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I have dug through the Internet this week and uncovered all this science/pop culture goodness. You can find the hundreds of links from previous weeks here.

I have marked the best links with a ∞. Enjoy.

MUST READ

∞ Near midnight, fueled by adrenaline and caffeine, I waxed poetic about a daredevil’s dramatic descent: Baumgartner: The Man Who Fell

An important update: Six French Science Academies Dismiss Study Finding GM Corn Harmed Rats

What kind of fluid dynamical sorcery is in this lab demo? EXPLAINED

Great post on a topic that my generation ignores: You know hookah is just as bad if not worse than cigarettes, right?

∞ The Ethical Case for “Pink Slime”

∞ What do you do when you dredge up 1000 pounds of WWII mustard gas? Fascinating feature-The Deadliest Catch

Dangerous Optimism: Bias, Risk, and Smoking

MUST WATCH

I can’t adequately describe how weird/awesome these cnidarian lifeforms are.

Quantum mechanics is a lot easier to understand when you explain it with cookies and children

*Fantastic* slow-mo video of lightning propagation and the “return stroke”

∞ Still one of my all time favorite talks: Playing with the pentatonic scale and your expectations

If you don’t know what “Hexaflexagons” are and like lighthearted math fun, you *must* watch these videos

Why do we blush? Perhaps to signal that we recognize farting in public was a social misstep

I loved Sean Carroll’s TAM 2012 talk, I think you will too: From Particles to People

∞ You should be embarrassed when scientists know more about your field than you do about science” –Neil deGrasse Tyson

Dawww look at the cute wittle hammer! Why Are Things Cute?

∞ Clear, sobering, powerful, terrifying: Climate Change is Simple

You’re going to need this in the coming months: Neil deGrasse Tyson debunks 2012 claims

After watching this I thought to myself, “Why did I stop?” Oh yeah. Because I sucked. This guy does not. So well made.

This time-lapse has everything: milky way, mountains, aurorae, fireworks, Vegas, techno music. Got to go HD, full screen

SCIENCE

I always need to be on top of this: What Are Scientists Shooting Lasers At? Fun comic

“In another millionth of a second, a planet of fire exists, silhouetting and dwarfing the Joshua Trees” Nanoseconds after an atomic blast

∞ Learn what a lightning “shadow” is, and what would happen to a bullet when it travels through a bolt–XKCD

Forget Jenny McCarthy, learn something important from this CDC brief: Understanding How Vaccines Work [PDF]

“A sufficiently persistent researcher determined to find significant activation in virtually any brain region is quite likely to succeed…”

Research on running is complicated, but running with ultralight shoes or barefoot isn’t necessarily better

The Blue Hue of Death: how deadly octopi evolved a iridescent quick-change system [w/ Video]

Great “Doomsday machine” bargaining–A clever solution to a one-shot Prisoner’s Dilemma game.

1% of the population have a gluten sensitivity. The other 99% just haven’t been told by their holistic healer yet.–Brian Dunning of Skeptoid.com

When you can make a GIF of a crack forming in an Antarctic ice sheet, that is BAD

Animals communicate, even sometimes with humans, but is that language?

How psychological bias can skew DNA results, very interesting.

Given the minimal turnout, good thing we cancelled the program: A Space Shuttle on the Streets of Los Angeles – Great photos

∞ I hate that this isn’t “duh” news to everyone: HPV vaccine does not lead to promiscuity in girls.

Water drops bouncing against water drops on water, indefinitely [w/ Video]

The images from this “small world” contest are amazing. Brace yourself for spider face.

Dr. Steve Novella provides necessary context on the new multivitamins and cancer study.

Clear and concise: Why are pills shaped and colored like that?

POP CULTURE

Pink Slime FAIL

∞ This pastor, speaking of gay rights, will surprise you one way or another

She is dangerous, misinformed–Chicago Sun-Times Hires Jenny McCarthy as Columnist. Science Weeps.

Miss the debate? This is basically what happened in zingers, jabs, and backhanded compliments

How America votes [Infographic]

∞ 99 life hacks that are so smart they’re stupid

Jeez, the difference between Obama and Romney supporters in accepting AGW is 46%

It wouldn’t be the Internet without a GIF of Felix’s edge of space badassery. I feel like punching through some drywall!

∞ Wow. Worse than I thought: “Dr. Oz amplifies thoroughly debunked and potentially dangerous nutrition and health advice”

Watching Felix jump from the capsule after saluting the whole Earth was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. SCIENCE, it works.

Oppa Wolverine Style! Yeah, that’s Hugh Jackman.

A shiver of sharks, an exhaltation of larks, a binder of women.

FUNNY/COOL/INTERESTING

Still my favorite Onion headline: Holy Sh** Man Walks on F***ing Moon

Man takes it upon himself to show Hollywood that covering someone’s mouth with duct tape doesn’t work, eats most of it

Yep, fully automated Gangnam Style–I for one would like to welcome our new breakdancing overlords

Frozen spider webs are gorgeous, obviously

Holy crap does this guy do some amazing insect photography

Man documents his fight with flesh-eating bacteria in his pinky through pictures [GRAPHIC]

Metaphor for our delusional exceptionalism? Still “F*** Yeah!” worthy [Image]

Facebook You vs. Real You [Image]

Heh, stupid Pink Floyd–Why we need education…

The first principle [of science] is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.–Richard Feynman

Her: “I think we were made for each other.”

Him: “I don’t think I can date a creationist“

∞ Harder than splitting an atom. Truer words…

“I need to do extensive reading on this complex subject before I give an educated opinion.” — Web comment that has never been made

This ecosystem art is downright pretty

Award winning photograph proves that alligators are demons

Man turns Earth and stars into TRON. Mesmerizing

∞ I propose that you send this Sagan video to anyone who asks a question easily answered by the Internet

Heh. Write-in campaign pits Charles Darwin against “Pit of Hell” Broun

Rare condition makes man’s scalp resemble surface of brain

The problem with precedents–XKCD

Gamers will appreciate how good this ME3 cosplay is

How awesome are ginormous bubble rings blown by whales? Guess

One hell of a sand sculpture, Dinosaur Edition

Finally, a scientific explanation of why cats purr

Moth leaf-mimicry that wows