A wookiee with a human head, gold bikini Leia sunbathing, and a C3PO/Darth Vader show down? These bizarre scenes, plus a couple dozens others, are part of a collection of behind-the-scenes photographs captured on the Star Wars set. Full collection at The Chive. A place for Jedis.

In May of 1945, Lt. Richard Helms penned a letter to his 3-year-old son, Dennis, marking the day that WWII Allies accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany’s armed forces. Helms penned the letter to his young son on stationary he nabbed from the Berlin offices of a then-deceased Adolf Hitler. Dennis, now a 69-year-old …

Scientists have identified the genetic blueprint of the giant intestinal roundworm, Ascaris suum, revealing potential targets to control a devastating parasitic disease. The disease, known as ascariasis, affects more than one billion people in China, South East Asia, South America, and parts of Africa—killing thousands of people annually and causing chronic effects in young children. …

When you look on a map, you tend to think that boarders are straight lines that neatly divide states and countries. But, as Mental Floss will tell you, sometimes borders are more complicated maps lead us to believe. Way, way more complicated. For example: The official border between Belgium and the Netherlands runs through living …

There are about 7 billion people on planet earth—now that’s a humbling statistic. What’s even more humbling? Finding out where you fit in among all those people. Check out this BBC article, which calculates where you fit in among the 7 billion. For example, if you were born on July 1, 1960, you are the …

If ever there was a perfect room in which to make a wish, Regine Ramseier’s “Windstille” installation would be it. The artist hung thousands of dandelion’s in their twilight stage and preserved with fixative from the ceiling. The artist explained that her inspiration was a poem by Herman Hesse : The small white room contains …

Church spires may be more picturesque when it comes to adorning a landscape but there’s no better way to brand a modern town than with the water tower. WebUrbanist has collected ten great water towers that have put their people on the map. Smiley face, Grand Forks, ND Built in the midst of the Great …

Many parents are keen on gaining insight on whether or not their child has what it takes to succeed in school, be it scanning lists of gifted traits, socializing them to make school a positive experience or even slipping Harvard brochures into subtle places once their offspring graduates from the eighth grade at the top …

Full story at Russell Walks via I Love Charts. Need some musical direction?

Just in time for Halloween, Pleated Jeans has released the United States of Scary Things map, showing the most bone-chilling things about each of the 50 states. Via Pleated Jeans. Boo! Not so scary humor.

Penguins are the last bird one would think need cold weather gear, but the New Zealand yarn store Skeinz is putting out the call to philanthropic knitters the world over to lend a needle to save waterfowl affected by the 2011 New Zealand oil spill. Not only do the sweaters keep birds warm after a …

Architect and visionary Cedric Price (1934-2003) saw the evolution of cities move through stages that look a bit like your morning breakfast options. His ovo-urban analogy compared the city to egg, developing through three stages: 1. Ancient city: The boiled egg In ancient times, urban dwellers used a city wall to protect from attacks and …