The Biggest Spider in the World
As if one wasn’t bad enough, there are actually two contenders for the title of biggest spider. Let’s get ready to compare and contraaaaaaaast!
Science & Tech
The Very Tiny Bugs That Live on Your Face
If you’re squeamish, you might want to skip this one…but those little creatures are still going to be on your face.
Crazy Crosswalks
Standing at a crosswalk can be really boring (or annoying if you’re in a hurry). Here are a few that make the wait a little more bearable.
Ask Uncle John Anything: Nailed It
The purpose of our fingers and toes is fairly self-evident: the better differentiation of digits makes for better dexterity. This allows us to grasp small objects, or climb and walk, respectively. But why do we have these hard little disks on top of all of our digits? Surely there has to be more of a reason beyond painting them so we can show off our “nail art” on Instagram.
Another Side of Bob Dylan
“Hidden messages” are typically the sort of thing that rock musicians hide in their songs, and studious individuals track down. This time, the opposite is true.
Fake It Until You Make It
Backpacking through foreign lands has long been a right-of-passage for graduates. But instead of doing that, a Dutch student pretended like she did…to see if anyone could tell.
Ask Uncle John Anything: Eye See Your Boogers
That gross yellow junk has a lot of different names: “crusties,” or “eye boogers,” or “sleep sand,” or “sleep gunk,” or…Rheum is a term that refers to any and all materials expelled from the facial cavities—nose, mouth, and eyes—during sleep.
Ig Nobel Awards: Better Living Through Poopy Science
Since 1991, the Ig Nobel Awards honor the world’s most ridiculous research and scientific undertakings. Two out of ten of this year’s honorees regarded, well, fecal matters.
A Virtual Vacation
In Total Recall, Arnold Schwarzenegger took a virtual trip to Mars that nearly destroyed his brain. Now you can do the same, through Marriott’s virtual vacation.
ROBOTICA Invasion: No Bones About It
Researchers at Tokyo University’s JSK Lab have been working on a robot that aims to do just one thing: recreate in robot form the human musculoskeletal system. (Which seems like way more than one thing.)
Ask Uncle John Anything: It’s in the Bag
What causes bags under the eyes? There are a lot of reasons why your eyes might look puffy in the morning. You might not have gotten enough sleep. Your eyes are tired.
ROBOTICA Invasion: A Self-Made Robot
A joint team of engineers from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have created the world’s first ever robot that can assemble itself.
ROBOTICA Invasion: The Very Latest In Robot News
Today we release ROBOTICA: Mechanical Marvels and Mind-Melting Machines of the Past, Present, and Future. The crazy world of robots moves pretty fast, so here are some breaking robot news stories that hadn’t broken when we sent the book to the printers.
Ask Uncle John Anything: The Dog Days Are Over!
Why will a dog stick its head out of a moving car, but hates it when you blow in its face? Animal behavior experts think it’s because at the end of the day dogs are simple creatures who appreciate simple things. And, simply put, getting to go for a ride in the car is the most exciting thing to happen to your dog all day.
ROBOTICA Invasion: Cruising With the Booze Bots
This November, the maiden voyage of the Quantum of the Seas will revolutionize the way that vacationers journey across the oceans. The ship features a sleek lounge with robotic bartenders.
ROBOTICA Invasion: hitchBOT, the Hitchhiking Robot
We’ve got a new book coming out in September called ROBOTICA: Mechanical Marvels and Mind-Melting Machines of the Past, Present, and Future. Yep—it’s a book all about awesome robots. Here’s a little taste of the strange and wonderful robots you’ll find in that book.
Ask Uncle John Anything: Cats Off!
Uncle John knows pretty much everything—and if he doesn’t, he heads his massive research library, or puts one of his many associates on the case. So go ahead: In the comments below, ask Uncle John anything. (And if we answer your question sometime, we’ll send you a free book!)
Will fire departments still come out to rescue a cat stuck in a tree?
The Real Iron Man: How the Army Is Building Robotic Exoskeletons
The U.S. military has contracted companies like Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics to build a Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (or TALOS), a militarized robotic exoskeleton, not unlike Tony Stark’s Iron Man Suit. The Department of Defense is hoping for something that will “provide bullet protection, monitor vital, and give its wearer superhuman strength and perception.”
