theatlantic: NASA or MOMA? Here are some pictures. Were they taken in space, or painted here on Earth? See more. [Images: NASA,various artists] It’s harder to tell than you might imagine sometimes.  Want more of this stuff? I did a nearly identical post about a month ago. Great minds think alike, I guess I’m ready for The Atlantic!
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theatlantic: NASA or MOMA? Here are some pictures. Were they taken in space, or painted here on Earth? See more. [Images: NASA,various artists] It’s harder to tell than you might imagine sometimes.  Want more of this stuff? I did a nearly identical post about a month ago. Great minds think alike, I guess I’m ready for The Atlantic!
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theatlantic: NASA or MOMA? Here are some pictures. Were they taken in space, or painted here on Earth? See more. [Images: NASA,various artists] It’s harder to tell than you might imagine sometimes.  Want more of this stuff? I did a nearly identical post about a month ago. Great minds think alike, I guess I’m ready for The Atlantic!
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theatlantic: NASA or MOMA? Here are some pictures. Were they taken in space, or painted here on Earth? See more. [Images: NASA,various artists] It’s harder to tell than you might imagine sometimes.  Want more of this stuff? I did a nearly identical post about a month ago. Great minds think alike, I guess I’m ready for The Atlantic!
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theatlantic:

NASA or MOMA?

Here are some pictures. Were they taken in space, or painted here on Earth?

See more. [Images: NASA,various artists]

It’s harder to tell than you might imagine sometimes. 

Want more of this stuff? I did a nearly identical post about a month ago. Great minds think alike, I guess I’m ready for The Atlantic!

(via pbsarts)

