National Geographic’s award-nominated feature on China’s “instant cities” is online. It’s a fascinating feature about the massive coastal manufacturing towns that now house 140 million people who’ve moved from the countryside as part of the largest migration in human history. It’s split across eight screens, and there’s at least one jaw-dropper per screen.

 
It used to be common for people to flash their headlights to warn other motorists of police speed traps ahead.  Now you can now warn fellow drivers with a cell phone or personal digital assistant about speed traps, red-light cameras and other police threats.

 Leonardo Da Vinci’s life and work is well known — but his own face is not. Illustrator and activist Siegfried Woldhek used some thoughtful image-analysis techniques to find what he believes is the true face of Leonardo. Here, he walks viewers through exactly how he did it.
 

I’m sure all those who love downloading all their entertainment needs via P2P would definitely fall head over heels with OKI’s all-new optical 3R regenerator which re-amplifies and re-shapes the optical signal, capable of hitting data download speeds of up to 160Gbps - that amounts to four full-length movies in a single second. Hopefully this […]

The ZZ Plural Z Alpha Douglas Adams fan club raises funds by selling “Beeblebears,” two-headed, three-eyed, three-armed teddy bears fashioned in the likeness of Zaphod Beeblebrox.

Examples of virtual 3D extraction of organisms embedded in opaque amber: a) Gastropod Ellobiidae; b) Myriapod Polyxenidae; c) Arachnid; d) Conifer branch (Glenrosa); e) Isopod crustacean Ligia; f) Insect hymenopteran Falciformicidae. Credits: M. Lak, P. Tafforeau, D. Néraudeau
(ESRF Grenoble and UMR CNRS 6118 Rennes).
Scientists from the University of Rennes, France, and the European Synchrotron Radiation […]

According to the University of North Dakota, coffee may cut the risk of dementia by blocking the damage cholesterol can inflict on the body, research suggests… at least in rabbits.
 

 
Imagine the world in 2050 with almost 80% of the planet’s population living in urban centers and our fruit, vegetables and even animals are grown in … skyscrapers.  Some serious work is going into this. More photos and video after the jump.

There is no clearcut scientific rationale for the average healthy individual to drink a lot of water — and it may be downright harmful — according to two kidney experts.
Drinking a lot of water is claimed to be helpful for everything from clearing toxins and keeping organs in tip-top shape to keeping weight off and […]

Notice the horseshoes on the bottom? Perhaps they come with a matching saddle. More of these painful looking shoe photos after the jump.
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLtgsIIQLGg

Their website says “Wheelsurf is pure adrenaline. It is one of the most distinctive vehicles on the planet — a single-wheeled , ride-inside conveyance that’s sure to get you noticed. Riding the Wheelsurf is not for those seeking transport alone…”, but the video paints a different picture.

 
Video gaming drives the online experiences of children ages 2 to 14, according to a new survey conducted by The NPD Group for the Toy Industry Association. According to the survey, 76% of US online kids used social networks and gaming Web sites.

We came across this set of amazing photos of homes carved out of the side of a mountain. But we have been having difficulty determining exactly where this is located. We were hoping you might be able to help. (w/pics)
Update:  We now have our answer after the jump
 

Researchers at Newcastle University have announced the successful creation of part-human, part-animal hybrid embryos for the first time in the UK.