Alasdair Wilkins, Author at Gizmodo

Loop quantum gravity could unite physics and take us back to the Big Bang

General relativity and quantum mechanics are the twin foundations of modern physics, but there’s a problem: they’re mutually exclusive, at least according to our current understanding. A new model using loop quantum gravity might have the beginnings of a solution. Relativity holds that reality is uniquely determined and always measurable, whereas quantum mechanics tells us…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Floating wind turbines could be our energy solution in the clouds

Wind is a clean, renewable energy source, but there isn’t nearly enough of it down here on the ground. But high in the sky, there are furious jet streams of powerful wind just waiting to be harvested by floating turbines. NASA engineer Mark Moore has been working on the idea of airborne wind turbines for…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Genetic fossil record reveals the evolution of life 3 billion years ago

Life has been around for billions of years, but it’s only about 580 million years ago that organisms start leaving behind fossils. But our modern genes provide a window into the past, revealing how life developed billions of years ago. The genomes of modern organisms are all inherited from their ancestral counterparts, which basically means…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Newborns need their mother’s voice to really fire their brains up

Newborn babies have an instinctual need to hear their mother’s voice…and nobody else’s. For the first time ever, electrodes were placed on babies hours after their birth to probe the connection between the mother’s voice and their newborn brains. The electrodes monitored which parts of the infants’ brains were activated when they came into contact…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

The hot-melt method is the scary-sounding solution to “penile incarceration”

Medical science finally has an answer to an age-old, all-important question: how do you free a trapped penis from a PVC pipe? Our male readers may want to keep this paper handy…you know, just in case. You might think a topic like this isn’t really that important – after all, how many people really manage…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Does our universe show “bruises” where it collided with other universes?

The eternal inflation model says that there’s an infinite number of universes, with new universes constantly popping into existence and expanding outwards. Every so often, these new universes might collide. Our universe has four “bruises” possibly caused by these collisions. We’ve already found possible evidence of a universe before the Big Bang in the cosmic…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

The Sun’s gravity could be used to create an interstellar communications network

The Sun’s tremendous gravitational pull actually warps the fabric of space around it, creating focal points where light comes together. We could use these focal points to build the most powerful telescopes ever and communicate with spaceships in Alpha Centauri. General relativity tells us that the Sun’s huge mass actually warps the space-time around it,…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Did societies evolve to be corrupt?

Corruption is as old as human history. For as long as people have organized themselves into groups with powerful leaders, those leaders have sometimes abused their power. But evolutionary biologists say corruption might actually be holding societies together. That’s the theory put forward by evolutionary biologists Francisco Ubeda and Edgar Duenez. The pair used game…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Every scientific study of armpit odors was wrong – until now

Have you ever wondered whether people’s armpits have different odors depending on whether they’re left-handed or right-handed? Or if certain armpit scents are more masculine than others? Some brave armpit science experts have the answers. The field of armpit research – axilla research, if we’re using proper scientific terminology – has one glaring flaw. The…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

George Clooney joins Alfonso Cuaron’s space epic Gravity, plus Edgar Wright might someday do Doctor Who!

Alfonso Cuaron has finally got two big stars for his astronaut epic. The onslaught of Doctor Who spoilers continues, and Edgar Wright discusses possibly working on the show. Seth Green talks Robot Chicken and his super-secret Star Wars cartoon. Spoilerama! Gravity Finally, at long last, Alfonso Cuaron has his two big stars for his astronaut…

Television Alasdair Wilkins

Cultural genome project mines Google Books for the secret history of humanity

What exactly is the half-life of celebrity? A new field called culturomics has the answer. Using the largest linguistic database ever created – Google Books – culturomics experts track things like “lexical dark matter,” and how long fame really lasts. Earlier today, we spoke to the two main minds behind the cultural genome, Harvard researchers…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Even animals as simple as fruit flies have free will

Fruit flies and other simple organisms might seem like they’re creatures of instinct, governed by a set of basically predictable stimuli and responses. But fruit flies actually have free will. Depending on what your definition of free will is. Leaving philosophy aside, we know humans have free will because we’re able to evaluate a set…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

The strange case of a woman who felt no fear

A woman with a rare disease that destroyed the fear center of her brain is completely unable to be scared or recognize when other people are afraid. Her story reveals why we need negative emotions, and could help PTSD sufferers. The 44-year-old woman, nicknamed “SM” to protect her privacy, has a condition known as Urbach–Wiethe…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

String theory fails first major experimental test

String theory is one of the more popular candidates to combine quantum mechanics and relativity into a grand unified theory. But it had remained completely untestable until recent experiments at the Large Hadron Collider. The early results don’t look good. A few years ago, a group of physicists came up with an ingenious way to…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Potential new Ghostbusters respond to casting rumors, plus Bill Pullman joins Torchwood!

