BY: SINEAD MULHERN François Gissy’s bike is a rocket-driven speed demon fast enough to make even the most fearless stunt-doubles squirm. The 32 year-old former bus driver’s bike just set a new world record when it hit a speed of…
When you die this mushroom suit will stop your body from polluting the planet
BY: TED BARNABY Most of us at one point or another have debated our own burial ceremony. Do we want to go six feet under, or be burned and set off into the atmosphere in a cloud of black smoke?…
This guy can speak nine languages better than you can speak one (video)
BY: SINEAD MULHERN Matthew Youlden, a language sponge from Manchester England can speak so many languages with a perfect accent that the man has been coined the “language chameleon”. This sociolinguist who studied translation and interpretation speaks nine languages and…
At 20, Boyan Slat is developing a device to remove 7,250,000 tons of plastic from our oceans
BY: DEXTER BROWN Slat’s ambitious quest started on a Greek scuba diving trip when he was only 16. “I saw more plastic bags than fish,” the Dutch engineering student told the BBC. “Everyone said to me: ‘Oh there’s nothing you can do about plastic…
Dating outside binaries: OkCupid adds over 70 new gender and sexuality options
BY: AL DONATO Finding love on the Internet is hard. And for anyone hooking up often means to lying your ass off. All mainstream dating sites are notorious for ignoring LGBTQ individuals’ diverse identities. For gender, choosing between just male…
In Nepal, Datura is a holy psychedelic, but in the wrong hands it can become “The Devil’s Breath”
BY: TJ MOREY Scopolamine, the Devil’s Breath, Devil’s Apple, are some of the well-known and highly conspicuous names attributed to Datura, a deadly plant that has garnered enough attention, respect, and fear amongst the hardest of psychonauts. Found abundantly and…
New Alzheimer’s test can detect the disease a decade before clinical diagnosis
BY: SINEAD MULHERN New research can help predict Alzheimer’s disease in a patient ten years before a clinical diagnosis. By predicting the disease this early, people can start treating it well ahead of time. In the study, led by Dimitrios…
How technology is slowly ruining your social life (Documentary)
BY: SEBASTIAN BACK As technology continues to transform the social interaction of humans, the question remains: is the shift in the mode of communication liberating us from our surroundings or caging us into a screen? The Future of Interaction by…
The Royal Academy of Arts mistook the base of a broken statue for minimalist art
BY: TED BARNABY In mid-2006, British artist, David Hensel, submitted one of his sculptures—a large, black, laughing head—to the British Royal Academy of Arts in hopes of having it displayed at their Summer Exhibition. He was later delighted to find…
Do you eat food? You should probably be concerned with the fight for GMO labeling
BY: LAURA ROJAS The fight for GMO labeling should be understood just as widely as the pro-marijuana legalization movement. After all, seeing as you need food to survive, you might want to understand the limited choice that stocks grocery store…
The life of a bucket drummer— the performers of Dundas Square
BY: NICOLE SCHMIDT Drumsticks in hand, 57-year-old Mike Gauvreau composes a series of staccato rhythms using nothing but an old bucket. A cowbell that produces a metallic clang when struck has been fastened to the handle with a zip tie.…
These Polaroid portraits of Kenyans will make you reconsider your self-entitlement to technology (PHOTOS)
BY: KAILEE MANDEL I took a trip to Kenya to photograph the wildlife with my family and we were told to bring presents for the children. I did not want to bring the typical candy or toys; I wanted to…
Environmental group mails fake bitumen to B.C. homes
BY: SINEAD MULHERN Checking the mailbox and finding tiny samples of dish soap in the mail is a fairly normal occurrence. Finding samples of simulated bitumen oil among the flyers, bills and Christmas cards however, is not. But that was…
Stairbombing will piss you off to the point where you might actually care about disability rights
BY: AL DONATO “OUT OF SERVICE” Those words on an elevator sign mean you are forced to the minor inconvenience of taking the stairs—that is unless you have a disability that makes that broken elevator your only way of accessing…
The world’s first biodegradable drone is made out of fungus and wasp saliva
BY: SINEAD MULHERN A new environmentally friendly drone technology is designed to disintegrate when entering sensitive ecological areas. It’s made out of fungus, coated with wasp saliva and looks a bit like a disposable coffee tray. A group of 15…
This pro mountain biker threw a backflip over a 72-foot canyon. An interview with Kelly McGarry
BY: ROB HOFFMAN Kelly McGarry— a wild Kiwi with a passion for pushing limits and backyard barbeques —is one of mountain biking’s most recognizable figures. With unparalleled intensity and a charismatic riding style, his first person Go Pro videos will have…
This photographer tracks the change of her naked body through the journey of motherhood
BY: POLLY PENROSE Over several years, Polly Penrose created a series of photographs entitled A Body of Work showing the physical journey of her body over time. Each portrait is a reaction of her naked body to its environment and…
Turned on by serial killers, rapists and burglars? Meet-an-inmate.com will help you find love behind bars
BY: PILGRIM From the “sexual menu” of Tinder to the moral disposal of Ashley Madison, the online dating world has brought our generation some unique opportunities. Now is your chance to find that “bad boy/girl” type you’ve always been looking…
This 23-year-old New Yorker hasn’t produced any trash in over 2 years
BY: SINEAD MULHERN Want to ditch all that garbage you’ve been sending to the landfills? That’s what New Yorker Lauren Singer, 23, took on three years ago. Today she lives a trash free life. She has even started a company…
Drag Kings are becoming an endangered species
BY: EMILY CRAIG-EVANS Under pink light, in front of a red-checked curtain, a man about five-and-a-half feet tall is bobbing around to some version of “River of Jordan” inside a box made to look like a killer whale that hangs…