Where does, “Mommy, an alligator bit my hand off” rank in the Top 100 Calls You Never Want To Make?

[CNN]

There’s some kooky stuff going on inside the rings of Saturn. NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has identified distinctive giant propellers that could be created by a new class of moon.

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft spotted the distinctive structures inside some of Saturn’s rings, marking the first time scientists have managed to track the orbits of individual objects from within a debris disk like the one that makes up Saturn’s complicated ring system.

“Observing the motions of these disk-embedded objects provides a rare opportunity to gauge how the planets grew from, and interacted with, the disk of material surrounding the early sun,” said the study’s co-author Carolyn Porco, one of the lead researchers on the Cassini imaging team based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. “It allows us a glimpse into how the solar system ended up looking the way it does.”

Chew on that.

[Space]

You’ve found the physical remains of a dinosaur who a gaudy heart-shaped skull which by all probability was used to capture the attention of the opposite sex. What do you call it?

Over a few beers with fellow paleontologists one night, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind: Mojoceratops.

“It was just a joke, but then everyone stopped and looked at each other and said, ‘Wait — that actually sounds cool,’ ” said Longrich, a postdoctoral associate at Yale University. “I tried to come up with serious names after that, but Mojoceratops just sort of stuck.”

With the publication of Longrich’s paper describing his find in the Journal of Paleontology, the name is now official.

Imagining the above clip a heart-headed dinosaur in the Austin Powers role has made my morning, please do the same! Hat tip to Dan Wheeler for sending this along.

[Science Daily]

In honor of his birthday this past Saturday, enjoy this brief History of Nikola Tesla and learn why he was the weirdest inventor this side of Fred MacMurray.

Related Story: Reason #99,912 Why Nikola Tesla Rules: He Knew Mobile Phones Were Coming

From The Daily Mail:

Chinese airport was closed after this mysterious object was spotted in the sky.

Arcing over Zhejiang’s provincial capital Hangzhou, the UFO appeared to glow with an eerie white light and left a bright trail in its wake.

Xiaoshan Airport was closed after the UFO was detected at around 9 pm and dozens of flights had to be diverted.

No word yet on the origin of the mystery craft but if you have the gumption to fly across the galaxy, you could at least be courteous enough to obey local no-fly zones, right?

[Daily Mail]

Everyday this week…Brett Rounsaville brings us the Weirdest Alien Photos ever taken.

Look out! Everybody DUCK!

Wait…no. I meant…

DUCK! Everybody lookout!

If you’ll direct your eyes to the crotchal region of this duck x-ray you may notice that the Alien aliens have found a new host with which to incubate their planet destroying young. In fact…he may even be holding a single finger up to his mouth as if to say to the x-ray technician, “Shh…don’t tell the doctors and I promise I’ll spare you. No, really. Scout’s honor. *snicker*”

(Who knew a finger to the lips could say so much?)

Regardless, if this alien menace spreads much further then it’s only a matter of time before we all experience an untimely death at the hands of our foul feathered friends. And to think of all the stale bread we wasted on them at the park…

Weird Off!

How would you rank this week’s Weirdest Alien Photo posts?

We have:

1. Alien or Grandma?

2. G’Gugvuntt or Vl’hurg?

3. The Cutest. Alien. Baby. Ever.

4. Murder Most Foul

What do you think, friends?

So you’re a cute little monkey, scampering about the Amazon. For the sake of this discussion, your name is Joe. All of a sudden you hear someone yell, “Hey Joe! Nice haircut!” You look around, but don’t see anyone. What anonymous stranger is shouting compliments through the thick underbrush of the rain forest? Do they really like my haircut, or was it one of those backhanded compliments?

Lost in thought you make a left through a bush only to find yourself face to face with a gigantic jungle cat. You’re paralyzed with fear. The cat repeats his haircut compliment in what you now realize is just an uncanny monkey impression.

“By the way,” Jungle Cat purrs in his natural brogue. “Your hair makes your face look fat.”

And with that, you’re devoured. Victim of a deadly impression.

[Live Science]

Tinkerers from the Site3 coLabratory have discovered how to make fire… with your mind!

The PK4A Project uses a headset to read brain patterns and a small homemade computer to increase or decrease the flame based on the user’s cerebral input.

The headset is called the NeuroSky MindSet and uses four sensors to detect two of the eight energy bands the brain produces. The computer interprets the brainwaves using a custom algorithm and reflects the level of activity with a massive propane flame.

Safety is obviously a concern so the inventors use a ‘dead-man switch,’ which constantly has to be pressed for the device to function.

While there are no plans to put the item up for sale basic specs are available on the project site.

If you can’t wait to see this thing in action, here’s a video of them using it at Firefly 2010.

Everyday this week…Brett Rounsaville brings us the Weirdest Alien Pictures ever taken.

I bet, just like me, you’ve been sitting there at your desk all day wondering what would happen if The Leader somehow mated with a watermelon and a piranha.

Yeah…I thought you might be.

Well, my friends, wonder no more! For I bring you…Leader Watermelon Piranha Baby…er…Jr? Doesn’t really roll off the tongue does it? Do me a favor and leave your name for this monstrosity in the comment section.

Also, as seems to be the status quo this week, please let me know if you know the story behind this picture or if you can figure out the origin of…Fish-Melon-Boy! (Nope, still no good…)

What do you think? Is this an alien? Is it an Earth based freak of nature? If it is…seriously, what would have to mate with what to make THAT happen?!

Check out this crazy footage from Japanese TV of the Northern White-faced Owl’s amazing transformation defense. Watch it until the end for the creepy Owl-Cat transformation!

Undefeated. Undisputed. Unequaled.

Paul The Octopus wins again.

Everyday this week…Brett Rounsaville brings us the Weirdest “True Life” Alien Pictures ever taken.

Much like George Washington after chopping down the last of the alien cherry trees, I cannot tell a lie. 99.9% of the reason I chose today’s picture was because it reminded me of this shirt.woot.com shirt (click on the image there to enlarge it) and it made me giggle.

The other .1% of the reason is that you just don’t see enough variation in alien photos or accounts. Four feet tall, big eyes, blah, blah, blah…

You lost me at, “Did I ever tell you about the time I was probed?”

It’s reassuring to know that in the off chance that we’re being visited by aliens capable of mutilating cows maybe these little guys are giving squirrels a run for their money.

Also, even if it’s just a tiny little carving…it’s still pretty impressive.

Same game/same rules as yesterday. I have ZERO idea as to the origin of this critter. If you can tell me who made it or “authenticated” it leave the answer in the comment section for a genuine, one-of-a-kind weirdthings.com no-prize!

What do you think? Real or fake? Have you seen a weirder alien photo? If the answer is yes then, for the love of all things strange, why haven’t you posted it in the comments yet?!

Shooting a diamond bullet at anything might be the most Bowie badass thing ever conceived of, but if, as Chinese scientists are now theorizing it can also create nuclear power then we have a new favorite source of alternative energy.

[Popular Science]

As long as we’ve been circling the darn rock, astronauts have been baffled by the glow surrounding the moon during sunrises and sunsets. A new theory posits that overactive electrons are vomiting lunar dust off the surface and creating such a heavenly glow.

So, now we know.

[Space.com]