James Van Allen dies James Van Allen, discoverer of the Van Allen radiation belt and designer of the instrumentation on Explorer I (the United States' first artificial satellite), winner of the National Medal of Science, and all around nice guy, died Wednesday at 91. So, next time you look up and see an aurora, think of Van. more inside

"Stay hopeful that the crystalline amoeba poops your car out soon."

Hopkin Explained. The resolution of the missing frog story. The news is pretty old, but I didn't see it mentioned in the original link, and a search didn't bring it up. The details are probably not what you'd expect.

Consider the Eel Cuz what the hell else are you going to eat?

What the hell? Anyone wanna buy a Bulgarian scammer? Only 25 available...

It slimed me If, like me, you have an eelskin wallet, you might be interested in what it's made from. It turns out it's not an eel, but a hagfish, aka slime eel. Yes, it's called a "slime" eel for a reason. Its slime is the subject of ongoing research, including egg replacement in scones. Before we get too far, let's not fall prey to hagfish misconceptions.