"A planet near you" is relative, of course, as 300 million miles is still quite a journey. NASA's Perseverance rover launched in July, and is scheduled to land in the Jezero Crater on Mars on February 18. The landing will be covered live, and to drum up enthusiasm, NASA released a "trailer" for the landing, with all the drama you might expect for a blockbuster event. Perseverance's mission is to:

Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for possible return to Earth.

They named the mission Mars 2020, which was probably unavoidable but still seems unfortunate. Catch up on what the mission is all about at NASA.  -via Mashable

When you make cookies in specific shapes, you roll out the dough and use a cookie cutter. There's always negative space involved, meaning leftover dough. So after you cut cookies, you gather up the leftover pieces and roll the dough out again. This is how it's done, but it's not the most efficient way to do it. Chemist Martin Lersch runs a blog called Khymos in which he explores the science of cooking. One of his projects has been to find the most efficient cookie cutter to make Christmas cookies with little to no dough left over to roll out again. He looked at it as a form of packing problem, in which a tessellated shape would be the most efficient. Others have described limitations to this kind of project.  

This didn’t stop Lersch, though, who created his own Christmas-themed tessellations of bells, Christmas trees, and other shapes using the free-to-use platform Tess. With help from a friend, he 3D-printed several cookie cutters and mixed up some dough. Lersch’s cookie of choice, pepperkake, is a sumptuous Norwegian gingerbread. Lersch, primarily a chemist, notes that it was once made with ammonium carbonate from ground deer antlers, though most people substitute baking powder these days.

After deciding on the Christmas tree as the most efficient shape, Lersch then got to work. Emulating Escher’s patterns, he stamped every other tree shape right-side-up, to fit perfectly with the trees around it, which he stamped upside-down. The result? Interlocking rows of cookies, with no leftover dough left between their lines.

Read about Lersch's tessellated Christmas tree cookies and why this kind of efficiency matters beyond baking, at Atlas Obscura. 

Oh yeah, the recipes for the cookies is here.

(Image credit: Martin Lersch)

It's been more than four years since Fabrice Mathieu brought us the surreal short Darth by Darthwest, in which Cary Grant was chased down by a TIE fighter in a mashup of North by Northwest and Star Wars. Now we have episode 2! Roger Thornhill (Grant) is taken aboard the Millennium Falcon for a ride. He bonds with C-3PO and Chewbacca, gets chased by pilots of the Empire, and is finally safety deposited at Mount Rushmore.  -via Digg

This artifact was finally found after 70 years! A 5-inch-long (13 centimeters) piece of cedar was one of the only three objects to have been removed from the Queen’s Chamber at Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza. The wood was discovered in a cigar box at the University of Aberdeen Museums (UAM) in Scotland, as Live Science details: 

Back in the 19th century, British engineer Waynman Dixon was constructing a bridge in Cairo when he was contacted by Charles Piazzi Smyth, astronomer royal for Scotland, to assist in a survey of the Great Pyramid with the permission of the Egyptian Antiquities Service, according to the NMS. During the 1872 survey, Dixon removed three objects from the Queen's Chamber: a piece of cedar, a ball and a hook. Together, they became known as the "Dixon relics," and while the ball and hook were later housed in the collection of The British Museum, the piece of wood embarked on a different journey, according to the UAM statement.

The cedar chip ended up in the possession of Dr. James Grant, a Scottish doctor who practiced medicine in Egypt during the late 19th century; he assisted Dixon with the Great Pyramid survey and was with Dixon when he found the so-called relics, UAM representatives said. Their records showed that Grant's daughter donated a "five-inch piece of cedar" to the museum in 1946.

Image via Live Science 

Traditional Islamic wood carving is a dying tradition, according to Mohammad Mohdar Anwar. Anwar is the founder of Mahajati, a company dedicated to preserving wood carving and making art more accessible at the same time. Anwar and his company are doing their utmost effort to promote the beauty of traditional Islamic wood carving, from their decorative wall pieces in full or partial 3D, to a large scale model of Mecca, as My Modern Met details: 

The main collections for sale include mubkhars, or incense burners, and decorative wall pieces that are either fully 3D or partially 3D with a flat back. While these are popular, Mahajati's greatest artistic achievement (which has garnered them global attention) is a large-scale model of Makkah al-Mukarramah, or Mecca. The photos of their process show artisans working at an impressive scale with unusual angles as buildings seem to peel off of a single piece of wood. Detailed façade work and rough textures across the extruded surfaces further help the piece stand out, and showcases the wide range of methods used to complete the composition.

The Makkah model is proof that though this art is traditional and has a long history, this does not mean that the work is static. The work is constantly changing and improving with more intricate and unique pieces constantly being produced. “Our artisans devote lots of time to learning and exploring,” Anwar explains. “In the pursuit of perfection, they find their voice to express emotions and ideas through shapes, colors, and textures on wood.” Mahajati's founder goes on to say that their products are different from ordinary wall art. “Every piece you purchase is not only an art, but it has identity, meaning, and purpose.”

Image via My Modern Met 

The remains of a long-lost Byzantine church that is believed to have been near the site of the Last Supper has been uncovered in Jerusalem. In addition to the church, archaeologists have also found the foundations of a 2,000-year-old Jewish ritual bath. The area, known as the Church of the Agony and the Church of All Nations, was built on the spot where Judas is thought to have betrayed Jesus with a famous kiss:

The church is decorated with finely carved stone elements, indicating its importance. Alluding to Jesus’s sacrifice, Greek inscriptions on the building’s floor read: “for the memory and repose of the lovers of Christ… accept the offering of your servants and give them remission of sins.”

