May 27, 1941: Bismarck sunk by Royal Navy

On May 27, 1941, the British navy sinks the German battleship Bismarck in the North Atlantic near France. The German death toll was more than 2,000.

On February 14, 1939, the 823-foot Bismarck was launched at Hamburg. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler hoped that the state-of-the-art battleship would herald the rebirth of the German surface battle fleet. However, after the outbreak of war, Britain closely guarded ocean routes from Germany to the Atlantic Ocean, and only U-boats moved freely through the war zone.

In May 1941, the order was given for the Bismarck to break out into the Atlantic. Once in the safety of the open ocean, the battleship would be almost impossible to track down, all the while wreaking havoc on Allied convoys to Britain. Learning of its movement, Britain sent almost the entire British Home Fleet in pursuit. On May 24, the British battle cruiser Hood and battleship Prince of Wales intercepted it near Iceland. In a ferocious battle, the Hood exploded and sank, and all but three of the 1,421 crewmen were killed. The Bismarck escaped, but because it was leaking fuel it fled for occupied France. On May 26, it was sighted and crippled by British aircraft, and on May 27 three British warships descended on the Bismarck and finished it off.

Neon Nights

With raindrops no longer falling, this street in Beijing, China, hums back to life under the glow of neon signs. Your Shot photographer Caue Ferraz took this photo in the neighborhood around Jingshan Park, a 57-acre green space with views into the Forbidden City.

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Sandy Oasis

Anguilla, a British territory in the Caribbean, is a nation of tranquility, but Sandy Island takes it to another level. This speck of sand in the bright blue waters is constantly reshaped by the ocean and weather, and visitors to the cay are encouraged to make reservations. Your Shot photographer Matthew Wade captured this shot using a drone.

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Golden Hills

Your Shot photographer Hannah Overeem captured this shot of her dog, Badger, an Australian cattle dog, in Chino Hills, California. She writes that the contrast of the golden field and blue-and-white sky give this image a “surreal” look.

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Hidden Gem

Forged by the wear of water rushing over rocks, Olo Canyon in Arizona is concealed inside the Grand Canyon. Its alluring landscape includes natural springs and rocks shaped like cathedral amphitheaters.

See more pictures from the September 2016 story "Are We Losing the Grand Canyon?"

Behind the Curtain

Circus performers in Hanoi, Vietnam, prepare for the show minutes before it gets under way. Nguyen Thi Thu Hiep, shown here stretching, is a contortionist. For extra money, she also performs at private parties and social events.

See more pictures from the September 2016 story "A Life at the Circus: Going Behind the Curtain in Vietnam."

'You Dropped Something!'

Your Shot photographer Suyash Mehta gained a souvenir from a passing eagle in Satara, India: a long feather. India is home to nearly two dozen eagle species.

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City of Sun Showers

Even in a rainstorm, Paris lives up to its nickname of the City of Light, as sun streaks through storm clouds over the city in this image by Your Shot photographer Raffaele Tuzio.

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A Flash in the Distance

Flashes of lightning illuminate the night sky above Lake Ontario, as seen from an overlook in Lyndonville, New York—located about an hour from the Canadian border at Niagara Falls.

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Flood of Color

Floods bring a mosaic of color to the rice fields of Y Ty, Vietnam. The wet season typically lasts from May to June in the mountainous village.

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A Walk on the Wild Side

Ye Ye, a 16-year-old giant panda, lounges in a wild enclosure at a conservation center in China’s Wolong Nature Reserve. China has been creating reserves to restore and protect disappearing panda habitat and is now introducing captive-bred pandas into the wild.

See more pictures from the August 2016 feature story "Pandas Get to Know Their Wild Side."

A Popular Perch

Birds gather on a rock formation—a popular attraction for both seabirds and people—at Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz, California. Your Shot photographer Laurence Norah writes that it’s “a wonderful place to get the sunset … A long exposure added a slightly surreal element to the shot.”

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High-Rise and Shine

The brightly colored lights of Shinjuku, a ward of Tokyo, Japan, glitter in this double exposure by Masayuki Yamashita. The district is a bustling hub and home to what’s known as the world’s busiest railway station: Shinjuku Station, through which millions of passengers pass daily.

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Whale of a Time

A whale shark—the biggest fish in the sea—swims along, “extremely curious” about his observers. Your Shot photographer David Robinson, who researches whale shark ecology, captured this image in Qatar on a day with “great visibility” in an area with waters that are usually full of plankton.

Robinson's shot was recently featured in the Daily Dozen.

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Life on Mars

Your Shot member Bryan Geiger’s early morning visit to the summit area of Haleakalā volcano in Hawaii’s Haleakalā National Park yielded this extraordinary image of an otherworldly landscape. “I woke up at 3 a.m. and drove to Haleakalā summit,” Geiger writes. “As the sun came up it revealed only a white wall of mist. After a couple of hours, disappointed and cold, I decided to leave. While driving back I jumped out at the overlook to see if anything had changed. At that moment the clouds retreated and I had only an instant to snap this photo of the [alien-looking] land.”

Geiger's shot was recently featured in the Daily Dozen.

