Jumpy. -via Digg
Simon Tofield and Nicky Treverrow are back with another lesson on cats. This one is about adopting a kitten. They have special needs, compared to a older cats.
After all, you can never have too many cats! Especially when shelters are full of kittens (and older cats) who need homes. Get your kittens spayed or neutered when your veterinarian says it's time. As usual, this video is folowed up with a Simon's Cat cartoon.
It's a love story, in five panels, from Matthew Inman of The Oatmeal. Click the arrow on the right of the image to advance the comic. And let the romantic feelings wash over you.
On last night's edition of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel interviewed the Fleming family of Kerry, Ireland, about the viral fame that came with the bat that got into their kitchen earlier this week. Even the dog Basil was part of the fun! Tadhg can't help but get a few more digs on his father, as he did in the original video, and we get to see Derry dance. -via Mashable
In 1871, Ōyama Sutematsu was sent to the United States to get an education. It was a step in the process of opening up and modernizing Japan after a bloody civil war. A few years later, she became the first Japanese woman to earn a college degree when she graduated from Vassar.
On returning to Japan after graduation, Sutematsu found the nation had reverted to the old ways, and very few Japanese girls received any kind of formal education. So she set out to change that, which involved a lifelong struggle against the entrenched forces of Japanese society. Read the intriguing story of Sutematsu at Rejected Princesses. -via Strange Company
