Clowtheowl - Owl's Nest

With Stephen Hawking’s passing, today is a sad day for science. But amongst all his praise and achievements in the fields of physics, for me personally his biggest achievement was making a grand, full life despite the terrible misfortune of being diagnosed with ALS. It would have been easy to become a recluse, embittered with the hand he’d been dealt, a brilliant misanthrope. But this was a man who maintained his sense of humor and refused to be mentally beaten. Three years ago, he told One Direction fans that the theory of alternate universes could provide a reality where Zayn Malik was still in the band. He conducted an interview with John Oliver where his factual, deadpan delivery was funnier than his interviewer, managing the cheekiest grins as he did so. And let us not forget that Stephen Hawking is the only person to have ever portrayed themselves in a Star Trek episode (Next Generation, “Descent, Part 1″), where he appeared alongside actors portraying Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton, whom he proceeded to defeat in poker.

Hawking’s observations on black hole radiation, string theory, alternate universes and artificial intelligence are things that will probably forever remain beyond most of us. But we could all learn a thing or two from his humanity.

Some knowledge ✊🏾

OMG OMG OMG FEYRE

Done by @alicecorsets on Instagram

Introducing the latest competitor in the shipping business.

Laika the dog was the first animal sent into orbit around Earth. Pretty amazing for a stray dog plucked from the streets of Moscow! Unfortunately for Laika, a stray dog was used because the Soviets never planned for the dog to come back. The spacecraft, Sputnik 2, was launched into orbit, tracked to check it was successful, then abandoned. Laika died after about five hours in space.

Fifty-one years after her flight, in 2008, a memorial was put in place to celebrate Laika’s flight. Placed outside a military research station, the statue shows Laika perched on a rocket which transforms into a hand cupping the dog.