Futurism Staff

M42, the Great Orion Nebula, also called Messier 42 is a diffuse nebula that is located in the Milky Way in the constellation Orion. Situated in the sword of the greek mythological hunter, it is so bright it is able to be seen with the naked eye on clear nights. Additionally, it is the closest region of the sky to earth where most stars are born. Scientists have noted that M42 has a mass of approximately 2000 times the mass of the sun.

Thought leader Malcolm Gladwell's books and articles often deal with the unexpected implications of research in the social sciences and make frequent and extended use of academic work, particularly in the areas of sociology, psychology, and social psychology. Gladwell was appointed to the Order of Canada on June 30, 2011. When Gladwell started at The New Yorker in 1996 he wanted to "mine current academic research for insights, theories, direction, or inspiration." His first assignment was to write a piece about fashion. Instead of writing about high-class fashion, thought leader Malcolm Gladwell opted to write a piece about a man who manufactured T-shirts, saying "it was much more interesting to write a piece about someone who made a T-shirt for $8 than it was to write about a dress that costs $100,000.

The old man sat on the rock near the top of the small hill as he had for many years now and watched the first stars begin to peek out of the deepening purple sky. The boy at his side, watched solemnly, as he had for most of his young life. They sit in silence.

Chris Beckett’s Dark Eden highlights the evolution of narrative in a quiet coming-of-age story set on an alien planet with no sun. Often considered one of the best space colonization books, the novel spends much of its first half detailing the ways in which humans cope with life on a dark world. Light and warmth comes from “lantern trees,” which pump up hot liquid of some kind from the center of the planet. People hunt dark animals with green-grey meat. They measure time in “wombs” (the amount of time it takes for a baby to be born), as well as in “wakings” and “periods.” Words in Chris Beckett's Dark Eden universe have developed double meanings to make them emphatic, as language evolved from standard English. All five-hundred members of Family (as they are called) are descended from two humans who decided to stay on this strange planet, called Eden, and that the “Three Companions” made a risky attempt to return to Earth. Now, once a year (years are the Earth-time kept by the oldest members of Family), they gather to see the story of their origin acted out in drama, and to touch items from Earth.

That galaxy far, far away wouldn’t be quite as special without the coolest Star Wars aliens we all know and love. Some of these aliens make a huge difference in Star Wars canon, affecting generations after them. Others on this list are just plain awesome and we enjoy seeing them in action. From the lovable and loyal Chewbacca to the unique crowd that gathers at the Cantina and even the Sith Emperor, the coolest Star Wars aliens are an important part of the Star Wars universe. Most of these Star Wars aliens are from the seven movies but a few of the lesser known ones come from Star Wars Legends, because every alien deserves a little recognition from time to time.

No one gives a flying disk about Frisbees. It’s just a sport reserved for semi-athletic college students who don’t want to try out for a real team, right? Wrong. In 2012, Ultimate Frisbee players developed the American Ultimate Disc League which now has 25 teams across North America, according to the New Yorker. In August of 2015, the International Olympic Committee recognized Ultimate Frisbee is eligible to be an event at the summer Olympics. Some people have become so passionate about Frisbees that they have dedicated their lives to studying the physics behind them. That’s exactly what Tom McClintock, a University of Arizona Physics graduate, is doing with his career. He plans on studying the physics behind Frisbees so that he can help UltimateFrisbee players increase their skills on the field.