Meet NASA's new class of astronauts
Adults Science TechnologyMore than 18,300 candidates applied to be astronauts in NASA's latest class-smashing the record of 8,000 applicants in 1978-and only 12 got the job. Here's who made the cut.
Binging with Babish: Chocolate Cake from Matilda
Adults Creativity FoodMatilda, Danny DeVito's thunderous directorial follow-up to Hoffa (1992), features an inexplicably tempting chocolate cake, despite its open admission of containing bodily fluids. Sit down and consume this entire confection today alongside Dan Pashman of The Sporkful.
Jumping Water Droplets Could Be the Future of Cooling Computers
Adults Software Engineering TechnologyEngineers have created a new water-based cooling system that could put an end to electronics crashing and overheating.
The ferocious predatory dinosaurs of Cretaceous Sahara - Nizar Ibrahim
Adults Animals History WorldIn Cretaceous times (around 100 million years ago), North Africa was home to a huge river system and a bizarre menagerie of giant prehistoric predators -- including the Spinosaurus, a dinosaur even more fearsome than the Tyrannosaurus rex. Nizar Ibrahim uses paleontological and geological data to reconstruct this "River of Giants" in surprising detail.
This Is Not What Space Looks Like
Adults Photography Space TechnologyAmazing images of the far reaches of the universe are everywhere, but are they accurate? What does space really look like?
Why wildfires are necessary - Jim Schulz
Adults Ecology NatureOur early ancestors relied on lightning to cause forest fires, from which they could collect coals and burning sticks to help them cook food and clear land. Yet, it wasn't just humans who benefited from these natural phenomena. Even as they destroyed trees, fires also helped the forests themselves. Jim Schulz outlines the benefits of wildfire.
NASA Is Going to the Sun! But How...and Why?
Adults Science Space TechnologyIn 2018, NASA will launch a solar probe that will travel closer to the sun than any spacecraft before. But why? What are they looking for?
The Insane Plan to Tow an Iceberg to the Middle East
Adults Business Nature TechnologyA United Arab Emirates company wants to tow an iceberg from Antarctica to the desert for drinking water, but is their plan feasible?
How the bendy straw was invented | Moments of Vision 12 - Jessica Oreck
Adults Creativity Design HistoryToday, Americans use an estimated 500 million drinking straws every day. But where did the idea for this beloved utensil come from? In the twelfth installment of our 'Moments of Vision' series, Jessica Oreck shares the origins of the bendy straw.
Why don't perpetual motion machines ever work? - Netta Schramm
Adults Science Technology WorkPerpetual motion machines - devices that can do work indefinitely without any external energy source - have captured many inventors' imaginations because they could totally transform our relationship with energy. There's just one problem: they don't work. Why not? Netta Schramm describes the pitfalls of perpetual motion machines.
Wait... Is China Really the Leader in Green Energy?
Adults Global Warming WorldWith plans to pull out of the Paris climate deal, the US is quickly falling behind in the race for clean energy. So who's winning?
Binging with Babish: World's Greatest Sandwich from Spanglish
Adults Creativity FoodSpanglish, the movie your aunt refers to as a "must-watch!", is home to a Thomas Keller-inspired creation known around the internet as "The World's Greatest Sandwich". Can such familiar ingredients earn such a prestigious moniker? Let's find out, and let's take it one step further: by baking our own rustic country loaf to act as the "bread" for our creation. Recipe below!
Four inventions that might change the world
Adults Creativity Future ScienceTiny lab-grown organs. A spongy cloth that absorbs oil spills. Sure, why not. These are some of the finalists for the European Inventor Award.