Source: theatlantic

Sculpting a Catalogue of Apples Apples, at least as we know them, are a freakshow born of agricultural genetics. While wild apples readily grow from seeds, perhaps every single variety we buy in stores is produced by grafting. With more than 7,500 wild varieties, apples have incredible genetic diversity. This is how we’ve been able to develop so many variations of size, sweetness, texture and color. The side effect is that many apple varieties are such Frankenstein monsters that they literally can’t grow from seeds. Combine that with the complicated way that apples pollinate, and you’ve got a recipe for a clone army in an orchard. This is great for farmers, because you get a consistent product, but bad for apples, because many of the wild varieties could be lost or forgotten. And should some pest, parasite or blight start attacking our genetically-engineered superfruits, we’re going to want those wild genes around to call on to save the day. It’s diversity that makes a population strong. That’s why I love this project so much. It’s an archive of apple varieties using ceramic sculpture! So cool. If you’d like to learn more about the history of the humble apple, read The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan. Great book for foodies and science fans alike. If you want to get super-sciencey, here’s a cool paper in PLOS Genetics. More via theatlantic: Our Comprehensive Living Archive of Apples In its original home, near Almaty in Kazakhstan, the apple can be the size of a cherry or a grapefruit. It can be mushy or so hard it will chip teeth. It can be purple- or pink-fleshed with green, orange, or white skin. It can be sickly sweet, battery-acid sour, or taste like a banana. Preserving this biodiversity can become a massive project, in life and art. See more. [Images: Jessica Rath]
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Sculpting a Catalogue of Apples Apples, at least as we know them, are a freakshow born of agricultural genetics. While wild apples readily grow from seeds, perhaps every single variety we buy in stores is produced by grafting. With more than 7,500 wild varieties, apples have incredible genetic diversity. This is how we’ve been able to develop so many variations of size, sweetness, texture and color. The side effect is that many apple varieties are such Frankenstein monsters that they literally can’t grow from seeds. Combine that with the complicated way that apples pollinate, and you’ve got a recipe for a clone army in an orchard. This is great for farmers, because you get a consistent product, but bad for apples, because many of the wild varieties could be lost or forgotten. And should some pest, parasite or blight start attacking our genetically-engineered superfruits, we’re going to want those wild genes around to call on to save the day. It’s diversity that makes a population strong. That’s why I love this project so much. It’s an archive of apple varieties using ceramic sculpture! So cool. If you’d like to learn more about the history of the humble apple, read The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan. Great book for foodies and science fans alike. If you want to get super-sciencey, here’s a cool paper in PLOS Genetics. More via theatlantic: Our Comprehensive Living Archive of Apples In its original home, near Almaty in Kazakhstan, the apple can be the size of a cherry or a grapefruit. It can be mushy or so hard it will chip teeth. It can be purple- or pink-fleshed with green, orange, or white skin. It can be sickly sweet, battery-acid sour, or taste like a banana. Preserving this biodiversity can become a massive project, in life and art. See more. [Images: Jessica Rath]
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Sculpting a Catalogue of Apples Apples, at least as we know them, are a freakshow born of agricultural genetics. While wild apples readily grow from seeds, perhaps every single variety we buy in stores is produced by grafting. With more than 7,500 wild varieties, apples have incredible genetic diversity. This is how we’ve been able to develop so many variations of size, sweetness, texture and color. The side effect is that many apple varieties are such Frankenstein monsters that they literally can’t grow from seeds. Combine that with the complicated way that apples pollinate, and you’ve got a recipe for a clone army in an orchard. This is great for farmers, because you get a consistent product, but bad for apples, because many of the wild varieties could be lost or forgotten. And should some pest, parasite or blight start attacking our genetically-engineered superfruits, we’re going to want those wild genes around to call on to save the day. It’s diversity that makes a population strong. That’s why I love this project so much. It’s an archive of apple varieties using ceramic sculpture! So cool. If you’d like to learn more about the history of the humble apple, read The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan. Great book for foodies and science fans alike. If you want to get super-sciencey, here’s a cool paper in PLOS Genetics. More via theatlantic: Our Comprehensive Living Archive of Apples In its original home, near Almaty in Kazakhstan, the apple can be the size of a cherry or a grapefruit. It can be mushy or so hard it will chip teeth. It can be purple- or pink-fleshed with green, orange, or white skin. It can be sickly sweet, battery-acid sour, or taste like a banana. Preserving this biodiversity can become a massive project, in life and art. See more. [Images: Jessica Rath]
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Sculpting a Catalogue of Apples Apples, at least as we know them, are a freakshow born of agricultural genetics. While wild apples readily grow from seeds, perhaps every single variety we buy in stores is produced by grafting. With more than 7,500 wild varieties, apples have incredible genetic diversity. This is how we’ve been able to develop so many variations of size, sweetness, texture and color. The side effect is that many apple varieties are such Frankenstein monsters that they literally can’t grow from seeds. Combine that with the complicated way that apples pollinate, and you’ve got a recipe for a clone army in an orchard. This is great for farmers, because you get a consistent product, but bad for apples, because many of the wild varieties could be lost or forgotten. And should some pest, parasite or blight start attacking our genetically-engineered superfruits, we’re going to want those wild genes around to call on to save the day. It’s diversity that makes a population strong. That’s why I love this project so much. It’s an archive of apple varieties using ceramic sculpture! So cool. If you’d like to learn more about the history of the humble apple, read The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan. Great book for foodies and science fans alike. If you want to get super-sciencey, here’s a cool paper in PLOS Genetics. More via theatlantic: Our Comprehensive Living Archive of Apples In its original home, near Almaty in Kazakhstan, the apple can be the size of a cherry or a grapefruit. It can be mushy or so hard it will chip teeth. It can be purple- or pink-fleshed with green, orange, or white skin. It can be sickly sweet, battery-acid sour, or taste like a banana. Preserving this biodiversity can become a massive project, in life and art. See more. [Images: Jessica Rath]
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Sculpting a Catalogue of Apples Apples, at least as we know them, are a freakshow born of agricultural genetics. While wild apples readily grow from seeds, perhaps every single variety we buy in stores is produced by grafting. With more than 7,500 wild varieties, apples have incredible genetic diversity. This is how we’ve been able to develop so many variations of size, sweetness, texture and color. The side effect is that many apple varieties are such Frankenstein monsters that they literally can’t grow from seeds. Combine that with the complicated way that apples pollinate, and you’ve got a recipe for a clone army in an orchard. This is great for farmers, because you get a consistent product, but bad for apples, because many of the wild varieties could be lost or forgotten. And should some pest, parasite or blight start attacking our genetically-engineered superfruits, we’re going to want those wild genes around to call on to save the day. It’s diversity that makes a population strong. That’s why I love this project so much. It’s an archive of apple varieties using ceramic sculpture! So cool. If you’d like to learn more about the history of the humble apple, read The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan. Great book for foodies and science fans alike. If you want to get super-sciencey, here’s a cool paper in PLOS Genetics. More via theatlantic: Our Comprehensive Living Archive of Apples In its original home, near Almaty in Kazakhstan, the apple can be the size of a cherry or a grapefruit. It can be mushy or so hard it will chip teeth. It can be purple- or pink-fleshed with green, orange, or white skin. It can be sickly sweet, battery-acid sour, or taste like a banana. Preserving this biodiversity can become a massive project, in life and art. See more. [Images: Jessica Rath]
Zoom Info

Sculpting a Catalogue of Apples

Apples, at least as we know them, are a freakshow born of agricultural genetics. While wild apples readily grow from seeds, perhaps every single variety we buy in stores is produced by grafting.

