Called Cryptococcus neoformans fungi, this type of fungus was found growing inside the buildings of the Chernobyl disaster, and it one day could help protect humans from radiation on Mars as well as space travel. It was discovered in 1991, five years after the disaster, and it survives by feeding on radiation due to its high melanin content, a pigment found in skin which turns it dark. Read more for a video and additional information.
Alvaro Gracia Montoya is a 3D animator known on YouTube as MetaBallStudios who specializes in space-themed features, and his latest project focuses on the many moons in our solar system. They’re are at least 219 known natural satellites, or moons, with 19 of them are large enough to be gravitationally rounded. All of these are covered by a crust of ice except for Earth’s Moon and Io. Read more for a video and additional information.
Photo credit: Budget Direct via Neo Mam Studios
The third-generation Land Rover Discovery is very similar to the smaller Discovery Sport model, but the tail lights have changed from a vertical orientation to horizontal, and the third-row side glass no longer blends into the roof glass. It’s also based around Land Rover’s aluminum architecture, first introduced on the Range Rover (L405), saving 1,000-pounds over its predecessor. You can choose from either a V6 petrol or diesel engine, mated to a standard 8 speed automatic transmission. What if you wanted this SUV as a sedan? Well, you won’t be able to get one from the factory, but Neo Mam Studios shows us how such a vehicle would look. Read more for six other SUVs reimagined as sedans.
Tom Selleck was a notable actor back in the early 80s, but spent years receiving little interest from the entertainment industry, that is until he was cast in the lead role as Thomas Magnum in Magnum, P.I.. Unfortunately, the show’s producers would not release the actor for other projects, so Selleck had to pass on the role of Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. We all know what happened next, actor Harrison Ford took the role and ran with it. Read more to see how Selleck would have looked as Indiana Jones, thanks to deepfake technology.
Ravi Hongal, a 49-year-old photography fanatic from Belgaum, India, decided to combine his passions into a three-story house. Little did he know that it would become the latest attraction in the city. Why? Well, from afar, it looks like a giant camera with a Nikon lens, Canon flash, and an Epson printer. How much did all this cost? So far, he’s put in $95,000 USD. Read more for a video tour and additional information.
Video game collectors have been known to pay exorbitant amounts for pristine examples of sealed games, and this graded copy of Super Mario Bros. just set a new record. Not only is this an original black box release, but it’s a rare sealed with hangtab variant. The previous record was $100,150 for a copy of the same game in similar condition, but someone decided to shell out $114,000 this one. Read more to see its appearance on Pawn Stars and additional information.
Paragliding refers to the adventure sport of flying lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. A pilot typically sits in a harness suspended below a fabric wing, while the wing shape is maintained by the suspension lines. The pressure of air entering vents in the front of the wing, and the aerodynamic forces of the air flowing over the outside, but Turkish man Hasan Kaval had other ideas. Read more to see a real flying couch potato.
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza pyramid complex bordering present-day Giza in Greater Cairo, Egypt. It’s also the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but due to the pandemic, many people have not been able to visit this year. A couple, Andrey and Victoria Vakhrushev, from Istinka, Russia, used modern tools to build a miniature concrete replica in their backyard. Read more for two videos and additional information.
Photo credit: Alireza Zamani | University of Turku via DailyMail
Scientists have discovered a new velvet spider species that wears a vibrant red-and-white pattern on its back reminiscent of the grin worn by Joaquin Phoenix, who played the Joker, Batman’s long-standing nemesis. It’s officially called “Loureedia phoenixi”, and it’s the first Loureedia spider to be identified outside the Mediterranean region. Read more for additional pictures and information.
Photo credit: Vintage Everyday
The 1939-40 New York World’s Fair was held at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens and the second most expensive American world’s fair of all time. Many countries around the world exhibited, and over 44-million people attended the festivities in two seasons. Why? Well, it was the first exposition to showcase future technologies and “the world of tomorrow”. Read more for a video, additional pictures and information about the Pontiac ghost car that was at the show.