In this week's Recommended Links you'll find delicacies such as the story of 'The Cobra Empire', a 99-million-year-old snail preserved in amber, Neolithic dogs and rude people with expensive cars, among many other things. Don't miss a single word!
A bittersweet story - The Cobra Empire: A great evil that once subjugated the world was rising again on Cobra Island. From three continents three heroes set out on a quest, first to consult the oracle, then to find the weapon to defeat the monster, and finally to find a way to cross the infinite sea to Cobra Island. There they had to face the guardians of the temple, the feared snake-men, and try to steal the jewel that gave life to the Cobra god before he enchanted them with his gaze... If within a stipulated time no hero won, the one who brought the Cobra god and his followers (that is, the 'bad guys') won.
The Royal Game of Ur, one of the oldest board games in history: Nevertheless, it is not the oldest known board game because Egyptian senet is almost a millennium earlier and oware, a type of mancala (board game with pieces) originating in West Africa, is also earlier. However, the three are similar in their development, resembling parchis: the objective is to get your pieces off the board before your opponent by following certain squares, which is why it also resembles backgammon, although it is believed that the latter derives more from the Roman tabula.
Nothing makes me feel as old as video games: For these new players, 1998 is not the great golden year of video games that many of us remember, but a gold vein that time and culture forgot, the proverbial unknown country of which L.P. Hartley spoke. Discovering (through emulators or YouTube gameplays) masterpieces such as 'Grim Fandango', 'Fallout 2', 'The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time' or 'Half-Life', to cite just four examples from the class of '98, should immediately turn you into an explorer of an entire expressive form that is new to you, rather than a nostalgic person unable to move forward and look around.
They find a 99-million-year-old snail preserved in amber: Trapped in a 99-million-year-old amber and found in present-day Myanmar, a group of experts has been able to analyze a snail from the Cretaceous, a time when dinosaurs still existed on our planet. Its morphology suggests they are ancestors of the family Cychlophoridae, the current land snails. This makes them not only the oldest snails ever found preserved in amber, but also places them among the oldest cyclophoroids in Asia.
Dogs accompanied humans on their journey to Europe in the Neolithic: About 9,000 years ago, those early Neolithic populations of the Middle East migrated to Europe, taking with them numerous species of plants and domestic animals, including dogs, according to a new study recently published in the journal Biology Letters. The researchers concluded that these first canines traveled with their owners to the Old Continent, and later mixed with local breeds.
Space has become inaccessible to astronauts after the Soyuz rocket failure: With Soyuz rocket launches halted, there is no viable (or safe) way to send astronauts to the ISS or into space. The United States depends on the Russians since the country retired its space shuttle program in 2011. Private sector solutions are currently in development, including Boeing's CST-100 Starliner and the crewed version of SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, but none of the programs will be ready to send humans into space until at least summer of 2019.
The more expensive your car, the more likely you are to be rude to others: According to a study conducted by psychologists at the University of California, Berkeley, people with more money tend to be more selfish in their behaviors and, consequently, also ruder to others.
My job made me hate humanity: When Bowden started at MySpace there was little information about how to do the job. We had to establish rules. Was looking at pornography and asking a girl if she wears a spaghetti-strap bikini appropriate? How much sex was too much for a platform like MySpace? We asked ourselves those questions as we went along. Should we allow a video of one person beheading another? No. But what if it's cartoons? Is it okay if Tom and Jerry do it?
Flat Earthers, MMS and the burden of proof: Recently we have been able to verify the resurgence of two intellectual absurdities that we believed were quite forgotten (or so the author thought). One is the so-called 'Flat Earthism', championed by those who believe that our planet is the only one in the Solar System that is not spherical. The other, MMS ('Miracle Mineral Supplement') tries to make us believe that by drinking water with bleach we can cure even autism.
Ten actors and actresses who are scary just by looking at their faces: Halloween is approaching. While we all prepare the pumpkins, decorations, and costumes, to get in the mood we can watch a horror movie. There are mythical titles, as well as actors and actresses who have forged their careers in the genre. Some did it throughout their lives and others went down in the history of macabre celluloid with just one title. And their faces inspire fear, a lot of fear. Today we talk about ten of those performers who will give you nightmares.
Lombroso and the origin of modern criminology: He essentially believed that criminality was inherited and that murderers could be identified by their physical attributes. Although many of his ideas no longer have a place in the orthodox field, Lombroso was one of the first people in history to use scientific methods to study crime.
7 legendary ghost ships throughout history: If you like maritime legends, here we show you a compilation of 7 of the most famous ghost ships of all. Seven stories that ended up becoming legend and that, even today, still make any good sailor or fan of maritime folklore's hair stand on end.
VIDEOS: Lamp that lights up with domino effect, snake falls from ceiling, Mr. Resistor, how 14th-century warriors fought, short film 'Product Wars', internet through water, statue scares a woman and a girl, Harry Potter dance, excellent and terrifying commercial, 'Making a 'Halloween' Murderer: Michael Myers', best pets of the week, Vokabulantis, deepest Mandelbrot fractals, rat cleans its owner's teeth, 1921 coin with articulated sword, brazen viral song, a sheet folded 400 times, plays Mary Poppins remix on piano, and the horror short 404.
GALLERIES: Rejected Topps cards from 1968, puppy photos ♥, dog photo awards, Mad Max vehicles, miniatures of suicides, drawings with glitter, Disney characters facing ecological disasters, animals by X-ray, cereal boxes with prizes, pop characters grouped by color, parallel dimensions of water, cakes with geometric designs, girl bands in Japan, movie posters, Vertedero Animado and Tiradero Visual de la Semana.
Done. Did you have fun with anything? I hope so!