With more than 7,500 wild varieties, apples have incredible genetic diversity. This is how we’ve been able to develop so many variations of size, sweetness, texture and color. The side effect is that many apple varieties are such Frankenstein monsters that they literally can’t grow from seeds. Combine that with the complicated way that apples pollinate, and you’ve got a recipe for a clone army in an orchard.

This is great for farmers, because you get a consistent product, but bad for apples, because many of the wild varieties could be lost or forgotten. And should some pest, parasite or blight start attacking our genetically-engineered superfruits, we’re going to want those wild genes around to call on to save the day. It’s diversity that makes a population strong.

That’s why I love this project so much. It’s an archive of apple varieties using ceramic sculpture! So cool.

If you’d like to learn more about the history of the humble apple, read The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan. Great book for foodies and science fans alike. If you want to get super-sciencey, here’s a cool paper in PLOS Genetics.

More via theatlantic:

Our Comprehensive Living Archive of Apples

In its original home, near Almaty in Kazakhstan, the apple can be the size of a cherry or a grapefruit. It can be mushy or so hard it will chip teeth. It can be purple- or pink-fleshed with green, orange, or white skin. It can be sickly sweet, battery-acid sour, or taste like a banana. Preserving this biodiversity can become a massive project, in life and art.

See more. [Images: Jessica Rath]

The Best Videos of 2012, From People Who Have the Best Taste in Videos

2012 was a big year for internet video. But with more than 70 hours of video uploaded every minute to sites like YouTube and Vimeo, finding the cool stuff can be hard. I mean, maybe you missed that video up above, Neil deGrasse Tyson and “The Most Astounding Fact”? Now you can make sure you watch it, because it’s amazing.

Thankfully, the folks at The Atlantic have you covered when it comes to some of 2012’s best (check the link for the full list). I mean, there’s no such thing as a definitive best list, but this is certainly chock full of awesome.

Oh, and did I mention that I got to pick one? :) It shouldn’t surprise which was mine … enjoy!

Source: The Atlantic

The Beautiful Blackboards of Quantum Physics Labs Alejandro Guijarro visited the world’s finest quantum physics labs to record their half-erased blackboards. In an era where science is increasingly all-digital, it’s a striking reminder that science is still an active, hands-on process, a process here captured in layers of smeared chalk.  Visit The Atlantic for more.
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The Beautiful Blackboards of Quantum Physics Labs Alejandro Guijarro visited the world’s finest quantum physics labs to record their half-erased blackboards. In an era where science is increasingly all-digital, it’s a striking reminder that science is still an active, hands-on process, a process here captured in layers of smeared chalk.  Visit The Atlantic for more.
Zoom Info
The Beautiful Blackboards of Quantum Physics Labs Alejandro Guijarro visited the world’s finest quantum physics labs to record their half-erased blackboards. In an era where science is increasingly all-digital, it’s a striking reminder that science is still an active, hands-on process, a process here captured in layers of smeared chalk.  Visit The Atlantic for more.
Zoom Info

The Beautiful Blackboards of Quantum Physics Labs

Alejandro Guijarro visited the world’s finest quantum physics labs to record their half-erased blackboards. In an era where science is increasingly all-digital, it’s a striking reminder that science is still an active, hands-on process, a process here captured in layers of smeared chalk. 

Visit The Atlantic for more.

Robots at Work and Play A selection from a slideshow at The Atlantic, showcasing a huge collection of cute, scary, specialized and sometimes downright weird robots doing whatever it is they are built to do. You know, besides take over the world. Just look how far we’ve come, and what we can build. (Above, L-R: Darpa’s robotic pack mules, a German pole-dancing robot, and a self-portrait of Curiosity. More at the link.)
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Robots at Work and Play A selection from a slideshow at The Atlantic, showcasing a huge collection of cute, scary, specialized and sometimes downright weird robots doing whatever it is they are built to do. You know, besides take over the world. Just look how far we’ve come, and what we can build. (Above, L-R: Darpa’s robotic pack mules, a German pole-dancing robot, and a self-portrait of Curiosity. More at the link.)
Zoom Info
Robots at Work and Play A selection from a slideshow at The Atlantic, showcasing a huge collection of cute, scary, specialized and sometimes downright weird robots doing whatever it is they are built to do. You know, besides take over the world. Just look how far we’ve come, and what we can build. (Above, L-R: Darpa’s robotic pack mules, a German pole-dancing robot, and a self-portrait of Curiosity. More at the link.)
Zoom Info

Robots at Work and Play

A selection from a slideshow at The Atlantic, showcasing a huge collection of cute, scary, specialized and sometimes downright weird robots doing whatever it is they are built to do.

You know, besides take over the world. Just look how far we’ve come, and what we can build.

(Above, L-R: Darpa’s robotic pack mules, a German pole-dancing robot, and a self-portrait of Curiosity. More at the link.)