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Western Spirit

Framing an expansive blue sky, desert buttes, and a pair of majestic horses, Your Shot member Nora Feddal captures the essence of the American West in this image made while visiting Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, which extends into both Arizona and Utah.

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Night Falls

By day, the water of Arizona's Havasu Falls is a remarkable, bright blue-green. In this image submitted by Jes Stockhausen, it’s a milky ribbon, illuminated at night by the light of a camper’s headlamps. “While camping in the Havasupai [Indian Reservation], you hear the roar of the falls 24/7. My friend and I went to see if we could see the stars and were blown away [by] the sheer darkness of the canyon. This shot was [made] with two headlamps, one at the subject’s feet and one on his head.”

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First Light

Photographer Theerasak Saksritawee submitted this photo of birds taking flight in a golden sky over Taiwan’s National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. The memorial, dedicated to the former president of the Republic of China, includes gardens, ponds, and this sprawling plaza, a popular spot for national celebrations.

Saksritawee's shot was recently featured in the Daily Dozen. 

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A Walk in the Park

Photographer Graham De Lacy captured this shot of an African elephant taking a sunny-day stroll in South Africa’s Madikwe Game Reserve. “[It was] one of the many close encounters … I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing,” De Lacy writes. African elephants are the largest land mammals on Earth.

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Pelican Party

Pelicans, seen from above in this aerial shot submitted by Your Shot community member Stas Bartnikas, congregate on the Colorado River in Mexico. The social birds usually travel in flocks and are found on many of the world’s coastlines and along lakes and rivers.

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Lifting the Veil

A lacy veil of cigarette smoke encircles a man in Sarawak, one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. “I embarked on photography trips to inland Sarawak to seek out the native people [who] preserve their way of life,” Your Shot member Jonathan Nyik Fui Tai says. ”Many of the tribes have slowly [been] assimilated into modern society.”

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Hot Rock

Spiking from inky storm clouds, a white-hot thunderbolt spears the plateau during a summer storm in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. The monument comprises 300,000 unspoiled acres that cross both Arizona and Utah and contain steep cliffs, deep canyons, and sandstone formations.

Rankin’s shot was recently featured in the Daily Dozen.

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Black Water

Seen from above, a small boat travels the Buriganga River, thick and dark with pollution, in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. Though the water is filled with human and industrial waste, millions depend on it for their livelihood and transportation. “The Buriganga is economically very important to Dhaka,” Your Shot photographer Jakir Hossain Rana writes. “Launches and country boats provide a connection to other parts of Bangladesh.”

Rana’s shot was recently featured in the Daily Dozen.

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Rose-Tinted Spectacle

Sunset splashes a rosy tint over the landscape in this image submitted by Fabrizio Fortuna. The mountain is the 1,500-foot (457-meter) Vestrahorn, a main landmark of southeastern Iceland.

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Pushed for Time

“One of the best places [to photograph] in Cairo, Egypt, is the camels market,” writes Your Shot member Nader Saadallah. “At this moment, the camels’ keepers and sellers [are] trying to push the camel into their vehicle to send it to the local market to be slaughtered to be ready for customers.”

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Old Guard

“Hundreds of old cypresses guard the perimeter of Lake Camécuaro and its turquoise-colored, crystal clear water,” Javier Eduardo Alvarez writes of this photo he made of the small Mexican lake, popular for its picturesque beauty. “This place is magical.”

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New method for finding disease-susceptibility genes
A team of researchers has unveiled a novel statistical algorithm, capable of identifying potential disease genes in a more accurate and cost-effective way.

Turning up the heat on thermoelectrics
Thermoelectric materials, heated under high magnetic fields, could produce record levels of energy, suggests a new study.

OLEDs become brighter and more durable
Researchers demonstrate the possibility of using ultrastable film formation to improve the performance of state-of-the-art OLEDs. The researchers show in a detailed study significant increases of efficiency and operational stability (> 15 percent for both parameters and all cases, significantly higher for individual samples) are achieved for four different phosphorescent emitters.

Phosphorus nutrition can hasten plant and microbe growth in arid, high elevation sites
Glacial retreat in cold, high-altitude ecosystems exposes environments that are extremely sensitive to phosphorus input, new research shows. The finding upends previous ecological assumptions, helps scientists understand plant and microbe responses to climate change and could expand scientists' understanding of the limits to life on Earth.

Biologist advocates ecological approach to improving human health
Chronic diseases like cancer, autoimmune disorders and obesity may ultimately vanquish the efforts of medical intervention unless people change their diet, a biologist argues in a paper published this week.

Top nitrogen researchers imagine world beyond fossil fuels
At the invitation of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Basic Energy Sciences, 17 top experts in nitrogen research gathered to discuss nitrogen activation chemistry and the field's future.

Why motor neurons die in patients with motor neuron disease
A group of clinical neurologists, molecular biologists and computer scientists have worked together to solve the mystery of why motor neurons die in patients with motor neuron disease.

Lung-on-a-chip simulates pulmonary fibrosis
New biotechnology could make testing potential medicine for pulmonary fibrosis, one of the most common and serious forms of lung disease, quicker and less expensive. The innovation, lung-on-a-chip technology, relies on the same technology used to print electronic chips, photolithography.