The bath, or mikveh, emerged during a construction project, and while many such baths have been found in ancient Jerusalem, this is the only one to have emerged in Gethsemane, reports Haaretz.

Gethsemane means “oil press” in Hebrew, and the name has been interpreted to refer to the manufacture of olive oil.

“The Jewish laws of purification obliged workers involved in oil and wine production to purify themselves,” Amit Re’em, an archaeologist for the Israel Antiquities Authority, said in the statement.

“The discovery of the ritual bath may therefore hint at the origin of the place’s ancient name, Gethsemane (Gat Shemanim, ‘oil press’), a place where ritually pure oil was produced near the city.”

“This is a significant discovery, shedding new light on how Gethsemane was used at the time it is mentioned in the Gospels,” says archaeologist Ken Dark, who recently identified what he believes may have been Jesus’s childhood home in Nazareth, about 95 miles to the north.

Image via ArtNet 

The Veal family of Indianapolis has bushes growing near the pond on their property. For every winter since 1961, they have sprayed pond water with food coloring onto the bushes (now an artificial scaffold), encasing them in layers of colored ice. They carve steps into the back so that family members can climb it to trim the ice into the vivid sculpture you see above. You can see photos from this ongoing project on their Instagram page or learn how to visit it in person here.

How does the Veal family manage to create this sculpture? This 2018 local news video illustrates the process after one daring reporter climbs the ice tree to inspect it.

-via Design You Trust

Well, KFC’s gravy has to come from somewhere, right? A one-hour documentary revealed how the company makes their famous gravy. Viewers of the documentary, Inside KFC at Christmas, felt physically sick after finding out the gravy-making process, as the Daily Record details: 

In the show, a worker explained that she makes the gravy by adding two scoops of 'crackling' to 3.5 litres of cold water.

The show's narrator goes on the reveal that the crackling is actually made up of leftovers from the bottom of the chicken fryer.

Before putting the mix into a microwave, a 'magic ingredient' is added - so secretive that it doesn't even say what it is on the packet, reports  Chronicle Live.

After whisking the concoction and putting it in the microwave, the worker declared: "I'm a great believer if you wouldn't eat it yourself you shouldn't expect anyone else to eat it."

Image via the Daily Record 

Every year, the small Scottish town of Newburgh turns a local child's drawing into a Christmas light on public display. For nearly two decades, the town has added a new light to a particular lamppost. BBC News describes the mysterious origins of this project:

The tradition is now in its 19th year, but no-one remembers who started it.

Shona Gray, head of Newburgh Action Group, who organise the lights, told BBC Scotland: "It might have been that there was a teacher from the local school on the committee that year, but no-one remembers.

"All we know is it became an annual competition and all the schoolchildren entered their drawings, with one being chosen to turn into a light." [...]

Shona said: "Lamppost 15 is always the new light. It's opposite St Katherine's Court where we gather for the light switch-on.

You can see more photos at Design Boom.

Photo: Newburgh Action Group

You may have heard at one time or another that honeybees hibernate in the winter. Insects use many different methods to survive cold weather, but bees do not hibernate. The beekeepers at Bell Farm in Iowa explain what they do to stay warm.

In the winter, honeybees cluster together in a ball roughly the size of a basketball. By flexing their wing muscles (the same muscles they use to fly), they are able to generate warmth and hold the cluster at about 85-90 degrees. The bees take turns shifting from the inside to the outside of the cluster so that everyone can stay warm. The queen is always kept at the center of the cluster.

The bees keep track of time passing, and make sure it is even warmer when it's time for the queen bee to start laying eggs. Bored Panda contacted Ellen Bell, who owns Bell Farm, to find out more about honeybees and beekeepers, and how they help each other get through a cold winter.

(Image credit: Bell Farm)

If you’re going to rate how hardcore roller coasters are from a 1 to 10, they are a certified 10. In fact, everything about roller coasters are hardcore, from the design, the experience, and the security measures. And did I mention that roller coasters are hardcore?

Image via Engrish.com

When Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was released last month, people were surprised that the XP boost packs, which were present in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, were nowhere to be found in this game. However, that only seemed to be temporary. Now, over a month since the release of the game, Ubisoft has introduced the controversial microtransactions into it.

The XP boost was controversial in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, not only because players felt microtransactions didn't belong in a full-price single-player title, but due to Odyssey's slow levelling process and level gates. This led some fans to claim the grind was there to deliberately encourage players to buy boost packs.

Speaking to Game Informer, a Ubisoft representative explained why the microtransaction had been added to Valhalla through an update.

"As more and more post-launch content becomes available, we want to give the option to players to advance their progression. Utilities allow players who lack the time to fully explore the world of Assassin's Creed Valhalla to be able to acquire the game's best gear, as well as other items, by accelerating their progress. For instance, these players can purchase maps that uncover some interesting locations in the world, but would still have to visit and play them to get their rewards."

What are your thoughts about this one? Do you think the game is a bit unfair to those who can’t afford microtransactions?

(Image Credit: Ubisoft/ Wikipedia)

Smart, charming and playful. These are just some of the reasons why dolphins are one of the most beloved animals. And one of the ways you can show that you love these animals is by drawing them. But how do you do it? My Modern Met provides us with a step-by-step guide on how to draw a dolphin. Check it out over at the site.

(Image Credit: Claudia14/ Pixabay)

Think you got the best ponytail game in town? Think again, for these dogs have it better than you. And when I say better, I mean like ten times better. Don’t believe me? Then check these photos of dogs with ponytails over at Dogs Addict.

(Image Credit: Dogs Addict)