Stealth Unmanned Combat Vehicle Makes First Flight

source – universetoday.com

Looking like something straight from a 1950’s science fiction magazine, the stealthy Phantom Ray unmanned airborne system (UAS) successfully completed its first flight on April 27, 2011 at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The 17-minute flight took place following a series of high-speed taxi tests in March that validated ground guidance, navigation and control and verified mission planning, pilot interface and operational procedures. The Phantom Ray is a demonstrator aircraft, about the size of a fighter jet, developed to test operations such as air surveillance, ground attack and autonomous aerial refueling missions. During the test flight, the Phantom Ray flew to 2,290 meters (7,500 feet) and reached a speed of 178 knots.

Biggest Spider Fossil Ever Found

source – neatorama.com

The spider, a new species called Nephila jurassica, stretches about two inches from end to end. It was found in a fossil-rich rock formation near Daohugou village in northeastern China. The fossil dates back to the Middle Jurassic, about 165 million years ago, researchers reported in the April 20 Biology Letters.

Spiders from the same family still exist today. Female giant golden orb-weaver spiders can grow to a whopping 4 or 5 inches in diameter (although males tend to be less than a quarter that size). These spiders are known for spinning huge webs of golden silk and have been known to trap bats and small birds.

25 Abandoned Yugoslavia Monuments that look like they’re from the Future

link and full gallery – cracktwo.com

REBECCA BLACK + STAR WARS Friday Parody ‘Primeday’

Funny Superhero Bikes

source – likecool.com

Funny Superhero Bikes by illustrator Mike Joos.

Doctor Who: 47 Years in 6 Minutes

Body of ‘dead alien’ is found in frozen wastes of Siberia…

hoax?

source – The Daily Mail

The corpse of the badly-damaged creature which resembles ET is 2ft-high.

Part of the right leg is missing and there are deep holes for eyes and a mouth in a skull-like head.

UFO fans believe the body could have been left behind by ET visitors after an accident, or missed by Russian military alien experts clearing up after a crash.

The area is a known UFO hotspot with dozens of sightings reported every year.

It follows reports of a UFO hurtling towards Earth in the nearby Irkutsk region of Siberia one month ago.

‘We couldn’t believe it when we saw it. And what was spooky is that there was no sign of the spaceship. Perhaps that was taken away and the body overlooked,’ said Igor Molovic, one of the pair that uploaded the video.

Bacterium Eats Away At Titanic Remains

The world’s most famous ship could be gone — sooner than expected. Scientists have discovered a new bacterium that is quickly eating away the Titanic, the so-called “unsinkable ship”. But, scientists think the bacterium could actually have useful purposes in society.

We’re looking at coverage of the deteriorating ship from Discovery Channel, CTV, The Daily Mail, and Flesh and Stone.

The new bacterium, named Halomonas titanicae, was found living in a community of other bacteria within rusticles, or icicle-shaped rust deposits found along the Titanic’s hull. A scientist on the discovery team explains to CTV how the bacterium works.

Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko

source – neatorama.com

The satanic leaf-tailed gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus) is the smallest of 12 species of bizarre-looking leaf-tailed geckos. The nocturnal creature has extremely cryptic camouflage so it can hide out in forests in Madagascar. This group of geckos is found only in primary, undisturbed forests, so their populations are very sensitive to habitat destruction. Large Uroplatus species have more teeth than any other living terrestrial vertebrate species.

The gecko species was discovered in Mantadia-Zahamena corridor of Madagascar in 1998 during one of the Conservation International (CI) “Rapid Assessment Program” (RAP) surveys.

R.E.M. – ÜBerlin