Study reveals gaps in follow-up care after concussion
Being discharged from a hospital trauma center after receiving treatment for a traumatic brain injury (TBI) does not necessarily mean that a patient has fully recovered. TBI can lead to long-lasting physical and cognitive symptoms, but a new study suggests that many patients may not be receiving follow-up care.

New chromosome study can lead to personalized counseling of pregnant women
Fetuses with a specific, rare chromosomal aberration have a 20 percent risk of a developmental disorder or another brain disorder, a new study reveals. The findings may provide personalized diagnostics and counseling for these pregnant women.

Potent new mechanism of action for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease revealed
Through research on the small molecule analogue of E6007 which is under clinical development as a treatment for inflammatory bowel disease, a novel mechanism of action was revealed in which this analogue inhibited the adhesion and infiltration of various leukocytes through the blockade of certain interaction.

Which role does the brain play in prosocial behavior?
This study suggests that our tactile cortices, primarily evolved to perceive touch and pain on our body, have an important social function. They contribute to prosocial decision-making by helping to transform the sight of bodily harm into an accurate feeling for how much pain the victim experiences. This feeling is necessary to adapt our helping to the needs of others.

Failures in power grids: Dynamically induced cascades
A reliable functioning of technical infrastructure networks is essential for our modern, high-tech society. Cascading failures, i.e. chain reactions of failures of different infrastructures, are the cause of many failures of entire networks, e.g. large parts of the European power grids.

Why bioelectrodes for energy conversion are not stable
Researchers have discovered why bioelectrodes containing the photosynthesis protein complex photosystem I are not stable in the long term. Such electrodes could be useful for converting light energy into chemical energy in an environmentally friendly way. However, the proteins, which are stable in nature, are not functional in semi-artificial systems in the long term because reactive molecules are formed that damage the photosystem I.

Shine bright like a nanoaggregate
Chinese scientists have turned copper-iodine cluster molecules into aggregated, highly luminescent nanostructures for use in light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The solid-state assemblies made of complexes of the copper-iodine cluster with phosphor-organic compounds as ligands are easily prepared, cheap, and can emit light in many colors, they report. The nanoaggregates can be used as luminescent inks for invisible paintings and color coatings for LEDs.

A genetic algorithm predicts the vertical growth of cities
The increase of skyscrapers in a city resembles the development of some living systems. Researchers have created an evolutionary genetic algorithm that, on the basis of the historical and economic data of an urban area, can predict what its skyline could look like in the coming years. The method has been applied successfully to the thriving Minato Ward, in Tokyo.

Goal conflict linked to psychological distress
Being torn about which personal goals to pursue is associated with symptoms of psychological distress, new research shows.

Mars rocks may harbor signs of life from 4 billion years ago
Iron-rich rocks near ancient lake sites on Mars could hold vital clues that show life once existed there, research suggests.

'Deforestation-free' palm oil not as simple as it sounds
Genuinely 'deforestation-free' palm oil products are problematic to guarantee, according to a new study.

New link found between alcohol, genes and heart failure
Scientists have revealed a new link between alcohol, heart health and our genes. The researchers investigated faulty versions of a gene called titin which are carried by one in 100 people or 600,000 people in the UK.

Currents propel the spreading of invasive jellyfish
Twelve years ago, the comb jelly Mnemiopsis leidyi, originating from the North American East Coast, appeared in northern European waters. Based on the first comprehensive data collection on the occurrence of this invasive jellyfish in Europe, scientists have now shown that ocean currents play a key role for this successful invasion.

If solubility is the problem -- Mechanochemistry is the solution
Chemists synthesize supersized nanographenes with ball milling.

Ruthenium found to have unique magnetic properties at room temperature
A new finding demonstrates that the chemical element ruthenium (Ru) is the fourth single element to have unique magnetic properties at room temperature. The discovery could be used to improve sensors, devices in the computer memory and logic industry, or other devices using magnetic materials.

A new guide for explorers of the submicroscopic world inside us
The new guidelines will benefit the battle against diseases such as cancer, assist in the development of new drugs and ensure scientific results are accurate and can be reproduced.

How scientists analyse cell membranes
Scientists have developed a method of visualizing an important component of the cell membrane in living cells. They synthesized a family of new substances.

Biosensor technologies to offer more effective approaches to disease treatment
Every cell in our bodies is shaped by its outer coating, or biomembrane, which wraps the cell in a supportive and protective blanket, allowing the cell to carry out its normal function while also defending it against attack. New technology has opened up an area of research that makes it possible to study how the biomembrane functions, including how it responds when a disease molecule attacks, paving the way to more effective disease treatments.

Low-cost membrane cleans up light and heavy oils in a single step
Researchers have developed a low-cost membrane that effectively separates oil and water on demand -- potentially paving the way for faster cleanups of oil spills and improved treatment of industrial wastewater in the future.

Bacteria and viruses ejected from the ocean
Certain types of bacteria and viruses are readily ejected into the atmosphere when waves break; others less so, researchers reported. A team of chemists, oceanographers, microbiologists, geneticists, and pediatric medicine specialists are attempting to understand how far potentially infectious bacteria and viruses can travel and if those that pose the greatest risks to public health are among those most likely to escape the ocean.

