Oh, Never Mind: Top 5 Retracted Science Studies of 2013

In the publish-or-perish world of academia, the pressure can be intense for scientists to get their work out in front of peers and to secure more funding for further research — so much so that, well, let's just say mistakes can happen.

Some mistakes are innocent, such as an accidental mislabeling of data or images that leads the researchers to an erroneous conclusion. Other mistakes reflect a serious lapse in ethics or common sense.

Mistakes often result in a scientific retraction, a public removal of the flawed paper from publication. A private, U.S.-based blog called Retraction Watch keeps track of such retractions, which seem to be on the rise these days. Below are five of the more curious retractions from 2013, culled from more than 100 listed on the Retraction Watch blog. Read more...

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Luke, Leia and MegaMan: 'Star Wars' Reimagined as 1980s Anime

Though the $4 billion Star Wars franchise includes manga comics and animated TV shows, no official anime adaptation has ever come to fruition

Until Lucasfilm licenses an anime series, then we'll have to rely on the Internet to make our long-ago galactic dreams a reality

See also: I'm Just a Poor Droid: 'Bohemian Rhapsody' Meets Star Wars

YouTube comedy channel Nacho Punch just tried its hand at an anime version of the series, bringing together Luke, Leia and and, unexpectedly, Japanese video game character MegaMan.

Nacho Punch has no affiliation with Lucasfilm, but we're hoping for more of this silly, but impressive nod to the franchise. The animation is strong with this one. Read more...

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Security Firm Warns About App That Pays for Unused Text Messages

Since 1999, millions of people have donated time on their personal computers for the SETI@home project, which analyzes radio signals to look for intelligent life in outer space.

An entrepreneur now wants people to donate time on their mobile phones for a less high-minded pursuit.

See also: 8 Creative Ways to Use Your Smartphone Underground

Lookout, a San Francisco maker of security software for mobile phones, has published a warning about a free app for Android devices called Bazuc, which pays people $0.001 for each text message they allow partner companies to send from users' mobile phones.

The app, which targets people with unlimited text-messaging plans, comes with a major hitch: Using it violates the terms of service for many mobile providers, and some people's phones have been cut off. One feature of Bazuc's service is it helps companies evade spam filters by sending messages through multiple user accounts. Read more...

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Low-Key New Year's Eve Is the new Raging Party

For many city-dwellers, the last straw was the surge pricing Uber announced Monday, which could see the cost of cars rise eight-fold at midnight on New Years' Eve. For many more, it was the various other forms of surge pricing associated with the evening: the cost of a babysitter (if you can find one); the cost of drinks (if you can squeeze through the crowd to the bar); the Happy New Year hats and 2014 glasses (worth everything today and nothing tomorrow).

Year after year of noisy, urgent revelry on the last night of the year has left many of us wanting something more fulfilling to mark the passing of 2013 — especially given that it falls in the middle of the week. Yoga studios are reporting increasing numbers for silent midnight meditation. Celebrities such as Billy Crystal are trumpeting their plans for a quiet night in; he'll be talking to the grandkids on Skype Read more...

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Feeling Nervous? Don't Try to Calm Down — Get Excited

Human beings, being human, get anxious. We all do, except psychopaths. An estimated 40 million Americans suffer from anxiety of some form at any given time. Some of us get really, really anxious, like Scott Stossel, a writer and editor at the Atlantic whose memoir of a lifelong and often paralyzing struggle with the condition is about to be published. For those of us to whom anxiety is a more occasional visitor, the condition can be crippling.

There's a reason for performance anxiety, of course; it focuses the mind, and without it some of us would never complete anything. But there are real costs, as well: Anxiety has been shown to sap our working memory and information processing, the very capacities we need to perform well in any task that requires thinking. "Anxious negotiators make low first offers, exit early, and earn less profit than neutral state negotiators," writes Alison Wood Brooks, an assistant professor at Harvard Business School. "Similarly, anxious individuals seek out and rely more heavily on advice, even when the advice is obviously bad, because they do not feel confident in their own ability to make good judgments." Read more...

