Russian soft-drinks explained: tastes like forests, rye bread, licorice, bubblegum

On Metafilter, Deathalicious rounds up links to some of the more interesting drinks mentioned in two videos by YouTube user 513755, explaining the various uniquely regional Russian and ex-Soviet soft-drinks.

Beautiful photos from the Hubble Space Telescope

Testing spacesuits beneath the Earth's surface

 The Eisriesenwelt—the "World of the Ice Giants"—is an Austrian cave that stays cold enough year-round to freeze any water that gets into it. As a result, the cave is full of massive ice formations. On April 28th, it was

Powdered human baby shipments seized

South Korean customs officials plan to increase customs inspections for powdered human baby flesh after 17,500 capsules were smuggled in less than a year. Powdered human baby flesh cures disease and boosts stamina. [BBC]

House built upside-down in Austria becomes tourist attraction

REUTERS/Dominic Ebenbichle

An interesting way to explain radiation exposure and risk

Science blogger Lee Falin has a potentially useful analogy for putting radiation dose and risk into perspective

The lament of the taxonomist

The good news: A recent study of preserved museum specimens revealed that the Caribbean is home to 39 different species of skink, rather than the previously-accepted six. The bad news: Turns out that 16 of those species are already extinct. (Via Tim Heffernan) 

The New Yorker: A Technological Solution to Global Warming?

The May 14, 2012, issue of The New Yorker is the "innovators" issue, with articles about the rise of drones in the United States, an artificial leaf that mimics the way plants convert solar energy, and a look at the promises and risks of geoengineering our way out of global warming. Plus, a beautiful cover by Bob Staake.

A unicycler's guide to physics

Watch this video and you'll better understand both some of the basics of Newtonian physics and how to ride a unicycle successfully.

The Open Laboratory: Best Science Writing on the Web 2012

Last week, I mentioned The Open Laboratory—an annual anthology of the best science writing on the Internet. Now the 2012 edition is available for pre-order. This is a great place to start if you want to expand your science RSS feed, discover trustworthy sources of science news, and learn lots of interesting stuff in a format perfect for reading on the bus or train. Bonus: A couple of BoingBoing posts made it into this edition!