How do insects survive on a sugary diet?
Researchers show that bacteriocytes -- specific aphid cells that house the symbiotic bacteria -- have different DNA methylation patterns depending on what type of plant sap the aphid is consuming.

Scientists introduce cosmochemical model for Pluto formation
Scientists integrated NASA's New Horizons discoveries with data from ESA's Rosetta mission to develop a new theory about how Pluto may have formed at the edge of our solar system.

An elastic fiber filled with electrodes set to revolutionize smart clothes
EPFL scientists have found a fast and simple way to make super-elastic, multi-material, high-performance fibers. Their fibers have already been used as sensors on robotic fingers and in clothing. This breakthrough method opens the door to new kinds of smart textiles and medical implants.

Study suggests obese children who meet milk guidelines have less risk of metabolic syndrome
Obese children who consume at least two servings of any type of cow's milk daily are more likely to have lower fasting insulin, indicating better blood sugar control, according to researchers.

People with dementia more likely to go missing
The tendency of people with dementia to wander and become lost has led researchers to recommend a 'Silver Alert' system, similar to Amber Alerts for missing children, be activated when someone with the diagnosis of dementia is reported lost.

Professor replicates famous marshmallow test, makes new observations
A new replication study of the well-known 'marshmallow test' -- a famous psychological experiment designed to measure children's self-control -- suggests that being able to delay gratification at a young age may not be as predictive of later life outcomes as was previously thought.

Bumblebees confused by iridescent colors
A new study shows for the first time that dazzling iridescent colors in animals can act as camouflage.

Genome study presents new way to track historical demographics of US populations
Researchers have developed a method to estimate historical effective population size, which is the number of individuals who pass on their genes to the next generation, to reveal the shifting demographic history of US populations during the last several thousand years.

What makes us well? Diversity, health care, and public transit matter
Diverse neighbors. Health centers. Commuter trains. These community attributes, and other key factors, are linked to well-being and quality of life, according to researchers.

Shedding light on immune response in diseased corals
Researchers have found a correlation between a strong immune response in diseased corals and a lower expression of genes associated with growth and reproduction.

Dusty rainfall records reveal new understanding of Earth's long-term climate
Ancient rainfall records stretching 550,000 years into the past may upend scientists' understanding of what controls the Asian summer monsoon and other aspects of the Earth's long-term climate. Milankovitch theory says solar heating of the northernmost part of the globe drives the world's climate swings between ice ages and warmer periods. The new work turns Milankovitch in its head by suggesting climate is driven by differential heating of the Earth's tropical and subtropical regions.

Scientists shrink chemistry lab to seek evidence of life on Mars
An international team of scientists has created a tiny chemistry lab for a rover that will drill beneath the Martian surface looking for signs of past or present life.

EOVSA reveals new insights into solar flares' explosive energy releases
Last September, a massive new region of magnetic field erupted on the Sun's surface next to an existing sunspot. The powerful collision of magnetic fields produced a series of potent solar flares, causing turbulent space weather conditions at Earth. These flares were captured in their moment-by-moment progression.

The secret to honing kids' language and literacy
Researchers found that a child's ability to self-regulate is a critical element in childhood language and literacy development, and that the earlier they can hone these skills, the faster language and literacy skills develop leading to better skills in the long run.

New computational tool could help optimize treatment of Alzheimer's disease
Scientists have developed a novel computational approach that incorporates individual patients' brain activity to calculate optimal, personalized brain stimulation treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

When the dinosaurs died, so did forests -- and tree-dwelling birds
Sixty-six million years ago, the world burned. An asteroid crashed to Earth with a force one million times larger than the largest atomic bomb, causing the extinction of the dinosaurs. But dinosaurs weren't the only ones that got hit hard -- in a new study, scientists learned that the planet's forests were decimated, leading to the extinction of tree-dwelling birds.

Reconstructing Zika's spread
The urgent threat from Zika virus, which dominated headlines in early 2016, has passed. But research into how Zika and other mosquito-borne infections spread and cause epidemics is still very active. Researchers now report new details of how Zika emerged from Brazil and spread throughout Mexico and Central America, with evidence that some locations had more than one outbreak.

Imminent extinction of northern white rhinoceros motivates genetic recovery efforts
Earlier this year, the last remaining male northern white rhinoceros (NWR) died in captivity, nearly cementing the fate of this subspecies for extinction. In the wild, continuing threats of poaching, habitat destruction, and small population size have contributed to the rhinos' status as critically endangered. Yet, novel conservation efforts that make use of cryopreserved genetic material could save the NWR, and other threatened species, from extinction.

Some veterans at higher risk of Zika complications
Zika virus (ZIKV) has affected roughly half a million people in the Western hemisphere in recent years, including US veterans. Older veterans and those with comorbidities are at an increased risk of hospitalizations and neurological complications after a ZIKV infection, researchers now report.

Tick bite protection: New CDC study adds to the promise of permethrin-treated clothing
The case for permethrin-treated clothing to prevent tick bites keeps getting stronger. In new experiments, clothing treated with an insecticide known as permethrin had strong toxic effects on three primary species of ticks known to spread disease-causing pathogens in the United States. Exposure to permethrin interfered with the ticks' ability to move properly, making them sluggish and likely interfering with their ability to bite.

