Mexican jumping beans are a prank store classic- a packet full of “beans” that move and jump around on their own which pranksters use to startle their victims.

They're generally sold without explanation or list of ingredients, their packages claiming they "work like magic" in order to perpetuate the myth.

But how does this classic prank actually work?

(YouTube Link)

As Simon Whistler of Today I Found Out explained in the video- jumping "beans" are actually a seed pod from the Sebastiania pavoniana shrub which has been implanted with moth larva.

The jumping is actually the moth larva moving inside the seed, which it will do for months until it finally spins a coccoon and undergoes a metamorphosis into an adult Jumping Bean moth.

-Via Laughing Squid

It's safe to say our gorgeous National Parks are some of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States, and in accordance with the American dream they're best experienced while on a road trip.

In honor of the 100th anniversary of the National Parks Service, University of Penn researcher Dr. Randal Olson created the ultimate road trip map for vacationers looking to hit every national park in the U.S.

Using Dr. Olson's map you can maximize your National Parks experience by hitting all 47 of the National Parks in the lower 48 while taking the shortest road trip possible:

“In total, this road trip spans 14,498 miles (23,333 km) of road and will take roughly 2 months to fully enjoy, depending on your pace. I’ve designed this road trip to form a circle around the U.S., so you can hop on at any point and proceed whatever direction you like. Just make sure to follow the agenda from that point on if you want to follow the optimal route!”

Click here for interactive map

-Via Unofficial Networks

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There are plenty of dogs out there who enjoy playing chase and be chased, but only the shyest and meekest dogs hide well enough to engage in a game of hide and seek.

That doesn't stop dogs from trying to hide every time thunder starts clapping outside or they get yelled at for knocking over the trash yet again.

But try as they might they're just not very good at hiding.

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Dogs are the very best seekers though, so some of their strange hiding habits may be a way of masking their scent so their canine pursuers can't sniff them out.

Either that, or dogs are just total weirdos!

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See Proof That Dogs are Terrible at Hide and Seek here

(4 Comics That Perfectly Describe Life As A Pokemon Fan)

Dating can be extremely awkward for extroverts, and since most nerds are somewhat introverted people assume nerd dating will be doubly awkward.

But nerd dating can actually be quite magical, as two people passionate about geeky stuff discover they can share their pop culture passion with another person without feeling like a lame Psyduck.

(4 Comics That Perfectly Describe Life As A Pokemon Fan)

Of course, that same passion can lead to arguments, name calling and hurt feelings, as the nerdy couple becomes more comfortable with each other and stops holding back their passionate outbursts.

(Star-Crossed Gamers)

But if your nerdy dating experiences are anything like mine you'll soon find that special person you want to game with for a while and Netflix and chill with for always.

(The Progression Of Every Gamer Relationship)

Read 8 Comics About Your Nerdy Dating Life at Dorkly

Batman is a lot more than just a cape, a cowl and a scowl- he's a deep and interesting dude who is so multi-faceted his writers virtually never run out of new material.

But for every good story arc or issue there's another which completely misses the mark, making readers wonder “WTF?!”

Like the time Batman dyed his Batsuits different colors so goons wouldn't figure out Robin's secret identity, featuring Batman wearing a rainbow Batsuit while saying the line “they’ll find no gold at the end of this rainbow… only prison.”

And then there was the time Batman agreed to sing Christmas carols with officers from the Gotham PD- and no crimes were committed that night in Gotham, seemingly thanks to the songs sung by Batsy and the boys.

Think Batman singing is weird? Not as weird as the Caped Crusader laughing with the Joker, impregnating Batgirl or wetting himself during a mission.

See the 15 Most WTF Moments In Batman Comics here

Fast food restaurants love to employ the burger drop in commercials nowadays, showing us each layer of the burger and how fresh and bouncy it is to entice us into heading for the drive-thru.

It may surprise you to know the burger used in the drop is often CGI, modeled and animated for the perfect mouth-watering look, but not all ad directors agree with using CGI in a burger commercial.

In fact, one practical effects crazy photographer/director named Steve Giralt wanted a real burger drop so bad he built an entire machine to make it happen.

He calls it the “Precision Arduino Timing Relay Imaging Controller”, or P.A.T.R.I.C. For short, and it not only makes the burger drop a breeze- it kicks buns at making ketchup and mustard collide in mid-air.

Here's a short video showing what it was like behind the scenes while shooting this burger ad:

Deconstructed Burger Behind The Scenes from Steve Giralt on Vimeo.

-Via Bored Panda

Aren't celebrities the worst? They seem all cool when they're in movies and TV shows and in concert and junk, but then you actually meet them and it's like eeeeewww! Gross!

You know who else thinks celebs are, like, the lamest people to be around?

AverageRob, now he knows what a drag it can be to hang with the rich and famous, especially when they're constantly makng messes he has to clean up!

AverageRob turns average photos of celebrities into AverageRobs, using the magic of Photoshop to insert himself into their staged definitely not staged snapshots.

And since celebrity photos can't be twice as fake the AverageRobs effect actually makes them twice as genuine and four times as real.

But don't do the math on that, math makes for sore brains.