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Spider-Man Takes Over Times Square for New Year's Eve

Sorry, Batman and Superman — you're so last year. 2014 is the year of Spider-Man

Spidey has been dubbed the official superhero of Times Square's New Year's Eve celebrations, the Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment announced Monday

See also: The Many Looks of Spiderman Over the Past 50 Years [INFOGRAPHIC]

The superhero will help ring in the new year to promote The Amazing Spider-Man 2 , slated for release on May 2. An exclusive clip from the upcoming film will debut during the celebrations on the video screens in the middle of Times Square

"There's no celebration like New Year's Eve in Times Square," Marc Webb, director of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 said in a Marvel Entertainment press release. "There's the sense of energy and excitement that you can only get in New York and we certainly felt that energy and excitement as we shot the entire film here. The people of New York City truly embraced our production, and it's a wonderful feeling to be returning to Times Square to ring in the New Year." Read more...

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The NSA and Your iPhone: What You Need to Know

Apple has responded to documents that claim the U.SNational Security Agency has implemented a backdoor to access communications sent via the iPhone.

The company denies working with the NSA to create any so-called backdoors — lines of code in the OS that would allow the agency to remotely access, monitor or intercept communications on the phone.

Here's the company's full statement:

Apple has never worked with the NSA to create a backdoor in any of our products, including iPhone. Additionally, we have been unaware of this alleged NSA program targeting our products. We care deeply about our customers' privacy and security. Our team is continuously working to make our products even more secure, and we make it easy for customers to keep their software up to date with the latest advancements

Whenever we hear about attempts to undermine Apple's industry-leading security, we thoroughly investigate and take appropriate steps to protect our customers. We will continue to use our resources to stay ahead of malicious hackers and defend our customers from security attacks, regardless of who's behind them. Read more...

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Grad School Resolutions: 5 Ways to Make This Semester Better

I loved my first semester in grad school, but it was also a complete whirlwind. While I had a great time, I also didn't do as well as I could have at managing time and logistics, and I finished the semester feeling pretty exhausted. Given what I've heard from others in grad school, I imagine that I'm not the only one ready for a break now that finals are over.

Because this time of year is all about making resolutions, I've been thinking a lot about what I can do to make next semester even better than this past one. Here are my goals for the next six months — I hope they inspire you to make some changes that will make your spring much more manageable, too. Read more...

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Smart Lighting Tech Brings Space Bulbs to Your Home

Think it’s tough to fall asleep on earth? Just try to imagine what it’s been like for all the astronauts inhabiting the International Space Station (ISS) over the last 15 years. They experience day and night light patterns once every 90 minutes. Lighting can help. Even back on terra firma, people use lights to help lift spirits and regulate sleep when, say, the light is scarce in the winter

Now, a space-age solution is, figuratively, making the trip from the ISS to Earth thanks to Lighting Science. The company developed lighting technologies that sought to mimic natural light patterns and, as a result may be helping astronauts find some semblance of circadian rhythm normalcy. Prototypes featuring similar, LED-based technology were first installed on the ISS in 2008. Read more...

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Watch the New Year's Eve Ball Drop Live From Times Square

No matter where you're ringing in the new year, you'll be able to watch a live stream of the festivities in New York City's Times Square right here on Mashable or via mobile apps

The commercial-free live stream — which begins at 5:55 p.m. ET and ends after the crystal ball drops at midnight to celebrate the beginning of 2014 — will include musical performances, celebrity interviews and the iconic ball drop atop the One Times Square building. The live stream will also debut footage from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 movie.

See also: It's 12 O'Clock Somewhere: Watch the World Ring in the New Year

Mashable's Associate Entertainment Editor Brian Anthony Hernandez will be in Times Square documenting the action live. You can follow him on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Read more...

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Reporter Faints On-Air, Wakes, Continues With News Segment

We've got a nomination for MVP of on-air reporting for 2013

Brooke Graham, a Salt Lake City, Utah-based reporter for KUTV, fainted during a live news broadcast about cross-country skiing. She collapsed during the first few seconds of the segment — with an audible thump as she hit the ground

See also: The Most Cringe-Worthy News Fails of 2013

But the interesting part came after her fall. Graham immediately wakes up and, almost without missing a beat, continues with her interview

In the segment, Graham claims she simply slipped and fell, but in a blog post, she admits to fainting

"Ha, such a crazy experience," Graham writes. "A lot of people have expressed concern and well wishes and I really appreciate it. However, this is not the first time I have passed out cold. I am known to faint any time I am in high altitudes and get too cold." Read more...

