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A group of researchers have filmed a type of sea creature known as a “headless chicken monster” swimming in waters near Antarctica for the first time. The discovery was made as part of an effort to discover new marine conservation areas and protect the deep ocean.The “monster,” scientific name Enypniastes eximia, is a strange-looking beast to be sure. As the name suggests, it looks like a strange, purple chicken, complete with wings on the side....

LAS VEGAS — The room was packed, but I got a place up front where I had a good view of the huge projector screen on which they were showing a promotional video—lots of quick clips to the background of the obligatory lame trance music. (That’s okay—I make lame trance music, so I like it just fine, and I think I recognized some of the samples from a commercial sample disk by BT that I own!...

In April, Nintendo is releasing software and a bunch of foldable cardboard that, when outfitted with the Nintendo Switch’s detachable controllers, lets you create a bunch of toys — a little car that uses the controller’s vibrations to crawl around, a fishing rod, a robot suit, etc. These kits, called Nintendo Labo, are exemplary of what makes Nintendo different from other companies. I tried a few of them out myself, and let me tell you: They are wonderful....

Media Platforms Design TeamWe’re well acquainted with high performance dual-clutch transmissions (Nissan GT-R, anyone?), but Nissan’s just-unveiled Hi-Cross Concept SUV reveals an entirely different way two use two clutches.First debuted at the Geneva Motor Show, Nissan’s seven passenger concept couples a lithium-ion battery similar to the one used in the Leaf with a direct-injected 2-liter gasoline engine. The first clutch operates between the gas and electric motors, and can completely decouple the gas motor in order to cut mechanical losses and maximize the efficiency of the electric portion....

A small but intrepid team of Popular Mechanics’ fittest souls last Thursday found themselves in the thick of the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge, a 3.5-mile running race through Central Park. And believe us, it was thick. The organizers behind the event never quite saw fit to insist that the 15,000-plus participants line up in some sort of appropriate order—say, by speed—so our first mile or two involved fighting hard through a dense-packed herd of walkers (whose intended starting position, far at the back of the field, was clearly marked) and other assorted slowpokes of all stripes....

Forget paying a buck for a piece of gum and a pack of trading cards. In Major League Baseball’s brave new future, you could be paying gobs of money for a baseball card you can’t hold—it’s just code backed by the blockchain to swear how rare your Aaron Judge really is. Welcome to the world of MLB Crypto Baseball, if you are willing to shell out a few grand, anyway. Developed by game company Lucid Sight and backed by the MLB, Crypto Baseball works like this....

Larger than a tiger, lion, or polar bear with a skull comparable with a rhinoceros, this ancient predator cat, known as Simbakubwa kutokaafrika, wasn’t discovered in the field—but in a long-neglected museum drawer. Paleontologists Nancy Stevens and Matthew Borths at Ohio University discovered the new species of large meat-eating mammal, at the National Museums of Kenya. They had been previously excavated within the country, and were “not given a great deal of attention,” according to a press release from Ohio University....

Update February 7: On Twitter, Musk has confirmed that the Raptor engines have “achieved power level needed for Starship & Super Heavy,” the two components that make up the BFR systemView full post on TwitterRaptor engines will power the rockets of SpaceX’s future, and company CEO Elon Musk wants the world to know that future is coming soon. He’s posted gorgeous, fiery footage of a test firing of the Raptor engine on Twitter today....

Engine: 3.6-liter V6, 285 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque / Transmission: Six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic / Fuel economy: 19 mpg EPA combined, manual or automatic /Transfer case: part-time four-wheel-drive / Base curb weight: 4,650 pounds / Ground clearance: 10 inches (11.1 on Rubicon) / Tow rating: 7,650 pounds / Base price: $35,040Ostensibly, the Jeep Gladiator is a midsize pickup truck and thus peer to the Ford Ranger, Chevy Colorado, and Toyota Tacoma....

Two years ago, video team RapidNation built a 13-foot model of the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, and launched a number of remote-controlled airplanes from it in this dramatic video.That was impressive, but everyone knows taking off from an aircraft carrier is the easy part—landing on a ship at sea is much harder. That was impressive, but everyone knows taking off is the easiest part of recreating an aircraft carrier in action. You’re gonna need to land some actual aircraft on that beast....

