July 28, 2014
Penny Dreadful Portraits — Dorian Gray
Un-dressing the history of Oscar Wilde's infamous novel, writer and historian Matthew Sweet tells us more about Dorian Gray in this little film. Commissioned by Sky, this is the last of three films to illustrate the literary inspiration behind Penny Dreadful, a major drama series created by John Logan starring Josh Hartnett, Timothy Dalton, Eva Green and Billie Piper.

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July 17, 2014
I Am My Films — A Portrait of Werner Herzog
A film portrait of director Werner Herzog, featuring clips and behind-the-scenes footage of Herzog's fiction features and documentaries from the 1960s and 1970s.

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July 16, 2014
The Many Meanings of Michelangelo's Statue of David
We typically experience classic works of art in a museum, stripped of their original contexts, but that serene setting can belie a tumultuous history. Take Michelangelo's statue of David: devised as a religious symbol, adopted as a political emblem, and later iconized for its aesthetic beauty. James Earle walks us through the statue's journey, to show how art gains layers of meaning over time.

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July 15, 2014
Einstein Hated Quantum Mechanics
Albert Einstein was not a fan of quantum mechanics. He was annoyed by the uncertain, random nature of the universe it implied (hence the famous quote "God does not play dice with the universe"). So, Einstein tried to develop a unified theory that would circumvent what he saw as quantum mechanics' flaws. In this excerpt from the 2014 World Science Festival Program Dear Albert, Alan Alda and Brian Greene discuss Einstein's relationship with the "unruly child" of quantum mechanics, and how the famed physicist came up with the Special Theory of Relativity.

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July 14, 2014
Urban Giants
Between 1928 and 1932, Western Union and AT&T Long Lines built two of the most advanced telecommunications buildings in the world, at 60 Hudson Street and 32 Avenue of the Americas in Lower Manhattan. Nearly a century later, they remain among the world's finest Art Deco towers—and cornerstones of global communication. “Urban Giants” is an 9-minute filmic portrait of their birth and ongoing life, combining never-before-seen-construction footage, archival photographs and films, interviews with architectural and technology historians, and stunning contemporary cinematography.

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July 11, 2014
The Bike Brothers — Jack, Ken and Norman Taylor
A BBC documentary about the bike building Taylor brothers produced in 1986.

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July 10, 2014
Inside the Ant Colony
Ants have one of the most complex social organizations in the animal kingdom; they live in structured colonies that contain different types of members who perform specific roles. Sound familiar? Deborah M. Gordon explains the way these incredible creatures mate, communicate and source food, shedding light on how their actions can mimic and inform our own behavior.

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July 9, 2014
Verschleif
Using just his camera and an industrial sander, artist Laurin Döpfner captured these stop motion animation images of a walnut, a log, and even another camera being sanded down layer by layer.

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July 8, 2014
A Guide to the Energy of the Earth
Energy is neither created nor destroyed — and yet the global demand for it continues to increase. But where does energy come from, and where does it go? Joshua M. Sneideman examines the many ways in which energy cycles through our planet, from the sun to our food chain to electricity and beyond.

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July 7, 2014
Martin Tata — Argentine Horse Whisperer
Martin Tata, Argentine Horse Whisperer performs at the Estancia La Cinacina, in San Antonio de Areco, province of Buenos Aires in March 2011.

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July 4, 2014
46 Facts About the First Ladies
In this episode of Mental Floss — a weekly show where knowledge junkies get their fix of trivia-tastic information — John discusses First Ladies.

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July 3, 2014
Can You Trust Your Ears?
Should you believe your ears and the things they hear?

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July 2, 2014
Monty Python — Philosophers' World Cup

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July 1, 2014
Hyperrealistic Art Time Lapse: A Bag of M&Ms
Thanks to artist Marcello Barenghi, you can see a full work of art put together on the blank page in just three minutes. In a recent video upload, Barenghi shows a time lapse of drawing a bag of M&Ms.