Ever wonder how the Incredible Hulk got so incredible? So did Stanford biologist Sebastian Alvaredo.

As the label “Stanford biologist” would imply, Alvaredo knows a thing or two (or several) about science. He also happens to be a huge comic book nerd, from the looks of it. After all, it would take a real interest in both those topics to create this video explaining the science behind how the heck the Hulk goes from Bruce Banner to the big green guy and back.

So the answer is…hemoglobin? Something? Sorry, we were too busy reading comic books inside our textbooks in biology class to be able to explain what’s up with the Hulk. But we did learn a cool new word: biliverdin. Oooooh, science.

As Laughing Squid points out, Alvaredo has also given Captain America the science guy treatment. Somehow, watching these makes us feel very smart and very stupid, all at the same time. Biliverdin!

For all his smarts, there’s still one thing Alvaredo can’t tell you, though: How the Hulk’s pants stay on post-transformation. Sorry, earth. Some things are just meant to stay a mystery.

Kase Wickman @worstkase

Whatever the reasons for the death of Robin Williams, one thing that’s clear is that depression is a serious illness that can affect anyone, at any time. And though experiences may vary, a large part of the discussion I’ve seen online has been spurred on by comedians who, like Williams, also experience the disorder.

We reached out to several prominent comedians and authors to find out more about how they deal with the disease and work through it, and to offer some advice for anyone else out there who might feel like they’re suffering on their own:

What Depression Feels Like

Jamie Kilstein (Citizen Radio, Friend of Robin Williams): Depression is sorta like a ninja. A really mean shi–y ninja. Even when you or your friends seem fine and are joking around, a lot of time it’s a cover. That doesn’t mean if you have a sad friend open every conversation with ‘ARE YOU OK?’ but always show them you care.

Sara Benincasa (Author, “AGORAFABULOUS!” and “Great”): I’ve suffered from depression on and off since I was fourteen. During my teens and early twenties, it was especially hard. These are vulnerable years, even for “tough” people who pride themselves on being strong. The thing is, depression doesn’t care if you’re strong, any more than cancer or diabetes will care if you’re strong. Depression is a very real illness and it can strike anybody.

Who Gets Depressed?

Chris Distefano (Guy Code): “The people that bring the most laughter into the world, are usually the ...

Ariana Grande is really serious about this mod thing, OK? In case you missed her Swinging London tribute of a music video for “Problem” with Iggy Azalea or when she channeled Barbarella, the R&B diva is here to remind you of her favorite decade on her brand new Billboard cover *bouffant hair flip*. On it, Grande not only shows us her boldest beauty look to date—a white cat-eye, what a game changer—she also covers up her signature poofy hair in her modest look yet: a polka dot helmet and shift dress that makes us wish we could transport to Twiggy’s era.

Austin Hargrave/Billboard

If Ariana’s headgear looks familiar, that might be because of its iconic shape, created when mod designers were experimenting with space age fashion in the UK. One of them, Otto Lucas, made this silhouette his specialty.

The German-born milliner who rose to fame during the ‘50s, crafting hats for French, English, and American royalty—including Queen Elizabeth II—even landed a Vogue cover with one of his hats worn by UK model Jill Kennington, posing, it’s worth noting, with a similar head-tilt and hands-framed-face as Ariana. (If you’ve got $120 to spare, and want more space age outfit inspo you can purchase the issue on eBay.) In another Vogue shoot, Lucas dressed his model in a matchy-matchy black-and-white zebra helmet and dress that looks like a long lost relative of Ariana’s polka dot outfit.

Well, that’s a very expensive cup of tea, indeed.

Fans of the PBS show “Downton Abbey,” which depicts the life of a high-society family in the 1920s — and that of their household staff — spent a collective $68,000 in an auction of 12 “Downton”-related experiences at Highclere Castle, the stand-in for the show’s estate.

Famed auction house Christie’s ran the auctions, which were open for 14 days with proceeds benefitting Heroes at Highclere, which funds armed forces charities.

Fans bid on glorious and fancy prizes such as the opportunity to have your portrait painted in oil with Highclere Castle in the background, a private lesson from Highclere’s main butler (“It is done wearing white gloves, which keeps the silver clean and fingerprints off the glasses. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn how this great tradition is performed, from the linen to the silverware, and to view privately the magnificent state rooms at the castle including the saloon, the state dining room, and the drawing room.”) and an overnight stay in Lady Edith’s bedroom.

Just saying, we hope that little slumber party in Lady Edith’s room has been sanctioned by the Earl of Grantham, because there would be white-gloved, nattily dressed hell to pay if not.

Christie’s spokeswoman Elizabeth Van Bergen told Reuters about the auction’s success.

“Every lot found a buyer. With ‘Downton Abbey’s’ great popularity, interest in the auction was geographically diverse,” she said.

We can only hope that whoever nabbed that oil portrait session decides to show up ...

As we’ve seen throughout the careers of the various action stars in “The Expendables 3,” the cast is great at a ton of stuff. From kung fu to brawling, comedy to prestige films, they’ve all shown incredible range. But there’s one thing the Expendables are great at that doesn’t involve fighting or quippy one-liners: they’re amazing at screaming.

The techniques are all different, but they all work, and here we see the screams, grunts and yells of multiple generations of action movie heroes, from old-timers like Arnold Schwarzengger and Sylvester Stallone (who have their screams perfected) to newcomers like Kellen Lutz.