(Image: The Wolf-Rayet star WR 124 in the constellation Sagittarius, imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope.)The prevailing theory of the formation of the solar system is that a large, nearby supernova ejected material into the dense cloud of interstellar dust which collapsed to form our sun and the leftover material that orbits as planets, moons, asteroids and the rest. Astronomers developed this theory because of the high abundance the isotope aluminum-26, which is liberally ejected in a supernova explosion....

While vinyl may seem quaint in the face of streaming technology, there’s a certain magic to physically owning music that has clearly resonated beyond a short-lived fad. However, the Bandai 8ban definitely was a fad. A remarkably tiny record player with remarkably tiny records, Youtuber Techmoan takes a look if there was something to the 2004 device.View full post on YoutubeIt works, albeit with an imperfect sound. Techmoan calls it a “unashamedly low-fi format,” referencing the home tape recording style from the 80s and 90s that most prominently shaped records like Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska and Guided by Voices’ Bee Thousand....

Media Platforms Design TeamThe success of cancer surgery hinges on how much of the diseased tissue a surgeon can extract. But the doctors can remove only the tumor they can find through sight and touch, meaning some cancer gets left in the patient. To get more of it, there has to be a better method than using the human eye.One approach, just tested by a team of scientists from universities in the Netherlands, Germany and the United States, is to make cancer glow....

Electric scooters literally litter the streets of San Francisco while ‘hoverboards’ have mostly come and gone, but the most iconic electric last-mile transportation device is probably the orange-wheeled Boosted Board. Until now, the electric skateboard has come in a single form factor: a big ol’ 38-inch longboard that will set you back at least a grand. Now, the barrier to entry has dropped considerably with that board’s new, smaller, cheaper little brother: the Boosted Mini....

Media Platforms Design TeamMedia Platforms Design TeamVW’s fuel cell-equipped Tiguan is part of a larger hydrogen plan for the company, says the head of its U.S. advanced powertrain team.MORE NEW CAR TECH FROM VOLKSWAGEN• LIVE FROM GERMANY: New Robotic Cars & Systems Coming to the Road SAN FRANCISCO— As fuel prices head frighteningly close to the $5 per gallon mark—even past it in some states—the question from many consumers has become a simple one: What’s next?...

Being good at playing video games is a far cry from being good at playing instruments. Even (especially!) if it’s Guitar Hero. But! When those controllers come back as instruments, all your button-pushing practice finally pays off. Recently I stumbled across synth master Michael Rucci’s museum of fantastic DIY instruments, the coolest of which are built into old game controllers. Evidently he hasn’t been at for a good few years now, but his past creations are as timeless as they are awesome....

After a successful DIY project, you might experience a bit of paranoia in terms of protection. If so, there’s one answer: Matthais Wandel’s DIY wooden combination lock. View full post on YoutubeThe lock isn’t perfect—a lack of friction in the turning mechanism makes it necessary to move the knob very slowly. Wandel says that the isn’tlock quite practical, and he’s right—beyond the speed, it would also be pretty easy to pick....

Some pen makers claim their ballpoints are tougher than ordinary pens, able to write while upside down, cold or even underwater. So we put three models through a three-part test. The question: Do the self-proclaimed tough guys really beat the competition?How We Tested We began by lying on our backs and transcribing the nearest press release. Then, after storing the pens in a freezer for 5 hours at 17 degrees Fahrenheit, we attempted to continue transcribing....

The U.K. could soon get its own next-gen rocket engine, thanks to a partnership between Boeing and Rolls-Royce. The two companies are investing in a new type of jet engine/rocket engine hybrid that could take payloads to space much more efficiently than any current rocket.The rocket engine in question is being developed by British company Reaction Engines Limited. Boeing and Rolls-Royce have invested a total of nearly $38 million in this company....

Megastructure name: Alderson diskNamed after: The late Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientist Dan Alderson, who proposed the idea in the early 1970s Selected science-fiction portrayals: As the “Godwheel,” it was featured in Malibu Comics’ Ultraverse series, and in Missile Gap, a 2006 novella by Charles Stross. Think of the Alderson disk as a DVD so big that an entire star fits in the hole in the center. In sci-fi, the disk serves a dual purpose as a rich narrative setting and an extreme-engineering thought experiment....