The writers of Tron Legacy explain why they had to tell the story of Sam Flynn. The original Hulk is going to appear in The Avengers. A Warehouse 13 star is visiting No Ordinary Family. Spoilers for all ages! The Avengers Bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno, who played the Hulk in the 70s TV show and voiced…

Television Alasdair Wilkins

Jon Favreau confirms that he’s not directing Iron Man 3, plus tons of crazy hints for the future of Doctor Who!

Jon Favreau is definitely moving on from the world of Tony Stark. We’ve got a round-up of all the spoilers for Doctor Who’s Christmas special and series six. New set photos for Now revealing a gun-wielding, immortal Justin Timberlake. Spoilerage! Iron Man 3 Jon Favreau has now confirmed that he won’t be directing Iron Man…

Television Alasdair Wilkins

10 Amazing Science Books That Reveal The Wonders Of The Universe

If you’re looking for a perfect holiday gift for science lovers, consider these ten amazing books. They prove science is awesomer than fiction, and are packed with beautiful pictures too. On the Origin of Species: The Illustrated Edition by Charles Darwin with David Quammen Darwin’s original book didn’t just kick off the fiercest scientific debate…

Books & Comics Alasdair Wilkins

The solar system’s weirdest moon once had a moon all its own

Saturn’s moon Iapetus has a gigantic ridge running along its equator that’s twice the height of Mount Everest and covers 75% of the moon’s equator. And its existence points to something stranger still: Iapetus once had its very own moon. You can always know immediately when you’re looking at an image of Iapetus, because it’s…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Science proves a rose by any other name doesn’t smell as sweet

Shakespeare might be the greatest writer in the history of the English language, but he was no experimental psychologist. Giving odors positive or negative names actually has a major effect on how how we perceive them. Of course, scientists weren’t musing over the impossibility of love between two warring noble houses from Verona. Instead, they…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Get a complete rundown on the future of Marvel movies, plus Torchwood’s new CIA agent leading man has been cast!

The head of Marvel Studios reveals their next four movies, which characters he wants to see get movies, and little things to look out for in The Avengers and Thor. A veteran of ER is joining the Torchwood cast. Spoilers! The Avengers More and more details are trickling out of Marvel Studios executive Kevin Feige’s…

Television Alasdair Wilkins

Alasdair Wilkins

Loop quantum gravity could unite physics and take us back to the Big Bang

Floating wind turbines could be our energy solution in the clouds

Genetic fossil record reveals the evolution of life 3 billion years ago

Newborns need their mother’s voice to really fire their brains up

The hot-melt method is the scary-sounding solution to “penile incarceration”

Does our universe show “bruises” where it collided with other universes?

The Sun’s gravity could be used to create an interstellar communications network

Did societies evolve to be corrupt?

Every scientific study of armpit odors was wrong – until now

George Clooney joins Alfonso Cuaron’s space epic Gravity, plus Edgar Wright might someday do Doctor Who!

Cultural genome project mines Google Books for the secret history of humanity

Even animals as simple as fruit flies have free will

The strange case of a woman who felt no fear

String theory fails first major experimental test

Potential new Ghostbusters respond to casting rumors, plus Bill Pullman joins Torchwood!

Jon Favreau confirms that he’s not directing Iron Man 3, plus tons of crazy hints for the future of Doctor Who!

10 Amazing Science Books That Reveal The Wonders Of The Universe

The solar system’s weirdest moon once had a moon all its own

Science proves a rose by any other name doesn’t smell as sweet

Get a complete rundown on the future of Marvel movies, plus Torchwood’s new CIA agent leading man has been cast!

Trump Says He’ll Sign Order to Pay TSA

Deadpool Will Deface ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Classics for a New Secret Lair

Apple’s Siri Isn’t Just Going to Use One Chatbot. It’s Going to Use All of Them

Why ‘For All Mankind’ Season 5 Is the Key to the Rest of the Series

ASUS ZenScreen 15.6-Inch Portable Monitor Is Now Cheaper Than Black Friday in Amazon’s Big Spring Sale

Early Wildfires Are Surging Across the US—and Trump’s New Fire Agency Isn’t Ready

INIU Brings Another Power Bank to the Spring Sale as SnapGo Keychain Portable Charger Drops to Its Lowest Price

Attorney Hit With Historic Fine for Citing AI-Generated Cases

Travelers Experiencing the Longest Security Lines in TSA History

Could There Be a ‘Project Hail Mary’ Sequel?

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets

Apple Studio Display XDR Review: It Looks So Good, I Wish It Were an iMac

RayNeo Air 4 Pro Review: My Eyes Love These Video Glasses, but My Nose Disagrees