National Geographic posted a photo of a titanium A-12 spy-plane prototype that was found during a flood of files and photos that were recently declassified about the mysterious Area 51.

National Geographic reports:

Suspended upside down, a titanium A-12 spy-plane prototype is prepped for radar testing at Area 51 in the late 1950s. After a rash of declassifications, details of Cold War workings at the Nevada base, which to this day does not officially exist, are coming to light – including never before released images of an A-12 crash and its cover-up.

Looking closer at the spy plane it’s easy to see more than a few similarities to none other than the Naboo Royal Queen’s Starship from The Phantom Menace.

The Naboo Royal Starship boasts a strikingly beautiful design that embodies the craftsmanship that prevailed in the peaceful years of the Republic. The polished, streamlined J-type 327 Nubian vessel lacks any offensive weaponry, but does feature strong shields and a competent hyperdrive.

What do you think?

Read more about the Area 51 spy plane and more here:
Exclusive Area 51 Pictures: Secret Plane Crash Revealed

While this might look like a cuddly, furry version of Jedi Master Yoda, this big-eyed, pointy-eared critter is actually a tarsier.

The unusual-looking animal was spotted clinging to a tree by photographer Erik Mikhailov while he was on a tour of the rain forest in the Philippines.

Learn more about the tarsier here:
WATCH VIDEO: Tarsier: The Littlest Alien

Read the full story here:
Yoda’s twin is this? Star Wars character spotted in Philippines rain forest

Thanks to researchers at Tokyo University, it appears that touchable holograms are now a reality.

Researchers used two Wiimotes from Nintendo’s Wii gaming system to track a user’s hand as well as software that uses ultrasonic waves to create pressure on the user’s hand touching the projected hologram.

Professor Hiroyuki Shinoda from Tokyo University says:

“Up until now, holography has been for the eyes only, and if you’d try to touch it, your hand would go right through. But now we have a technology that also adds the sensation of touch to holograms.”

Watch video here:
Japanese Scientists Create Touchable Holograms
(via NTD Television)

In the recent partial solar eclipse, astrophotographer Thierry Legault took an epic snapshot of all the action. But wait, what is that tiny little thing to the left….?

Here’s a closer look:

Yup. Clearly a TIE fighter.

Read more here:
INSANELY awesome solar eclipse picture – via Discover magazine

We might not all have jetpacks or lightsabers yet, but Star Wars has in fact influenced technology that benefit us all whether it’s entertaining us in our home or turning us into functional cyborgs. Yay!

FoxNews.com reports:

In 1977, the idea of chopping down the bad guys with a beam of light, or playing a game with 3D aliens, or even sending a holographic e-mail to a mysterious recluse on Tatooine seemed like futuristic concepts. Yet, these concepts are now becoming a reality -– real products that serve a useful purpose, research projects meant to show how the tech works, and games that fulfill the Star Wars dream.

One of the most interesting of the technologies includes the advances in body prosthetics.

Touch Bionics has developed the i-LIMB Pulse bionic hand, which reads myoelectric signals (tiny electric pulses in your arm) and sends them to a mechanical hand. The latest version, released this summer, even works with your computer and Bluetooth wireless signals, so you can tweak the algorithms for sensitivity and control five fingers independently for grabbing objects.

Read more about this and more here:
8 Star Wars Technologies That Are Now Reality

It’s always exciting to see new species of animals, plants and insects discovered, but it’s even cooler when they look like our favorite Star Wars characters!

A nyctimene tube-nosed fruit bat with an appearance reminiscent of the Star Wars Jedi Master Yoda has been discovered in a remote rainforest. The bat, along with an orange spider and a yellow-spotted frog are among a host of new species found in a region of Papua New Guinea.

Read more here:
Feel the Force: Tube-nosed bat which bears striking resemblance to Yoda discovered as scientists find hundreds of new species

Here’s something to think about the next time you’re complaining about how cold it is outside. At least you’re not stuck inside a tauntaun trying to stay alive.

In a normal environment, a carcass gets cold in 8 to 36 hours losing an average rate of 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit per hour. However, the ice world of Hoth is not an average environment. The Star Wars database lists that Hoth reaches nightly temperatures of -60 F. In a frigid, sub-zero environment, body heat can be lost almost 32 times faster. This means a Tauntaun’s body heat could drop almost 51.2 F every hour. Considering that Han Solo’s Tauntaun died of severe hypothermia even before it was cut open with Luke’s lightsaber, one could assume it’s core body temperature was already well below normal.

The problem for Luke is if the Tauntaun’s body temperature reaches freezing point those once toasty guts, blood, and assorted alien goo, will in fact become a frozen coffin. If the Tauntaun died of cardiac arrest due to hypothermia with an average body temperature of 75 F (23 C), and if Tauntaun blood freezes at 28.4 F (-2 C), then Han has roughly 56 minutes to set up a shelter before Luke once again is in danger of losing his life in the barren wasteland of Hoth.

Read the full article here:
How Long Could Luke Survive in a Tauntaun?