The Underground — Issue #82
Everything you need to know about in this weekly: An infographic on hot and cold in the universe, scientists create a robo-stingray that has more to offer than realized, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bill Nye team up to explain climate change, and an amazing stunt that has to be seen to be believed (and then seen again because WOW).
At Social Underground we go beyond the mainstream stuff and see what’s underneath the surface. What should we get into, listen to, read, eat or watch? If there is something in our culture that needs attention that’s our job: Show you the underground things that you need to know about: Books, music, television, movies, comedians, art, and whatever else we can find to get you into something you never knew about. That’s The Underground.
1. How cold is everything? How hot is everything? This infographic shows you it all. The universe began and BOOM, it was hot. A nuclear explosion was tested and it was hot. I hit on a girl at a bar and it was cold. It was so cold that this infographic can’t measure it. Hot and cold is something we deal with every day. Did we cook that food long enough? Is the water in the freezer frozen yet? Did I just burn the sh*t out of my hand on this bong? Hot and cold! It gets extreme.
2. Scientists created a Robo-Stingray because nature isn’t scary enough. A robo-stingray has been made of gold and rat muscles. Have yourself a seat, write down a list of your accomplishments, and then think about how insane that sounds. It looks like it’s a natural creature, but then again, it’s made of GOLD AND RAT HEART MUSCLES. Is it an animal? Is it a machine? It’s both.
What does this mean? Did scientists all sit around to think of something incredible to create for the hell of it? Nope, they hope this is one of many steps to create a human heart. You know that thing beating in your chest, the thing that has probably taken family members of yours, the thing that is the image of life and love — that thing? Scientists want to be able to make one because they’re probably one of the most needed organs that people need on the transplant list. My Dad had a heart attack in 2010, and it was probably the worst thing I can think of when I look back on personal issues. One minute my dumb ass was having car problems which he had to fix, the next I come home and he said he had heartburn. I asked him on a scale of 1-10 how bad it was, and he said it was 10. This man is a Vietnam Vet. This man is the man who doesn’t show weakness to anyone. When he told me it was 10, he was going to the hospital. He was saved, but if this sort of thing was widely available now, he’d probably ask for a new heart when that happened.
That’s what science does. Research like this opens the door to new ways to save people. Sure, the idea of a robo-stingray looks like a silly idea in your newsfeed, but it’s conception is for something more. It’s beautiful and mind-blowing. Well done to the entire team that did this. It reminds me that I’m living in the future.
3. Bill Nye and Arnold Schwarzenegger explain how climate change is indeed real. People grew up with various people in the entertainment business that they looked up to. The two that I looked up to where Bill Nye and Arnold Schwarzenegger. One gave me all the action and comedy I needed, and the other made me like science. Nye really went out of his way to make science look fun, and also give my science teacher a reason to play a video and not do their job. Screw it, Nye is an amazing teacher. Hey makes you laugh and learn. Lately, he has really been out trying to tell people about climate change. It’s almost depressing watching him have to convince people who have zero background in science about science. Then he has to sit there and listen to those people tell him about why he’s wrong. I’m just waiting for him to snap and just start slapping some fools in the face, but Bill Nye is completely Zen when it comes to his demeanor. That’s why he brought in Arnold.
The two teamed up to film a documentary about the 5 stages of climate change grief. They don’t “believe” it’s happening, they know it is because all of the data points to it. 99.9% of scientists agree that it is indeed happening, but there is the tiny percentage of denial. If you get a 99.9% on a paper, that means you got an A+. The 0.01% is because your teacher is a smart-ass.
4. Watch this amazing video of aerobatic pilot Melissa Andrzejewski flying under highliner Sketchy Andy Lewis and freestyle motocross legend Jimmy Fitzpatrick in a first of it’s kind aviation stunt. There’s no real way to describe the video without actually seeing it. I first saw a GIF of it on Reddit and thought it was fake or something, but nope, these beautiful people decided to do all of this because it’s just badass. You got the plane flying low, you got a guy on a high-wire, and then you have a guy doing a flip on a motorcycle above it. Why do this? WHY NOT, BRO?!
Just watch the video below and I’ll shut up. After the video, just rewatch the video again. After that, just imagine the thought process of attempting this feat of crazy. So much could go wrong, but so much went so right.
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Jeff Sorensen is an author, writer and occasional comedian living in Detroit, Michigan. You can look for more of his work on The Huffington Post, UPROXX, BGR and by just looking up his name.
Contact: jeff@socialunderground.com