Molecular network boosts drug resistance and virulence in hospital-acquired bacterium
In response to antibiotics, a gene regulation network found in the bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii acts to boost both virulence and antibiotic resistance.

Gut microbiome can control antitumor immune function in liver
Scientists have found a connection between bacteria in the gut and antitumor immune responses in the liver. Bacteria found in the gut of mice affect the liver's antitumor immune function. The findings have implications for understanding the mechanisms that lead to liver cancer and for therapeutic approaches to treat them.

Ingestible 'bacteria on a chip' could help diagnose disease
Researchers have built an ingestible sensor equipped with genetically engineered bacteria that can diagnose bleeding in the stomach or other gastrointestinal problems.

Did the Chicxulub asteroid knock Earth's thermometer out of the ballpark?
When the Chicxulub asteroid smashed into Earth 65 million years ago, the event drove an abrupt and long-lasting era of global warming, with a rapid temperature increase of 5° Celsius (C) that endured for roughly 100,000 years, a new study reports.

Gut bacteria play key role in anti-seizure effects of ketogenic diet
Scientists have identified specific gut bacteria that play an essential role in the anti-seizure effects of the ketogenic diet. The study is the first to establish a causal link between seizure susceptibility and the gut microbiota -- the 100-trillion-or-so bacteria and other microbes that reside in our intestines.

Scientists can predict which storks will migrate to Africa in autumn and which will remain in Europe
Scientists can predict which storks will migrate to Africa in autumn and which will remain in Europe.

Selective neural connections can be reestablished in retina after injury
The brain's ability to form new neural connections, called neuroplasticity, is crucial to recovery from some types of brain injury, but this process is hard to study and remains poorly understood. A new study of neural circuit repair in the retina shows that neurons can make new connections to the right types of photoreceptors to restore selective connectivity after an injury.

New theory finds 'traffic jams' in jet stream cause abnormal weather patterns
A study offers an explanation for a mysterious and sometimes deadly weather pattern in which the jet stream, the global air currents that circle the Earth, stalls out over a region. Much like highways, the jet stream has a capacity, researchers said, and when it's exceeded, blockages form that are remarkably similar to traffic jams -- and climate forecasters can use the same math to model them both.

Mongooses inherit behavior from role models rather than parents
Young mongooses learn lifelong habits from role models rather than inheriting them from genetic parents, new research shows.

Bid to beat obesity focuses on fat that keeps us warm
A new technique to study fat stores in the body could aid efforts to find treatments to tackle obesity, research suggests. The approach focuses on energy-burning tissues found deep inside the body -- called brown fat -- that help to keep us warm when temperatures drop.

Opportunity to restore abundance to Hawaiian reef fisheries
A new study has identified areas in the Hawaiian Islands that would provide the greatest increase in coastal fishery stocks, if effectively managed.

Using Facebook to help young adults quit smoking
A national clinical trial testing a smoking cessation intervention for young adults that was conducted entirely on Facebook has found that smokers are 2.5 times more likely to quit after three months with the Facebook-based treatment than if they were referred to an online quit-smoking program.

How telemedicine can fill the void left by 'abortion deserts'

Today, we use the internet to find everything – new restaurants and bars, the closest movie theater, and the most efficient route to our friends’ houses. Finding health information and researching health care providers is no different, and that includes finding the closest provider for abortion care. But unlike many other health care services, where a Google search will produce a multitude of local options, people logging on to try to find an abortion provider are met with a harsh reality: In order to reach the closest abortion clinic, they may need to travel hundreds of miles.  

Learn about APIs and how to use them with this set of 6 online courses on sale for less than $30

To the uninitiated, API stands for Application Programming Interface. Technical jargon aside, it's basically a set of codes commercial sites permit others to borrow, allowing them to use it however they want. Take Twitter, for example: You don't imagine them exposing the entirety of their code (aka inner workings) to the public, do you? Still, they want others to incorporate or make use of their service to build applications. Hence, they supply an API. By doing so, they're essentially enabling their platform to work and interact seamlessly with other products. 

If you're a developer, product manager, or just someone who wants to break into the field, you should have extensive knowledge of APIs. APIs are rapidly becoming the building blocks of the web, allowing companies to provide a better customer experience to their users. If you don't know where to start, the Complete API Mastery Bundle can school you on what you need to know. Read more...

Practice mindfulness with these 3D puzzles and leave your phone alone for the afternoon

Between the 24-hour news cycle and binging Season 2 of 13 Reasons Why, we could all use a little break. May we suggest the humble puzzle as a way to distract from the hell hole that is Twitter and cable news? 

If you're looking to add a bit more mindfulness into your life, puzzles are a great way to kick back and relax while still exercising your right brain. And we're not just talking about the jigsaw variety (so 2017). 

These Wood Trick DIY Mechanical 3D Puzzles provide hours of mental stimulation, calling upon your imagination, spatial reasoning, motor skills, and tactile sensitivity. They’re all made from renewable wood without added toxins or glues, so they make for an extremely eco-conscious hobby. Plus, you’ll have a beautiful piece of functional art to display when you’ve completed one. Read more...

We've become normalized to Trump's tweets. Not this one.

