Portrait of a Revolutionary War Soldier and other links

Edmund Blair Leighton “The Shadow”

This is a photograph of probably of the earliest-born person to be photographed. Conrad Heyer, a Revolutionary War soldier who crossed the Delaware River with George Washington, was born in 1749, meaning that when his picture was taken in 1852, Heyer was 103 years old. Link

When children cover their eyes, they think they are invisible, which is why peek-a-boo is so entertaining. They think they are disappearing and reappearing. PopSci digs deep into the logic of young children , explaining how when they cover their eyes, they think you can’t see them, because they can’t see you.

Traffic in Boston, 1949

For 40 years, the Lykov family has been living completely isolated in the Siberian woods, still hiding from the Soviet persecution of the Russian Orthodox. Completely alone from 1936 to 1978, when four geologists discovered them hiding in a make-shift hut, the Lykovs had no idea World War II ever happened.

Insect wings fight infection by spearing and killing bacteria with their specially designed wings.

Dung Beetles navigate using the Milky Way.

(via)

A vine is a new kind of video that has become really popular really quickly. All it is is a short video ( 6 seconds or less) that tells a story. They are really fun to watch, but I can’t figure out how to upload it on the blog, but here’s link to just a few.

Hydrogen Peroxide mixed with Potassium Iodide

Explosive Polymerization of p Nitro Aniline

To see more amazing chemical reactions and experiments in gif form, click here.

Time for some useless websites!

This politician has the right idea. Turn a joke made by one of his campaigners into a viral internet game. Ed Balls teaches typing isn’t exactly what it sounds like. The point of the game is to write his name as fast as possible, trying to beat yourself. Very simple, but fun.

People with tiny faces is exactly how it sounds. People, or rather, notable people, with photoshopped tiny facial features on their normal sized face. Have fun perusing the site.