No, said Aziraphale, it's ineffable.

todropscience

An electric eel leaping out the water to shock a fake alligator head.

This must be one of the most cool and weird videos to accompany a scientific paper this year so far. The video and experiment demonstrates how eels react to half-submerged predators by leaping up out of water and administering defensive volleys of high-voltage electricity

Electric eels (Electrophorus electricus) are shown to leap from the water to directly electrify threats. This shocking behavior likely allows electric eels to defend themselves during the Amazonian dry season, when they may be found in small pools and in danger of predation. The results are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

- Leaping eel in real time

The study support Alexander von Humboldt’s story of electric eels attacking horses that had been herded into a muddy pool during the dry season in 1800 on a field trip to the Amazon.

The finding highlights sophisticated behaviors that have evolved in concert with the eel’s powerful electrical organs. By the way no one knows how an electric eel can electrocute its victim without shocking itself.

GIF: Leaping electric eel in slow motion. Watch video here
Reference (Open Access): Catania. 2016. Leaping eels electrify threats, supporting Humboldt’s account of a battle with horses. PNAS

Unique Japanese Postboxes

Japan is a country that doesn’t do ordinary and nothing personifies this more than Kawaii culture. In a land of anime, dedicated product characters, ubiquitous city mascots, Lolita fashion, J-pop and cosplay, nothing is immune from receiving the cutesy treatment. And postboxes are no exception. The fascinating history behind these creative postboxes is detailed in The Sarusawa Blog, with handles and link to all the Japanese Instagram users that shared their favorite postboxes photographs.

Images and text via

geekymerch

Uncover some dinosaurs while washing with this Archaeology Soap!

geekymerch

You guys, ThinkGeek have listened to your cries of “it’s paleontology, you bastards!” and would like to say:

“Look: we get it. We goofed. We totally should have asked the vendor to name this “Paleontology Soap.” But since we can’t fix this first run, we’re going to ask you to use your imagination (we do that a lot). Now pretend you’re digging for plastic dinosaur artifacts (and a series of small walls) to study how a previous civilization played. Now it’s properly called Archaeology Soap, right? If y'all dig the idea enough for us to make a second run, we promise we’ll fix it then.”

We hope this helps ease your distress a little.