Nowadays, it takes a lot for Americans to become incensed about Trump's tweets. We need at least one World War threat or nuclear weapon tangent to wake up and realize we're seconds away from doomsday.

The President still has that magical ability to completely eviscerate our joy. Take Saturday's tweet, where Trump — in one of his worst lies yet — had the audacity to complain that Democrats were responsible for separating parents from their children at the border.

"Put pressure on the Democrats to end the horrible law that separates children from there parents once they cross the Border into the U.S. Catch and Release, Lottery and Chain must also go with it and we MUST continue building the WALL! DEMOCRATS ARE PROTECTING MS-13 THUGS," Trump wrote. Read more...

'This Is Nigeria' masterfully reframes Childish Gambino's epic video for a different audience

Folarin Falana, better known as the Nigerian rapper Falz, did something with Childish Gambino's incisive "This Is America" music video that no one else has managed: He deconstructed it and rebuilt it for his home audience.

"This Is America" presents a picture of life in modern-day black America, with a heavy lean toward symbolism and subtext. As a piece of music, it's fine; as a short film casting a spotlight on what oppression looks like in 2018, it's a brilliant, essential work.

I can't personally speak to what daily life in Nigeria looks like, but Falz's lyrics offer a starting point for further reading. As OkayAfrica points out, he touches on "everything from the government's sluggish response to the missing Chibok Girls, the drug epidemic affecting Nigerian youth, widespread consumerism, the country's infamous Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), internet fraud, crooked pastors, Fulani herdsmen and even Big Brother Nigeria." Read more...

Starbucks will somehow feature rapper Common during its anti-bias training

Starbucks is planning to have multiple special guests appear in a racial bias training video on Tuesday, among them celebrated socially conscious rapper Common. 

The chain will be shutting down 8,000 stores on May 29th for an anti-bias training. 

Common is described in a video preview of the day's events as one of Starbucks' "guides." He explains that he'll be participating — where and how isn't clear — in order to help people "see each other fully, completely, respectfully."

Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP; as well as Heather McGhee, a representative from liberal thinktank Demos; and Brian Stevenson, Executive Director of the Equal Justice Foundation, have all consulted on the day's curricula. Read more...

'Ibiza' is the perfect movie to kickstart your summer

A few years ago, every movie studio wanted the next Bridesmaids. Last year they chased the success of Rough Night and Girls Trip. Netflix's Ibiza will be compared to all three, but it also reveals the secret: There will never be enough of these movies.

Directed by Alex Richanbach, Ibiza is a welcome newbie in this movie tradition, ostensibly with nothing new to bring to the table. But three excellent leads with effortless chemistry and a hilarious script make it the perfect friend-caper-slash-rom-com to start your summer.

It doesn't have to be assault to be bad, Morgan Freeman

Recently, celebrities accused of sexual misconduct have started to issue a new kind of defense: at least they didn't commit sexual assault.

Morgan Freeman adopted that reasoning for his second apology this weekend, after eight women accused him of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior, according to a CNN investigation. Freeman has additionally bemoaned the effect the allegations would have on his "80 year career."

"All victims of assault and harassment deserve to be heard. And we need to listen to them. But it is not right to equate horrific incidents of sexual assault with misplaced compliments or humor," Freeman wrote in his statement.  Read more...

Lo-fi video game about New York City's subway woes spells out a fix

Did Elon Musk secretly make this video game?

A simple, new browser game from called MTA Country (from Everyday Arcade) offers a very pro-business solution for fixing New York City's beleaguered subway system: Hand its management over to private interests.

The game, which plays like a subway-themed, side-scrolling endless runner, quite literally spells that out as you play. As you guide a single subway car along on a length of track, you collect old, now defunct subway tokens as well as a series of letters that, together, spell out "PRIVATIZE." Read more...

Jeff Bezos personally announced that Amazon saved 'The Expanse' and the crowd went wild

Another day, another streaming service swooping in to rescue a TV series that couldn't cut it on cable.

For weeks, fans of Syfy's The Expanse have been held in suspense over the show's abrupt cancellation and subsequent hints of a pickup, a la Brooklyn Nine-Nine. That suspense is now at an end, thanks to Jeff Bezos.

The Amazon founder and CEO summed up the situation succinctly during an appearance at the International Space Development Conference: "The Expanse is saved." The watching crowd, which included multiple members of the show's cast, erupted with cheers immediately. Read more...

'Sesame Street' producer sues movie featuring violent, ejaculating puppets

As far as most of us are concerned, Sesame Street puppets don't have bodily fluids like blood and semen. They are made of felt and giant hugs. And the show's producers are willing to take legal action to defend that position.

The Happytime Murders, which carries the tagline "NO SESAME, ALL STREET," believes quite the opposite, however. The "puppet crime comedy" about a private detective puppet and a Detective (Melissa McCarthy) who team up together to track down a serial killer features violent Sesame-esque puppets that allegedly aren't afraid to ejaculate. 

SEE ALSO: Sesame Place is world's first theme park designated as a Certified Autism Center Read more...

Thanks to historic turnout, Ireland votes to end abortion ban

Ireland, once seen as one of the most socially conservative countries in Western Europe, is poised to end its highly restrictive abortion ban.