-Via Bored Panda

I wonder what Batman thinks about while he's taking a shower?

He probably runs through the minutes of his last mission, thinks about how much he hates clowns and keeps a fearful eye open in case a psycho man-bat tries to jump him in the shower.

We can only speculate about what runs through Bruce Wayne's bat-tastic mind while he bathes, but the rest of us tend to wonder about pretty normal Batman-related stuff while showering.

The Showerthoughts subreddit is home to many brilliant Batman related concepts, questions and criticisms, the kind which leap into our minds while we shampoo our heads which, if left unshared, could drive us mad.

Read 10 Batman Shower Thoughts That'll Leave You Thinking "WTF?" here

Have you ever wondered why mermaids wear a clam shell bikini top instead of, say, a blouse?

It's because the salt in the ocean water collects on clothing and then crystallizes, and after a while that blouse would look more like a salt sculpture than an article of clothing.

This is the concept explored by Israeli artist Sigalit Landau in her photo series Salt Bride, featuring images of a dress which Sigalit left hanging in the Dead Sea for 2 years.

The progress shots captured over a three month period show the ocean waters naturally transforming the dress into an encrusted couture dress fit for Neptune's wife Salacia.

Here's a bit about the concept behind Salt Bride: 

The concept was inspired by S. Ansky's 1916 play titled The Dybbuk, in which a young Hasidic woman becomes possessed by a deceased lover's spirit, though engaged to be married into a wealthy family. The story is rich with romance and sorcery, which Landau aimed to emulate. The original Salt Bride garment is a replica of the one worn in the dramatic production in the 1920s, while the salt serves to symbolize that supernatural force, bewitching the black fabric into the new appearance of a white wedding gown. The photographic process, too, stands as a metaphor: just as the garment had to be immersed to undergo its metamorphosis, each printed image was necessarily developed by liquid emulsion.

-Via My Modern Met

Pirates have been cleaned up and made to look like heroes, but in their day they were the scummiest, scurviest, meanest, greediest and most ruthless dogs sailing the seven seas.

Which is why it would have sucked to be a pirate- constantly sailing meant eating disgusting things like hard tack and leathery cured meats, overcrowding meant disease and urine a-plenty, and the combat was bloody and horrific.

(NSFW due to language)

(YouTube Link)

Sam O'Nella Academy has ruined another childhood fantasy for us all with this animated short, which is probably okay considering most pirates really were terrible role models.

-Via Laughing Squid

That song “Put On A Happy Face” failed to mention one thing about smiling all day every day- people will think you're deranged, and instead of spreading happiness you'll be spreading fear.

But this comic by Owlturd is right, to heck with how other people feel about my maniacal grin, I feel happier already!*wink*

-Via MemeBase

Humans assume dogs don't appreciate fine art because they often tear any artwork they find lying around to bits, but dogs explore the world with their mouths and they mean no disrespect.

In fact, if a dog's eyes worked like ours they would definitely appreciate art and stare at it more, but they can't see colors like we do.

So dog lover and artist Dominic Wilcox decided to put together an art show both dogs and their humans would find amusing, with exhibits that appeal to canine sensibilities.

'Play More' includes- paintings with colors within the dog vision color spectrum, a giant ball pit shaped like a food bowl full of kibble, a virtual frisbee screen, simulated car window experience, and dancing water jets to delight and refresh art lovin' dogs.

(YouTube Link)

See more from World's First Art Exhibition For Dogs here

A healthy diet was a big part of the Hippie lifestyle, and their dedication to going all natural extended into every aspect of their lives, from their choice of food to their taste in music.

Stuffy, corporate bands didn't thrill Flower Children at all, they preferred bands who were wild, woolly and let it all hang out on stage, like that ukulele strumming superstar Tiny Tim.

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So what does all of this have to do with Peter (of Peter, Paul and Mary) Yarrow's bizarro art film You Are What You Eat?

Well, Tiny Tim's in it, as well as a bunch of fully freaky folks showing us what it was like to hang out with Hippies circa 1968. It's like far out film food for your mind!

Read more about 'You Are What You Eat' at Dangerous Minds

You know you're having a bad day when a crazed, machete-wielding man tries to rob your store, but take it from the shopkeeper in this wild security video- it's best to keep calm and pull out a bigger sword.

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The shopkeeper seems like he expected some kind of medieval robbery attempt scenario to go down, but now he should consider investing in a helmet and breastplate in case the guy comes back with a crossbow!

-Via Boing Boing

Pokémoning is everywhere and infecting people from all walks of life with the pokévirus code name GO, but even with all the hype and press many people don't know a thing about Pokémon.

And that's actually quite refreshing, especially when the person who knows nothing about Pokémon is an artist and Redditor who offers to draw pictures of Pokémon by request based on name alone.

Redditor netwoodle put the word out on r/ICanDrawThat by stating "I know next to nothing about Pokémon, but that won't stop me from doodling one for you." and naturally his fellow Redditors wanted to catch 'em all.

It's nice to see such fresh and unique Pokémon reimaginings after seeing the original character designs for so many years, and netwoodle's doodles definitely don't lack in the personality department.

-Via The Mary Sue