Take a VR trip into the Palace of Versailles with this new app

Want to visit the Palace of Versailles but can't afford to purchase a plane ticket? Don't worry. Google's got you covered, if you're willing to invest in a VR headset. By using VersaillesVR, an app for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, you can virtually explore Louis XIV's royal residence and take a close look at hundreds of artworks in high definition.

According to Engadget, "it's the largest photogrammetry project ever done at the castle, with 21 rooms and 387,500 square feet of internal surfaces captured." For those who are not familiar with photogrammetry, it's a technology that reconstructs 3D models of objects and landmarks from two-dimensional photos.

With VersaillesVR, users can visit the Royal Grand Apartments, the Chapel, and the Opera, as well as explore 3D models of things like Marie Antoinette's jewelry cabinet or the King's Bed online. The app is available in English, French, and Chinese.

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Weirdly Charming

If you’re a fan of art that makes you do a double-take, you need to check out Richard Brener . Based in the UK, Richard is an internationally collected artist who works primarily with ink, fineliners, and gouache. When you first see his pieces, they actually look pretty playful. Then you realize the entire canvas is packed with thousands of tiny, ghost-like shapes he calls "champs." They’re all squeezed together like commuters on a rush-hour train, and the level of detail is honestly mind-blowing. Richard spends hundreds of hours drawing these little guys over and over. It’s obsessive, very intentional, and a little bit wild. The cool part is that the longer you stare, the more the vibe shifts. Check out more photos below:

Stencils and Subtlety

If there were a Michelin star for public murals, Roamcouch would have it. No debate. His art is an elegant contradiction; it stops you in mid-stride and makes you stare. You argue with what you see. He works with scenes from everyday life, nothing fancy, then drops them into backgrounds full of playfulness and surprise. His murals feel like small rebellions, and they insist on being noticed. Here are some of his recent street art works. Roamcouch has a Facebook page and a website where you can find all his work.

Want to repel mosquitoes? Use graphene-lined clothes

Health officials in the Philippines continue to seek better weapons against dengue fever as death toll from the mosquito-borne disease continues to rise in several regions in the country. Some people use insect repellents, while others use biological alternatives to kill the thirsty little bloodsuckers. Graphene also prevents mosquito bites. A team of researchers at Brown University discovered that graphene-lined clothing not only is an effective physical barrier to those pesky insects, it also blocks chemical signals in sweat that encourage them to bite. "With the graphene, the mosquitoes weren't even landing on the skin patch—they just didn't seem to care," according to Cintia Castillho, a PhD student at Brown and the study's lead author. Since its discovery in 2004, graphene has been dubbed as a wonder material. It is stronger than steel, lighter than paper, conducts heat and electricity, and highly flexible.

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