This Simulation Maps the Rise and Fall of Species Over 800,000 Years

The Amazon and the adjacent Andean slopes in South America host an astonishing richness of plants and animals. These species have been sources of food, shelter and medicine since the arrival of humans and a target of scientific curiosity since the days of the earliest European naturalist explorers.

A VR MOVIE SET IN SPACE JUST LANDED A 7-FIGURE DEAL AT SUNDANCE.

EVERY YEAR THE biggest news out of the Sundance Film Festival is always the hefty sums handed over to independent filmmakers for their passion projects. From Fox Searchlight dropping $1 million for future Oscar nominee Beasts of the Southern Wild in 2012 to Amazon Studios’ massive $12 million buy of The Big Sick at last year’s fest, everyone in Park City is hustling to make a deal. But that hustle has always been reserved for traditional films, not the virtual reality ones. Until now.

The New VR Coaster at Six Flags Is the Future of Vomiting

Rollercoasters make people puke. VR makes people puke. Previously, we wondered what kind of monster would try to combine these two things. But now that we have our first hands-on video of the new Occulus-augmented coaster at Six Flags and… it actually looks like a lot of fun.

APPLE’S ACQUISITIONS POINT TO VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY RESEARCH

Since the Oculus Rift first appeared on Kickstarter in 2012, the world has slowly been getting more interested in what virtual reality could hold. In early 2016, we stand at a cliff above murky waters, hoping virtual reality software and hardware capabilities will be deep enough to accommodate the leap.

Sundance’s VR Films Will Break Your Brain

If this year’s Sundance Film Festival is any indication, virtual reality is about to hit the mainstream. Under a program called New Frontier, the festival is promoting eleven independently produced VR films on a smartphone app. The finalists have been chosen from hundreds of entries, and among them are some short documentaries, horrifying acid trips, and even a Reggie Watt music video.

FX-Wizards Are Making Amazing Star Wars and Jurassic Park VR Experiences

Now that the Oculus Rift has made virtual reality not suck, countless companies are lining up to produce ground-breaking interactive content. But the most exciting could come from Industrial Light & Magic, the special effects company behind Star Wars, Jurassic World, and countless other blockbusters.

Lupe Fiasco – AUTOBOTO

Benny The Butcher – Bust A Brick Nick

Tory Lanez – Mucky James

Lupe Fiasco – 100 Chicagos

Sauce Walka – “Mirror Effect”

21 Savage – “No Debate” / “Big Smoke”

Flamingo at the Cincinnati Zoo

Mt. Gang Rinpoche (Tibet)

Smithsonian.com

Morning Hour

The first one

POLAR BEAR ON ICEBERG

Ibis Fight