Tag Archives: science

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson shuts down B.o.B’s flat-Earth notions with diss track & must-see mic drop

This month, rapper B.o.B (“Nothin’ on You“) made it apparent on Twitter that he truly believes our planet Earth is flat, not round. I’ll give you a second. Okay, moving on. In a series of tweets (you can scour his conspiracy-laden feed here), he could be seen waxing philosophical (I’m stretching the phrase there) on the “mounting evidence” proving we live on a flat planet. “A lot of people are turned off by the phrase “flat earth” … but there’s no way u can see all the evidence and not know… grow up,” he tweeted. Things began to escalate when renowned astrophysicist and Cosmos host Neil deGrasse Tyson caught wind of B.o.B’s utter nonsense and fired back with his own series of tweets. Of course, these are backed up by actual evidence and you’d think NDT’s involvement would put an end to this. But no, this Twitter beef was only getting started.

B.o.B wasn’t going to go gentle into that good night (Interstellar space reference, boom!) and so he quickly pumped out a new rap called “Flatline” in which he spits, “Neil Tyson need to loosen up his vest, they’ll probably write that man one hell of a check.” Yeah, it’s that bad. Anyway, NDT would go on to slam dunk over the rapper again, but this time with a rap of his own! Turns out Neil’s nephew has the acumen to produce a record in-studio, and under the name TYSON he invented a “diss track” aptly called “Flat to Fact.” Against a backdrop featuring the same beat used on Drake’s Meek Mill diss track “Back to Back,” the younger Tyson fired back at B.o.B with amazing verses like, “I’m bringing facts to combat a silly theory because B.o.B’s gotta know the planet is a sphere, chief, woah!” He even had his uncle record some of his original tweets aimed at B.o.B to include in the track. NDT would go on to publicly back his nephew’s swing.

Now you’d think that would put a nail in this thing, but there’s more. With B.o.B pretty much and out at this point, Neil provided the knock out punch by appearing on Larry Wilmore’s Nightly Show on Comedy Central. He takes off his blazer, grabs a mic, and piles on the evidence like a boss. There’s really no other way to describe it. Check out a mic drop moment for the ages after the break! Best Twitter beef. Ever. Continue reading Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson shuts down B.o.B’s flat-Earth notions with diss track & must-see mic drop

Neil deGrasse Tyson explains the origin of everything in eight minutes

Via Cosmos and StarTalk, renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is able to wonderfully articulate the wildly compelling complexities of the universe. This month, YouTube channel MinutePhysics got Dr. Tyson to narrate in his trancing voice “A Brief History of Everything,” an 8-minute condensed tale of the universe from conception to modern day. The clip, embedded above for your viewing pleasure, is nothing short of fascinating. NDT’s words and descriptions for the layman are entirely digestible, Henry Reich’s stop-motion illustrations are perfect aids, and Igor Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite” orchestration provides a deserving epic backdrop. Now, mash play and satiate your curiosity. And don’t forget to keep looking up.

‘Firefly’ reunion special coming to TV this fall

Firefly is coming back to TV. But not in the same sense as Arrested Development. Instead of a series revival, fans will have to do with a 10th anniversary reunion special. EW confirms that the special is called Browncoats Unite and will feature footage from the upcoming reunion panel at this week’s Comic Con in San Diego and “an in-depth behind-the-scenes roundtable interview that will dive deeper into burning fan questions about the beloved series.” The beloved Joss Whedon space western only lived to see a single 10-episode season and FOX cancelled it in 2002. Recently the series found a new home at the Science channel where that network has been re-airing it so fans can remember it fondly. Science will air the reunion special on Sunday, November 11; preceding it will be a requisite all-day marathon of the first season in its entirety.

Science released this statement: “Firefly is a landmark work of science fiction and a favorite with our viewers. Ever since it premiered on Science, fans have asked us to do something special to mark its 10-year anniversary. With this signature celebration, punctuated by Browncoats Unite, we will connect the minds behind this classic franchise with its legions of passionate fans.”

If you’re attending Comic Con and want to attend the Firely reunion panel, start lining up now. The panel, featuring stars Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, showrunner Tim Minear, writer Jose Molina, and creator Joss Whedon, will be held in Ballroom 20 at 12:30 on Friday, July 13.

[Via EW]

Freezing Mentos in icecubes to make explosion labeled hoax, pranksters cry everywhere

The folks at Steve Spangler Science have finally shut and bolted the door on the famous prank that if you freeze Mentos inside icecubes and place them in Coke a crazy explosion will follow.  Everyone knows that if you put a Mentos by itself in a cup of Coke a chemical reaction will occur.  However, the sneakier ploy of freezing them inside icecubes and then dropping them in Coke, waiting for them to melt and create a mess does not work.  Check out the video above to see for yourself and find out why.

[Via Gizmodo]