Each Expendable seems to have his own distinctive scream. Harrison Ford opts for more of a Tarzan-like yelp, while Arnold Schwarzenegger sounds like a strangled Austrian cat.

So enjoy watching the best screams of the cast of “The Expendables.” Let us know which ones are your favorites, and which you want to scream at us for leaving out.

Craig Flaster

You know how Taylor Swift always looks so unbelievably perfect when she leaves the gym?

GC Images via Getty Images

For reference, here’s the rest of us.

Well during the VMA performer’s “Late Night” interview on Thursday, host Seth Meyers finally got to the bottom of it. After joking that “That is how everyone looks when they come out of the gym,” Taylor revealed that all it takes to look that flawless post-workout is a change of clothes and a hairbrush.

Related: Remember When Taylor Swift Slayed The 2009 VMAs?

Something tells me she’s omitting a crucial step, like drinking a half-vial of pegacorn tears or something, but whatever. I’ll believe it.

Taylor’s Swift-liest secrets revealed!

I wonder what kinda flawlessness she’ll bring to the VMA stage on August 24…

John Walker

Bad at filling out bios seeks same.

If you’ve ever been on Tinder before (don’t lie!), you may have noticed a super weird, random trend going on: Guys posing with tigers. Real, live, scary tigers. We don’t know why dudes think this screams “boyfriend material,” but they’re at least entertaining to look at, right? Ehh, not according to New York State, which is taming the tiger trend.

Back in June, we told you about how state legislators had passed a bill that would ban taking a photo while touching a tiger. This week, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed it, making the ban official.

Until now, posing with lions and tigers was a popular attraction at state fairs. Even local zoos and traveling animal shows got in on the racket, once they figured out how in-demand the pics were. Now it carries a $500 penalty.

Even though this is a major loss for a hefty chunk of Empire State Tinder bros, it’s a huge victory for wildlife advocates. “This is a serious issue,” said Manhattan Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal. “People who take selfies with wild animals are fooling with their lives. And it harms the animal because they’re generally not well-treated. They’re seen as profit-making props.”

She definitely has a point — stupid, preventable, selfie-related accidents have been on the upswing lately. Sorry, boys, but you’ll have to woo girls some other way. Here’s a free idea: Try posing with a house cat. We hear they’re pretty tame and easy to find.

Aug 15, 2014 | No Comments on Hey, Tinder Bros, Your Tiger Selfie Just Became Illegal In New York

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After days of protests and questions about what preceded the deadly police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown, Ferguson, Missouri, officials finally revealed on Friday morning (August 15) the identity of the officer who killed the teen on Saturday.

Police said six-year force veteran Darren Wilson was the man who shot Brown several times. Though police Chief Thomas Jackson did not answer any questions about Wilson, he did say that the officer did not have any disciplinary issues. Protesters who have gathered in Ferguson nightly since the shooting had been demanding to know the name of the officer involved, as well as details of the shooting and an explanation for why Brown’s body reportedly lay in the street for several hours after the incident.

Related: A Timeline Of The Michael Brown Shooting

But it was the other information officially revealed on Friday that added a dramatic new wrinkle to the story. According to Ferguson police, just before the shooting, Wilson responded to a call about a strong-arm robbery — one using physical force but not a weapon — at a nearby convenience store. The suspect was described as a “black male in a white T-shirt,” and a store employee said the man had taken a box of cigars (worth less than $50) and pushed the employee on his way out the door.

Store surveillance stills show a young man in a red Cardinals baseball cap, khaki shorts and a white T-shirt confronting a store clerk. The report also states that another ...

Vanilla Ice isn’t a big fan of Wiz Khalifa’s newest “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”-inspired track and wasn’t shy about saying so. The ’90s rap star said Wiz’s “Shell Shocked” sounded “artificial” and that “the corporate world put it together.”

Well, Khalifa heard the critique, and he has absolutely no hard feelings toward Ice. “I felt like his opinion was super-valid, from his standpoint,” Wiz told MTV News, giving two reasons: “Because A) he’s passionate about this music and B) he did have something to do with… ‘The Secret of the Ooze’ so he’s allowed to have personal involvement, he was in on it.”

Ice wrote and performed “Ninja Rap” for the 1991 film “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze” and even appeared in the film. Khalifa’s “Shell Shocked,” which also features Juicy J, Ty Dolla $ign and Madsonik, was recorded for the soundtrack to the newly released “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” reboot.

Related: Vanilla Ice Explains The Legend That Is ‘Ninja Rap’

“With respect to all of the artists, the song doesn’t really do it for me,” the 46-year-old told GQ. “It feels a little artificial — what I mean by that is that it sounds like a bunch of executives in the corporate world put it together. It really does not fit the theme of the Ninja Turtles legend. I think you have to understand, and be a true Ninja, to possess the Magic to really pull off the secret sound.”

While another MC could’ve ...

“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” is hitting Blu-ray and DVD on August 19, and some scenes that didn’t make the final cut have begun to surface on the web, including the alternate ending with Peter’s father coming back from the dead.

MTV also has an exclusive deleted scene. This one explores an unseen part from Max Dillion’s life before he became Electro. Check it out below.

The scene, while not in the final cut, had been important to Jamie Foxx before he had started filming. He recalled the scene during our interview with him for “Django Unchained.”

“The Amazing Spider-Man 2″ hits Blu-ray and DVD on August 19.

Kevin P. Sullivan

Writer/editor for MTV. If it involves cowboys, spies, or hitmen, I'm there. All three would be ideal.

@KPSull