Huh, did aliens drop this? A mysterious metal structure was found lying in the desert of southern Utah. Wildlife resource officers noticed the towering structure as they were flying over the desert. The metal tower was somewhere between 10 and 12 feet, as the Cut details: 

“We just happened to fly directly over the top of it,” Bret Hutchings, the helicopter pilot, told a local outlet. In all his career, Hutchings said, the monolith is “about the strangest thing that I’ve come across.”

In the days since, the helicopter crew has weighed a number of predictable explanations for the miraculous phenomenon: At first, they wondered if the structure belonged to NASA and had fallen from space; after concluding that it appears to be firmly situated in the ground, they decided it must’ve been installed, perhaps by a “new wave artist” or a 2001: A Space Odyssey super-fan. But they haven’t seriously considered, at least publicly, what we are probably all thinking: That the metal structure clearly belongs to our alien neighbors.

Image via The Cut

You don’t need to hire a babysitter at this rate if all cats are like this one! Joey Mansalugan’s cat Keanu took care of her 3-month-old baby Nyx! When she and her partner were out to buy supplies, her mother and 12-year-old daughter were tasked with looking after baby Nyx. Her eldest daughter shared photos of Keanu taking care of their baby when they arrived home. Honestly, the photos are just adorable! 

Image via Rappler 

Ordinary heated gloves on the market can warm you up in certain conditions, but can they regulate the heat depending on the outside temperature? Can they distribute the heat equally to the fingers and joints? No? These smart-heated gloves by Quanta Vici prove what ordinary heated gloves on the market cannot. Vici’s smart app-controlled gloves and socks have a real-time thermostat: 

The smart app-controlled gloves and socks have a real-time heat regulation algorithm; generating a maximum heat of 131 Degrees Fahrenheit (depending on your preferred settings) for over 6.5 hours of operation on a single charge. The compression socks are designed to keep the feet from swelling and they also have an anti-blister cushion which is a good addition for long-duration use. Both these accessories are designed to be breathable, especially the gloves boasting thin and light material (anti-slippery grip texture) for dexterous tasks like operating your touchscreen phone or maybe playing the guitar. Yes, you can do that with the voice-controlled smart Quanta Vici gloves on!

Image via Yanko Design 

Don’t worry, it’s not a literal galaxy made up of fossils. Researchers from Liverpool John Moores University have discovered a fossil galaxy within the Milky Way. The galaxy, called Heracles, collided and merged with the Milky Way 10 billion years ago. If you’re not familiar with fossil galaxies, they are the remnants of a galaxy merging with another. New Atlas has the details: 

Heracles was discovered using near-infrared data gathered by APOGEE, which has recorded readings from over 500,000 stars in our galaxy. According to the LJMU team, the infrared band of the spectrum was necessary because the center of the Milky Way is loaded with dust, which obscures visible light. By looking at the chemical composition and velocities of the stars, the scientists were able to separate the native stars from the ones that made up Heracles when the two galaxies collided.

"To find a fossil galaxy like this one, we had to look at the detailed chemical makeup and motions of tens of thousands of stars," says Ricardo Schiavon. "That is especially hard to do for stars in the center of the Milky Way, because they are hidden from view by clouds of interstellar dust. APOGEE lets us pierce through that dust and see deeper into the heart of the Milky Way than ever before."

Image via New Atlas 

Such a caring companion! A soldier at the Indianapolis airport decided to get some quick shut-eye, and one of the dogs in the group of soldiers he was with quickly protected him as he slept. As you can see in the photo, it’s both admirable and just downright adorable at the same time: 

However, it’s not always easy to nap in the airport. It’s bright, loud, and there’s always the fear that someone will steal our luggage. However, this soldier definitely did have to worry about that last point! One of the dogs in their group was quick to protect him while he slept.

The little battle buddy took their duties very seriously and went above and beyond to make sure that their friend was safe. That’s all that anyone can ask from a bodyguard. These dogs are trained to protect their humans at all times, at all costs, and this is very evident when you see the photo.

Image via The Animal Rescue Site

I honestly didn't know this was a thing. That is, until I stumbled on this video discussing the lost McDonald’s DS Game. At first I thought that the video title was just clickbait. I was proven wrong! In 2010, McDonald’s Japan collaborated with Nintendo to create a brand new software program to train part-time McDonald’s employees. Watch to learn more about this odd collaboration that turns out to be one of the rarest Nintendo DS games of all time. 

With climate change and other environmental issues on the rise, researchers and environmentalists are seeking solutions in order to stop our planet’s destruction. Researchers from Cranfield University in Bedfordshire have developed a new type of latex that can biodegrade in a couple of weeks. That’s a big improvement from the commonly-used latex made from petroleum, which degrades after a 100 years. 

Image screenshot via BBC 

Not really, but it does look like a perfect setting for fairy tales. The Santa Barbara Botanical Garden has 78 acres of natural beauty. Located in Mission Canyon, California, the garden is dedicated to the research, education, and conservation of the state's native plant life. Only In Your State has more details: 

The garden is organized by sections, with each section boasting its own breathtaking display of beauty. In all, there are over 1,000 species of rare and indigenous plants thriving in the garden. As you explore the garden, be sure to pay attention to the signage that tells you all about the different flora.

Take your time exploring the 5.5-miles of trails in the garden - there's something to see around every corner! Some of the garden's most iconic features include the historic Mission Dam and aqueduct built in 1807 and the authentic Japanese Teahouse and Tea Garden.

