As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Some Tardigrades Have Light Shields!

Tardigrade Light Shield

Scientists have discovered yet another reason to be impressed with tardigrades; some of these microscopic, nearly indestructible creatures wear a glowing “shield” that protects them from ultraviolet radiation. Tubby tardigrades — also called moss piglets or water bears — are known for their toughness, able to withstand extreme heat, cold and pressure, as well as the vacuum of space. They can also survive exposure to levels of radiation that would kill many other life-forms. Now, scientists have uncovered new clues about tardigrades’ radiation resistance. Experiments with tardigrades in the Paramacrobiotus genus revealed that fluorescence protects them like a layer of … Read more

UK to release Its Own “X-Files”

UFO - Deposit Photos

From the early 1950s until 2009, a department in the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) documented and investigated reports of UFOs. Now, more than a decade after the program ended, many of those formerly classified files about UFO sightings will be made available to the public for the first time. Previously, some MoD files about UFOs had been published online at the U.K. National Archives website, The Telegraph reported. However, all of the agency’s UFO reports will be released this year on “a dedicated gov.uk web page,” a spokesperson for the British Royal Air Force (RAF) told The Telegraph. … Read more

US Navy Confirms “UFO” Videos

ufos - US Navy

Three videos of unusual objects encountered by Navy pilots that were released beginning in 2017 have been confirmed to be legitimate by the U.S. Navy. Joseph Gradisher, official spokesperson for the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare, told The Black Vault: ““The Navy designates the objects contained in these videos as unidentified aerial phenomena. The ‘Unidentified Aerial Phenomena’ terminology is used because it provides the basic descriptor for the sightings/observations of unauthorized/unidentified aircraft/objects that have been observed entering/operating in the airspace of various military-controlled training ranges.” The Black Vault reports: “Originally released by the New York Times and … Read more

Ten Bizarre Things We Launched Into Space This Year – Live Science

Humanity Star

This past year, engineers launched many oddities into space, including a Tesla Roadster, a gold-plated canopic jar and a cosmic disco ball. The total list of launched objects is lengthy, so here are the top 10 coolest objects (in our opinion) that blasted spaceward in 2018: Cosmic disco ball Got an urge to dance some disco? This past year, you had the opportunity to do it under the cosmic disco ball, which was launched into orbit on Jan. 21 by the U.S. company Rocket Lab.  The 3-foot-long (1 m) reflective ball’s official name is the Humanity Star, and it was … Read more

U=(N/T)M*G: Awesome

I have a personal opinion about Hell, if Hell exists, and it’s a floor stretching out for eternity. Covered in Lego. Yeah. That’s my definite version of Hell. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love Lego. Those little blocks make for hours of a frustrating good time and these days come in some wild builds. The Space Shuttle build is my kidlet’s favorite. And that brings me to the point of this whole little ramble: kidlets and Lego. Every parent’s worst child-related fears come with some version of them swallowing a foreign object. How long until it passes? Will it … Read more

WEIRD NEWS: Hairy Beast Washes Ashore in the Philippines

hairy sea monster

It came from the depths of the ocean and has since mystified onlookers: the decaying, truck-size body of a hairy sea monster. What it is, no one can yet say. But the beast, which washed ashore on a beach in the Philippine province of Oriental Mindoro on May 11, is likely the remains of a whale, fishery law enforcement officer Vox Krusada told The Sun. However, DNA testing is needed to pinpoint the exact species, Krusada said. [13 Bizarre Things That Washed Up on Beaches] Until the species is officially identified, people are calling the 20-foot-long (6 meters), grayish and … Read more