The decision came after a historic vote, in which a landslide majority of the country voted to repeal the country's Eighth amendment, which established an “equal right to life” for mothers and the "unborn," and banned abortion even in cases of rape and incest, or where the pregnancy was a risk to the mother.

Emotions ran high — and so, too, did celebrations.

Han Solo's lucky dice still don't mean a damn thing after 'Solo'

There are light spoilers ahead for both Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Solo: A Star Wars Story. Proceed with caution if you haven't seen them yet.

Disney, please stop trying to make Han Solo's lucky gold dice a thing.

One of the first conversations that sprung up in Mashable chat after we all saw Star Wars: The Last Jedi was: What's the deal with Han's dice? The bauble made its apparent big screen debut in the 2017 film, and every lingering shot of the chained-together chance cubes suggested they held a deeper meaning.

We agreed as a group that they were probably included as a forward-looking tease of Solo: A Star Wars Story, which hit theaters just over five months after The Last Jedi, on May 25. An explanation would surely be coming in Han's new origin story, right? Read more...

7 summer TV shows for the 7 kinds of people out there

Summer may seem like the time to go outside and do things, but let's be real: it's time to sit indoors and watch TV. Networks generally try to keep things fun and light for their summer premieres, and these seven shows will have something fun for every type of person out there. 

If you need new heroes to root for after the end of Infinity War...try Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger (June 7)

The TV branch of the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe gains two new heroes this summer Tyrone Johnson and Tandy Bowen are two teens with the kind of superpowers audience haven’t yet seen from the MCU.  Read more...

Driverless shuttles will beat other autonomous vehicles to the road

Shared autonomous vehicles, self-driving buses, driverless shuttles — whatever you call them, these vehicles are beating autonomous cars to the road. 

While companies like Waymo, GM's Cruise, Lyft, Uber, Baidu, Tesla, and others continue testing personal vehicles that can drive themselves, others are focusing efforts away from personal transit options and seeing how autonomous tech can move crowds at school campuses, residential communities, office parks, business districts, and event spaces.

Just this week the New York Times uncovered that Apple's self-driving car program is refocusing on an employee shuttle with Volkswagen vans. Making personal vehicles autonomous isn't as easy to deploy. Read more...

This summer, I'm bringing back the tiny fans of my youth

For anyone who grew up attending a school that, come the first day above 65 degrees, became a steaming sauna of pre-teen sweat, dragging oneself from one overheated classroom to another was a terrible fact of life. 

And though I don't know how things went down at your school, I can tell you that at my school, the ultimate warm-weather status item was a handheld misting fan. 

In hindsight, handheld misting fans are semi-disgusting. Essentially, it's a plastic spray bottle with fan-blades surrounding the nozzle. On particularly sweltering bus rides to school, we'd pull out our never-cleaned spray bottles and mist one another with stale tap water. Read more...

Review: the Google News app is a news junkie's dream come true

Remember when news apps used to be cool? Seriously, there was a time when indie news apps were not only plentiful, they were the darlings of tech and media circles. Read more...

Code for America wants to clear 250,000 marijuana convictions

Over the years Jennifer Pahlka has listened as discouraged people across America shared their stories of missed employment, education, financial, and housing opportunities with her. She’s comforted these individuals, gotten to know them, and learned that past marijuana convictions follow them in ways that make it impossible to move forward in life.

"The things that people write will break your heart: 'I made a small mistake a long time ago and it’s just haunting me, I need a job to take care of my kids, I need a job to take care of my parents,'" Pahlka, founder and executive director of Code for America, said. "In a human way, when you see the problem up close it becomes a moral imperative to solve it." Read more...

A beginner's guide to making iPhone apps

A lot of people think app development is some unattainable, alien skill accessible only to those big-brained, glasses-wearing creatures we rudely call “nerds.” But that’s simply not true. 

Anyone can make an iPhone app, and everyone should make an iPhone app. Though it may seem daunting, apps are not difficult to make when you have the right instruction, like the sort you’ll get from the aptly titled online course How To Make a Freaking iPhone App. This fun, easily digestible course is available for 85% off, so you should probably get on that.

Grab the world's first on-the-go Spotify player at its lowest price yet

Whoever said that history repeats itself was seriously onto something. In the past couple of years, we've seen the resurgence of things we've enjoyed from yesteryear — Polaroids, turntables and vinyl records, the Nokia 3310, heck, even bell-bottom jeans. But one item that's got people buzzing is the Mighty — the only MP3 player that can fill the iPod Shuffle-sized hole in everyone's hearts.

We've already talked about this tech wunderkind before, but we're bringing it to your attention once again because, for a limited time, you can get your hands on it for only $79.99. Read more...

Don't know how to open up about your mental health? Lady Gaga's mom has some advice.

Editor's note: Cynthia Germanotta runs the Born This Way Foundation with her daughter Stefani, who performs as Lady Gaga. The nonprofit focuses on empowering youth to create a kinder, braver world and provides mental health resources.

Talking about mental health can be awkward, and intimidating, and just plain hard.

I know that personally, as someone who has struggled to talk about it in my own life — even with people that I know well and trust completely — and I know that from research on the topic. When Born This Way Foundation polled young people about this issue last year, we found that about 9 in 10 young people recognize it as a very important priority, but only about half actually talk about it with anyone — friends, healthcare professionals, and even their families. Read more...