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It's 12 O'Clock Somewhere: Watch the World Ring in the New Year

New Year's Eve may seem anti-climatic for some — all that prep and only a 10-second countdown to show for it

So instead, celebrate New Year's Eve all day long by joining in on 2014 celebrations from around the world (from the comfort of your computer screen)

See also: 8 Glittering Facts About the New Year's Eve Ball

New Zealand and Australia have already struck in the new year with impressive light shows, Seoul, South Korea rung in 2014 with the hitting of a ceremonial bell and the Vatican was a sea of singing voices celebrating the end of 2013

But nothing can compare to the crazy and spectacular way New Yorkers say goodbye to 2013. Check out the video above to see how the Times Square preparations are coming along before the ball drops at midnight Read more...

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Mac Pro Teardowns Show Off Surprisingly Repairable Powerhouse

Now that the first shipments of Apple's brand-new Mac Pro have started reaching customers, you know what that means: Teardown goodness.

Apple started taking orders for its revamped Mac Pro on Dec. 19, with a range of configuration options. Early reviews for the built-in-the-USA professional workstation are very positive, with the industrial design and raw power inside drawing accolades.

See also: 25 Things the New Mac Pro Looks Like

That's great and all, but how upgradable and repairable is the machine? For years, the Mac Pro line has remained one of the rare Apple products that allows the user to actively upgrade and switch out components. Some professional users worried that switching from the large, expandable workstation case to a small, cylindrical powerhouse would hamper its expandability Read more...

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The Man Who Says 'Go Confetti' on New Year's Eve in Times Square

Editor's Note: This post originally appeared on No Joe Schmo, a site about individuals with cool and crazy jobs. Megan founded that site and runs it separately from her job as an assistant editor at Mashable.

After the champagne has been chugged and the 6-ton ball has been cleared, millions of tiny flecks of colored paper coat the pavement of Times Square in New York City.

Let's back up a few hours.

For the past 22 years, precisely 20 seconds before the clock strikes midnight on Jan. 1, Treb Heining, 59, stands perched over the railing outside the Minskoff Theater, ready for go time. He holds a radio close to his lips. “Go confetti,” he declares coolly, just loud enough for the 70 some-odd people at eight different buildings towering over the center of Times Square to hear him over the din of the whooping crowds below. Then, for almost 60 seconds straight, Heining and the rest of his confetti dispersal battalion heave 3,000 pounds of confetti out of large brown boxes and into the air. It’s officially New Year’s in Times Square. Read more...

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So Wow. The 20 Best Memes of 2013

Goodbye, Harlem Shake. Goodbye, Hot Dog Legs. As we wave adios to 2013, we must bid farewell to the memes that brought joy to the Internet this year.

This year's crop of memes originated in news stories, YouTube videos and online communities like Reddit and Tumblr

See also: Ermahgerd! The 12 Best Memes of 2012

In 2012, major events like the Summer Olympics and U.S. Presidential election spawned inescapable moments that dominated the web for months. In 2013, less meme-able headlines caused most shareable moments to quickly flash and fade.

We gathered a respected jury of sloths, Tumblr fangirls and Shiba Inus to help us settle on the 20 top memes of 2013. Cheers to 2014, Internet! Read more...

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12 Types of New Year's Eve Parties

Thanks to cinematic fantasy and Ryan Seacrest, your New Year's Eve expectations have never been more unrealistic

Every year, you trick yourself into thinking this will finally be the evening that you attend a party that's straight out of The Great Gatsby, only to be disappointed when you end up on the couch, hanging out with your cat. (But seriously, is that really the worst evening you could imagine?)

See also: 14 Solutions to Your New Year's Midnight Kiss

Never fear, because there are plenty of other ways to ring in the new year by celebrating or just letting yourself down with unfulfilling plans Read more...

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The Legal Stoner's Guide to Colorado's New Marijuana Law

On Jan. 1, Colorado will become the first state to allow the sale of "retail marijuana" since the federal government banned its recreational use in 1937

The state's voters approved Amendment 64, which legalizes sale of the drug, on Nov. 6, 2012, and it was adopted to Colorado's constitution about a month later. Since then, regulators have worked to establish guidelines to implement the historic change.

See also: 10 Ways to Follow 4/20 Culture Online

This is one of the most talked-about laws in recent memory, but many are still rather hazy on some of the specifics. To clear the air, we decided to take a closer look at the law and hash out the facts Read more...

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