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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 a ton of great videos for you to watch this week. I also had a serious emotional breakdown watching Wash die in Serenity, after watching all of Firefly over two weeks. That is all.

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

Must Read

A wonderful explainer of the evolution of animal vision by Lucas Brouwers. Take an opportunity to learn about opsin

Are you a brain in a vat? What if you could look at your brain? Would you be looking at you? Carl Zimmer did this to me

∞ “She’d go to bed one night and wake up a full day later…her longest stint was 53 hours.” Great piece by Virginia Hughes

Must Watch

∞ This is the most *beautiful* footage of a cheetah running that you will see, I promise

∞ Summoning a black snake monster with sulfuric acid is awesome. Explanation here

Using highspeed video to discover how the animals with the highest metabolisms feed

What is more amazing than this rad bass-playing robot is the fact that it takes so much to recreate a mediocre human

A 90-second crash course on where we are in AGW negotiations

I believe this is another “F*** Yeah Modeling of Supersonic Shockwaves Hitting Bubbles!” moment

Feel like being inspired?–Another ISS video, but it’s the most awesome thing you’ll see today

This is an anaconda REGURGITATING A WHOLE GOAT. Yeah, just try and resist clicking

∞ Another great bit of science communication: Is The 5-Second Rule True?

Michael Shermer on how Deepak Chopra writes books. Skeptic SLAM

∞ Absolutely required viewing: Does the Universe Have a Purpose? Feat. MinutePhysics and Neil deGrasse Tyson

If you have never seen how good chickens are at keeping their heads stable, do yourself a favor

ASAPscience compresses billions of years of life into a mere 24 hours

∞ Powerful, touching, emulatable–Striking video of AGW denier’s mind changed by movie ‘Chasing Ice’

NASA was always good at making you feel small…

Science

Good points (and defense) here: Is Psychology a Science?

Pat Robertson just put his faith in radiocarbon dating, so here’s a quick primer by Michael Moyer

The Pros and Cons of Coffee Consumption [Infographic]

∞ BMJ article criticizes Movember for misleading men

Busting the MythBusters: Double-Dipping: A Proven Party Foul

Video games are GOOD for your brain, to the chagrin of many a grumpy old person [w/ video]

∞ Questioning Mammography: Saving fewer lives than you think and doing more harm than good

Seriously, does XKCD have an internship program? Take me under your wing! | The Cost of Pennies

∞ You may have read about an “immortal” jelly in the news, now read the skepticism surrounding it by Paul Raeburn

Why does the sound of running water make you want to pee? It might have to do with salivating dogs

During 30 minutes of active sex, the average person burns approximately 200 calories.

A bit of explanation about what DNA really looks like

Did you know there are lakes within the oceans? Weird/cool pools by Joe Hanson

Did you know there are hexagonal weather patterns on Saturn? It’s wild. By Phil Plait

Pop Culture

“Nobody come downstairs for a bit!”–OMG. There’s an infographic on how to do the Gangnam Style dance

Gangnam Style is the most watched video in YouTube history, now read about its fascinating background and what it means

There is so much about Fox News in this 90-second episode on Fox News. It’s perfect in its way.

∞ People need to know this– “Herbal supplements” are unregulated, overhyped, and potentially deadly

∞ Admirable: Pat Robertson Dispels Creationist Idea That Earth Is 6,000 Years Old. <+5 faith in humanity points>

Funny/Cool/Interesting

Gorgeous/fascinating–Wasp love got to do with it? Pic of spider orchid luring mate-seeking wasp

This cat looks like Batman. That is all

Wow. These Venezuelan air force pilots are close to dying in this picture

A touching XCKD on how your health affects the perception of time

∞ There Are Over 200 Bodies on Mount Everest, And They’re Used as Landmarks

The Nile from space

Okay this

Wow, if you live in Angola, Africa, your avg. life expectancy is 38.5 years [Infographic]

I offer you a shark high-fiving a diver

These holiday gifts for the climate denier in your family are sure to go over well…

You will run out of breath wowing these NatGeo contest photos

“Atheism is just a way of clearing the space for more interesting conversations.”–Harris

Make sure to only use anti-biotics when necessary, or Batman will slap the sh** out of you

If you fart consistently for 6 yrs and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an A-bomb

∞ What else can be said, Bruce Lee was a skeptical badass

“¿ɐup ǝɔuǝnbǝs noʎ op ʍoɥ”–Kyle: Bigfoot Field Researcher

AHHH MY VISUAL CORTEX! Amazing anamorphic illusions that will melt your visual cortex

When Captain Planet snaps [Don Cheadle, Funny or DIE]

This post combines two passions: Discussions of free will and Mass Effect by Frank Swain

Like you’re skydiving into teeth–Some days, I feel like this sealion

Just posted: Best Christmas Lights Ever?

∞ I failed the challenge big time–I defy you not to smile at this picture

The largest known bird to have ever flown is *enormous*, as you may have guessed

XKCD takes a childhood rhyme to dark places

The 9 circles of Hell doesn’t seem that bad when recreated in LEGOs

∞ Like you wouldn’t ask a limping man to simply run, you can’t demand a depressed man to simply “be happy”

The first law of thermodynamics is…

The awesome tweeps mentioned in this week’s roundup: @aatishb @mmoyr @tweetsauce @loveofscience @praeburn @asapSCIENCE @bradleyvoytek @edyong209 @BecCrew @skepticscience @badastronomer @michaelshermer @deepakchopra @neiltyson @minutephysics @saramayhew @PharmacistScott @jtotheizzoe @sciencepunk @RichardWiseman @JenLucPiquant @lucasbrouwers @carlzimmer @virginiahughes @paul_steele @jayrosen_nyu