Image via Only In Your State

A team of researchers from Hong Kong University have created a shape-shifting robo-fingertip inspired by origami. At first glance, it may look like a paper flower, but this shape-shifting device can morph into three different modes. You know, like a Transformer. The fingertip can easily change so it can function more like a human hand, as Syfy details: 

“Robotic systems do not have to be constrained by human’s structure and capabilities, robot can surpass human in various perspectives, also in the grasping genre,” said Zicheng Kan, who co-authored a study recently presented at the IEEE International Conference on Automaton Science and Engineering (CASE). “In terms of stability, our fingertip can form concave tip surface to provide a squeezing equilibrium that traps the object so as to secure a successful grasp.”

If origami can inspire satellites that get launched into space, it can really inspire anything.

Kan and his team leveled up a previous design into something Optimus Prime only wishes he had at his fingertips. Its skeleton is an original origami design that involves a central platform with a quad of facets. Each of these four facets, which look like petals, has its own servo motor (the same tech behind many movie animatronics) that lets them move around individually if they need to. There is a ball joint in the center that allows for maximum pivoting action, especially if it has to tilt when it rotates. The grasping poses are also easy to control.

Image via Syfy 

I can’t even build a regular house made of lego. Then again, people have different talents, and this 12-year-old is recreating huge real life structures with Lego bricks. Meet Joe Bryant, who lives in West Sussex, England. Bryant has managed to build very detailed models of his favorite Bundesliga stadiums without access to design plans or blueprints: 

Before lockdown, Bryant was able to tour a few Bundesliga stadiums to show off his craftsmanship.

"They're really kind and generous to me," he said. "I'm a mini-celebrity over here," he said from his home in West Sussex, England. "But over there, like, I'm really well-known, and it's really nice and cool."

He estimates that his most complex works take between 5,000 and 6,000 tiny bricks. They're so imposing that several teams have asked if they can incorporate them in permanent displays, he said in an interview with ESPN.

"Recently a lot of the clubs have wanted to keep my Lego stadiums for their museums, VIP areas or fan shops," he told the website. "That is perfect for me because it means they stay up forever and everyone gets to see it."

Image via NPR

Now that’s a true hero! Imagine risking your arms in exchange for saving a poor puppy that’s about to be devoured by an alligator! A Florida man ripped the alligator’s jaws open (wow, that’s extreme) in order to save the poor pup from being the predator’s lunch. Mad respect. 

(via Flipboard)

Image screenshot via Flipboard

If you browse the Internet using your browser’s incognito mode, do you know that your online activity is still visible? Well your parents wouldn’t see you browse through … sites they wouldn’t like you looking at, but website operators, internet providers and other data collectors would. They wouldn’t judge you, sure, but it’s time we accept that your private mode browsing is not so private at all: 

But according to a 2018 study by the Leibniz University of Hannover and the University of Chicago, many users overestimate the privacy protections offered in private mode. Even after they were shown disclaimers, 40 percent of participants thought their location couldn’t be identified while browsing incognito, and about 22 percent believed both the government and their internet providers couldn’t track their behaviour. 

These are all misconceptions, since private mode basically just deletes your browser history and cookies after you close the window.

Your browser history consists of the websites you’ve visited and the text you’ve typed into web forms (for example, when you log in to a website using an email address), while cookies are small files stored in your computer or browser, containing information about your online habits. You can easily delete both your history and cookies in regular browsing mode.

What private mode won’t do is prevent trackers from identifying individual users. In fact, your internet provider can still collect data, such as your IP address, while you browse incognito. Your IP address can then be matched with so-called “browser fingerprints”, which is information your computer makes available to websites so they can be displayed correctly, accounting for screen resolution, operating system, location and language. These browser settings might seem generic, but combined they are actually pretty unique.

Image via Vice 

Wait, what? I’m pretty sure your chosen music player is able to display the title of the song, right? Apple’s new feature will let you identify the artist of the song you’re listening to with one tap. This is one way that the company is using Shazam, as CNBC details: 

And you don’t need to have the Shazam app installed for this to work. All you do is add a button to the Control Center menu and then, when you hear a song you like and want to know who the artist is, you just tap the button.

It’s fun and easy to set up. Here’s what you do.

First, make sure you’re running the latest software on your iPhone. To do that, go to Settings > General > Software update. You need to be on iOS 14.2 or newer.

Once the update is installed open Settings on your iPhone.

Tap Control Center.

Scroll down under “More” and tap the green ‘+’ button next to Music Recognition.

That adds the music recognition function to Control Center.

Image via CNBC 

A mysterious object fell from the sky and landed in remote Dennehotso, a community in the reservation area of Arizona. People near the crash site were able to capture photos and videos of the unidentified object. The object appears to have four large solar panels and has an orange-colored parachute. But what could it be? USA Today has more details: 

The Navajo Police Department confirmed officers responded to the area after receiving reports about an object that fell from the sky, said department spokesperson Christina Tsosie.

Tsosie described the object as a satellite, which crash-landed. There were no reports of injuries or property damage, she said.

The cause of the crash was unknown and the "satellite material" was released to employees from a company called Polar Field Services, she said.

Company officials did not respond to requests for comment Thursday. According to the company website, the Colorado-based firm specializes in providing logistics and support for expeditions to locations in extreme climates.

That object turned out to be a high-altitude weather balloon. Polar Field uses similar balloons in its operations.

The balloon that crashed in Michigan had been launched by Samsung as part of a "SpaceSelfie" ad campaign and crashed because of unexpected weather conditions, according to news reports at the time.

Image via USA Today 

All it took was one tweet for netizens to come in with their best mean responses yet. Then again, when you’re on Twitter, all it takes is one tweet that the majority can scrutinize or hate. Automobile company BMW caused a commotion on Twitter and Reddit with a recent post about its new iX SUV. The post answered the outrage towards the new model’s grille treatment with the cutline:  "OK, Boomer. And what’s your reason not to change?" Now that’s a statement just asking for engagement. Autoweek compiles all the mean tweets in reaction to the post. Check them out here.

Image via Autoweek