The 'Arrested Development' actors prove men in Hollywood learned nothing

The family drama around the Arrested Development cast continues to unfold. And like kids caught in the crossfire of feuding parents, it hurts to watch. 

We've heard countless bad takes on #MeToo from Hollywood men. But this one feels personal. And it's because it comes across as definitive proof that the house is still in burning, despite promising signs that things might be getting better.

To recap the situation at hand: It all started with a New York Times article that might as well be renamed "Well Actually: An Arrested Development Interview." 

Cities scramble to contain the flood of e-scooters

The motorized scooters arrived with a vengeance—but cities including San Francisco are putting up a fight. The city is forcing all scooters off the road as it implements a new permit program for the vehicles. 

Beyond the Bay Area, other large cities such as Washington, D.C., and Austin saw flocks of e-scooters — electronic, GPS-tracked transports that accelerate up to about 15 mph — come in the past few months. Now, they're realizing something has to be done before their communities are covered in e-scooters or before someone gets seriously hurt.

The scooters have been an especially popular option for short trips. A network of contract workers are paid to scoop up scooters, charge them at home, and return the juiced-up devices to the streets in the morning. Read more...

It just got easier to share locations with friends on Snapchat

When Snap Maps launched last June, some privacy concerns were raised. But the company had the right idea, turning off sharing with all for everyone by default.

Today, Snapchat is providing an update to Snap Maps that I wish had been included earlier. You can now request a location or share yours on an individual basis through Chat. Simply hold down on a friend's name, and you'll be given the option to "Request Location" or "Send My Location." 

This update will clearly make it easier to share location quickly. You'll appear on the user's Snap Maps, and they in return will appear on yours. Read more...

All 11 Star Wars movies, ranked — including 'Solo'

With the release of Solo, Lucasfilm marks another milestone: this is the 11th Star Wars movie to land in theaters. 

Yeah, that's right — 11 movies, not 10. The eight Skywalker saga episodes and the two spin-off films were not the only one to get an official release. There's one cinematic stepchild that Lucasfilm would rather forget.  

SEE ALSO: 'Solo' is something new in Star Wars. Old-school fans will love it.

And don't worry, we don't spoil anything about Solo other than its ranking. In reverse order, then, starting with that unwanted stepchild: 

11. The Clone Wars (2008)

This mess was initially created as the opening batch of episodes for the Cartoon Network series Clone Wars. Then George Lucas made the baffling last-minute decision to release this barely-hung-together content as a movie. Lucasfilm's key merchandising licensees weren't even notified in advance, so it's possible Lucas himself wasn't exactly proud of the effort.  Read more...

Nicki Minaj and Eminem say they're dating, but people think they're trolling hard

Nicki Minaj and Eminem are dating, apparently.

Nicki posted a video on Instagram rapping to her verse in YG's single "Big Bank," captioning it with "Told'em I met Slim Shady. Bagged a EM!!!" The song also features Big Sean and 2 Chainz.

When a fan asked if she was dating Eminem, Nicki had a simple answer: yes. 

The internet, understandably, freaked out. Fans started looking for proof of their relationship, tracing lyrics all the way back to Eminem's 2011 "Fast Lane."  Read more...

'Alberto' just became the first named storm of the 2018 hurricane season

The National Hurricane Center has named the first storm of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season, precisely one week before the season is expected to begin on June 1.

Currently spinning off of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, forecasters named the subtropical storm "Alberto," which is the first of 21 names the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has on its list of possible storm names for the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season.

On Friday, Alberto met the minimum requirements for earning a name, having reached sustained winds of 40 miles per hour.

Satellites in space see lava pouring from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano

From the ground, lava pouring from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano can look terrifying. 

Over the past few weeks, newly cracked fissures in the ground have allowed fountains and pools of molten rocket to well up to the surface, destroying homes and other structures in the area surrounding the active volcano. 

But from space, those fissures and lava flows take on a new look. 

Amazon's kid-friendly Echo works well, but don't waste your money on the bundle

Amazon is releasing its Echo Dot Kids Edition at a precarious time. Read more...

6 minor 'Game of Thrones' characters who might be super important in Season 8

In a just world, Season 8 of Game of Thrones would be airing right now, but because large scale television productions "take time to create" especially when the expectations are "earth-shatteringly high," it's not. Boo. 

However, just because Season 8 isn't coming out this year doesn't mean that fans aren't hungry for sweet, sweet speculation when it comes to the hit show's anticipated ending. To serve that need, here's how some of Game of Thrones's minor characters might impact the final season.

1. Kinvara 

Anyone would be forgiven for forgetting poor Kinvara, the High Priestess of R'hllor who had one scene with Tyrion and Varys in Season 6, but Melisandre's banishment may bring this fiery lady back with a vengeance. She was introduced as a High Priestess of the Red Temple of Volantis, and her brief conversation with Tyrion showed that the priests of her temple are huge fans of Daenerys. She believes that Daenerys and her dragons were "sent to lead the people against the darkness in this war and in the great war still to come," which happens to be the war Daenerys is fighting right now. Read more...