Tag: the

• Trouble Stuffed

  Judges of the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year have disqualified a winning contestant after the anteater in his prize-winning photograph was judged “highly likely” to be a taxidermy specimen. Called “The Night Raider,” the image was taken by photographer Marcio Cabral and depicts an anteater underneath starry skies next to a termite mound dotted with glowing bioluminescence. Jeff and Anthony knew it was Photoshopped as they could see the pixels. [more]

  May 4, 2018Episodes

• Sun Blot (Live From PAX East 2018)

  Scientists in developing nations plan to step up research into dimming sunshine to curb climate change, hoping to judge if a man-made chemical sunshade would be less risky than a harmful rise in global temperatures. Twelve scholars, from countries including Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Ethiopia, India, Jamaica and Thailand, wrote in the journal Nature on Wednesday that the poor were most vulnerable to global warming and should be more involved. These countries are starting to research “solar geo-engineering”, which would mimic big volcanic eruptions that can cool the Earth by masking the sun with a veil of ash. Jeff and Anthony fondly remember this golden era Simpsons episode. Recorded live in Boston at PAX East 2018. [more]

  April 11, 2018Episodes

• Deja View

  Most of us know it - that weird, sudden feeling of experiencing something not for the first time. It's called déjà vu - French for "already seen" - and it's an uncanny feeling. But according to new research, that's all it is. Just a feeling. The most accepted explanation is that it has to do with memory. Much like a word can be on the tip of your tongue, a memory could be on the tip of your mind - there, but not quite accessible. Jeff and Anthony think they might have done this story before. [more]

  March 19, 2018Episodes

• Face/On

  Last month, Motherboard reported on a Redditor using deep learning technology to map female celebrities’ faces onto pornographic performers, with startlingly lifelike results. By scanning a bunch of images of a celebrity’s face, the software was able to imagine what they’d look like grafted into a given video—a powerful technology being used in one of the worst possible ways. The technology also opens up the door to a very near future in which we won’t be able to trust video evidence—long the gold standard, at least in the court of public opinion. Someone decided to use this technology for it's absolute worst use: superimposing Nicholas Cage into every film ever made. Jeff and Anthony Face Off in their greatest Cage match yet. [more]

  February 10, 2018Episodes

• Talking Achoo

  Holding back a sneeze by pinching your nose while keeping your mouth closed may cause physical injury. In one such documented case, an otherwise healthy 34-year-old man in the U.K. suffered a tear in the back of his throat after sneezing while stifling it, by sealing both airways. He explained his neck had become swollen after he tried to contain a forceful sneeze while keeping both nostrils and mouth closed. Doctors who examined him heard popping and crackling sounds, which extended from his neck all the way down to his ribcage. Jeff and Anthony debate sneezing etiquette. [more]

  January 29, 2018Episodes