Awesome Learning

Will and Robbie from At-Bristol show off a neat trick for science geeks. When you project a laser pointer through a droplet of water, it creates a microscope that can project tiny organisms onto your wall. (Thanks Ross!)

IGN made this polished chronological enumeration of characters who became part of the X-Men, from the fab five to the increasingly varied and confusing kids of the 2000s. Then there’s… nah, that’s all of them.

The Local Europe shares a linguistic quirk in the northern Swedish town Umeå. The most common Swedish equivalent for “yes” is “ja”, but Umeå’s locals have a strange alternative for it. How do you even spell that?

In this excerpt from BBC One’s series Pets – Wild at Heart, a hamster is scanned with an X-ray machine while it’s stashing food in its pouches. It turns out those pockets actually extend up to its hips.

The human eye is so complex and has so many requisite parts that some think of it as an “irreducible complexity.” But scientists believe that this marvelous optical instrument did benefit from 500 million years of refinement.

Another year, another Super Bowl, another crowdsourced Doritos commercial contest. Sum of Us’ entry is really great, but it will never win the contest. Stick around and you’ll see why. Find out more here.

(NSFW: Language) This argument seems counter-intuitive and callous at first but it’s actually pretty simple. Tipping lets restaurants get away with lower wages for their servers. But until they raise said wages, we need to leave tips.

SciShow describes the two types of tickling and presents a theory on why the fun kind of tickling – also known as gargalesis – became a common activity among humans and other primates. Here’s our theory: because it tickles.

The short answer? The first published use of “hot” as substitute for “attractive” was in 1926. But as Mental Floss reveals, the term has been used in a similar fashion since the 13th century. Even ol’ Billy Shakespeare used it.

Hypebeast tours the sriracha factory of Huy Fong Foods in California while founder David Tran narrates how he started the company and shares a bit of trivia about the beloved condiment.

A few years ago, comedian Rick Mercer toured the Royal Canadian Mint, which refines, stores and makes coins out of gold. While inside, Rick did what the average Joe would do: try and nick some of the shiny stuff.

Color grading is done to correct or enhance the colors of photos or videos, and to ensure they match. Taylre Jones of Grade demonstrates its significance with these before and after shots of his work for the movie The House on Pine Street.

Vlogbrothers‘ Hank Green expounds on a series of things that we all assume have some deep meaning, thoughtful or storied background, but just sort of turned out that way. We’re proud to be part of the rare culture that doesn’t eat bugs.

(NSFW) Kevin Lee’s analysis of videos that analyze movies. He bit off more than he could chew though, and his use of sensitive footage is distracting. Still, it’s proof of how the Internet is enabling new forms of critique and teaching.

UC Berkeley psychologist Dacher Keltner doesn’t believe that humans evolved – or will progress further – through “survival of the fittest” schemes. On the contrary, it appears our bodies are built for cooperation and compassion.

…because it’s delicious, that’s why. Thankfully, Minute Earth also answers what makes food such as beer, bread and cheese possible: harmless bacteria and fungi that convert food into their awesome versions.

Did you know that you’re a fan of classical music? Jazz too. Those and lots of other instrumentals. YouTuber Carl Manhke compiled 79 tracks that you’ve heard numerous times but might not know the titles to. Part two here.

Airbus took MinutePhysics on a multi-country tour of its facilities to show how thousands of minds and millions of parts come together to design, build and test its new A350 airliner. Worth watching just to see the Beluga in action.

Having a great day? Just chillin’ and relaxin’? Let AsapScience ruin things for you. This video runs down all the horrible things that happen when you sit down. Yep, as soon as you sit down. The only funny thing here is the ill-suited music.

The great explainer CGP Grey provides a simple-ish summary of The Lord of the Rings mythology, from its universe’s creator to the silly thing that led to the suffering of millions. TL,DW: all we have are six movies about nobodies.

The always thought-provoking Kurzegesagt explores the scientific and philosophical differences between life and death, and how nature’s complicated organizational systems turn matter into life. More on the subject here.

The last minute of 1999 was nearly 15 years ago. Boy don’t you feel old? Let’s look back at the decade that gave us Furbies, The Fresh Prince, Pogs, and this little thing we call the Internet, courtesy of the the fine folks of Mental Floss.

“The [Apple II’s] retail price was $666.66, because I as a mathematician like repeating digits.” Personal computer pioneer and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak talks about the early days of the company in this rare interview.