Giant Squid Caught on Camera at 900 Meters Deep

For the first time ever, the legendary giant squid was filmed in its natural habitat at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. See amazing footage on Discovery Channel's "Monster Squid: The Giant Is Real" on Sunday, Jan. 27 at 8/7c as the season finale of Curiosity.

Scientists worked with broadcasters at Discovery and Japanese-based NHK to seek out the creature at depths of up to 900m using special submersibles in hopes of catching the creature on film.

According to a story from Discovery News:

After around 100 missions, during which they spent 400 hours in the cramped submarine, the three-man crew tracked the creature from a spot some 15 kilometers (nine miles) east of Chichi island in the north Pacific Ocean.

Dark Matters: Reviving the Bat-Bomb?

And no, I'm not talking about getting George Clooney to don a cape and mask again to remake the exquisitely awful 1997 flick Batman and Robin. I'm referring to an this weekend's episode of Dark Matters, which deals with what has to be one of the most bizarre weapons systems ever developed by the U.S. Military — kamakaze bats armed with tiny canisters of napalm, whom planners envisioned unleashing against Japanese cities during World War II.

The episode airs Saturday, August 18 at 10PM e/p!

As Jack Couffer detailed in his 1992 nonfiction book Bat Bomb: World War II's Other Secret Weapon, the concept originally was dreamed up on December 7, 1941 by Dr. Lytle S. Adams, a 60-year-old dentist who was driving home from a vacation at Carlsbad Caverns when he heard the radio reports about the attack on Pearl Harbor. Like many other Americans, Adams felt the urge to retaliate against the Japanese. He thought back to a vision that had made a powerful impression upon him in the cavern — millions of bats suddenly taking flight — and suddenly had an inspiration.

Let's Talk to the Animals

Ever wonder what your dog is thinking? Wish that he or she could tell you? Don't you wish there was some sort of gadget that made it possible to translate your pooch's thoughts into speech, and to make your response understandable to him or her?

I know, me too. I've got three dogs: a diminutive mixed-breed terrier with Napoleonic tendencies; a Puggle who seems to have the canine version of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; and a basset hound-pit bull mix with soulful eyes and a fear of loud mechanical noises.

Sometimes I can't help but speculate on what their perspective on our world is from 18-24 inches off the ground. They display at least a limited understanding of human speech (the words "dinner" and "walk" seem to particularly resonate). But I'm at a loss to get across more complex concepts, such as the importance of not encircling me on walks and wrapping their leashes around my legs as if I was a maypole. And conversely, they are unable to communicate back to me their nuanced views on subjects — for example, whether they'd enjoy riding on the roof of our Prius on our next vacation trip, as Seamus, Mitt Romney's Irish setter, supposedly did.