Alasdair Wilkins, Author at Gizmodo

Children and adults see the world in fundamentally different ways

As we get older, our senses actually “fuse” together, and we lose the ability to focus on isolated pieces of sensory information. This means adults perceive certain events far more accurately than children can… and vice versa. Once people reach about the age of twelve, they start to combine sensory information to make better sense…

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Faraway planet lacks methane gas, violating everything we know about atmospheres

A Neptune-sized exoplanet thirty-three light-years away is defying all our expectations of what planetary atmospheres should look like. The planet has 7,000 times less methane gas than expected, but it’s rich in carbon monoxides…and we have no idea why. The planet, designated GJ 436b, should be absolutely dominated by methane gas, and yet analysis reveals…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Do we have the right to violate King Tut’s medical privacy?

For the living, doctor/patient confidentiality is considered a basic right, something violated by only the most ethically bankrupt. Yet King Tutankhamen’s deadly diseases, incestuous habits, and missing penis make international headlines. Should researchers reveal all this intimate, embarrassing information? According to anatomist Frank Rühli and ethicist Ina Kaufmann, both of Switzerland’s University of Zurich, the…

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Meteorite carries remnant of the supernova that created our solar system

The Orgueil meteorite crashed into France 150 years ago. It’s over 4.5 billion years old…and it might carry a piece of an ancient supernova that was instrumental to the solar system’s birth. Since the 1970s, astronomers have hypothesized that a supernova explosion might have released some of the crucial materials needed to form our Sun…

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Bilbo may get to kick some ass in The Hobbit, while Kick-Ass 2 will bring on the hardcore supervillainy

The end of The Hobbit might be changed to give Bilbo a chance to show off his newfound bravery. Kick-Ass 2 will feature rival gangs of superheroes and supervillains. Plus a bonanza of Syfy spoilers, Doctor Who, Fringe, and more! The Hobbit: A casting document for Bilbo Baggins mentions his great bravery in the story’s…

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Dark matters could be hiding in the Sun and affecting neutrinos

We’re pretty much certain that dark matter exists, but we’re still working to nail down precisely what dark matter is. One leading candidate, known as the WIMP, might be trapped inside the Sun, sucking heat away and altering fusion reactions. If WIMPs – weakly interacting massive particles – really are the missing dark matter particles,…

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Distant galaxy may be home to the elusive mid-sized black hole

There are two types of black holes: small ones that form from the remnants of collapsed stars, and their supermassive counterparts at the center of galaxies. But astronomers believe there’s a third, intermediate-sized type that we haven’t found yet…until now. Intermediate black holes would be anywhere from 100 to 1,000 times the mass of our…

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Men and women act differently after sex because of evolution

The different behaviors of males and females in the bedroom has been ably investigated by decades of stand-up comics, but only now are scientists entering the fray to examine the deeper motivations of post-coital activities. Evolutionary psychology to the rescue! Via the always great NCBI ROFL comes this new study from psychologists at Albright College.…

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New electronic skin gives robots the sense of touch

Robotics has made tremendous strides in replicating the senses of sight and sound, but smell and taste are still lagging behind, and touch was thought to be the most difficult of them all…until new pressure-sensitive electronic skin came along. The electronic skin is made out of germanium and silicon wrapped around a sticky polyimide film.…

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Star clusters are destroying gigantic exoplanets with their fierce gravity

The logic is simple. Extrasolar planets orbit faraway stars. Star clusters are home to lots and lots of stars. So where better to look for new exoplanets? Unfortunately, astronomers think the extreme gravity of these clusters is ripping exoplanets apart. We’ve found about 450 exoplanets around distant stars, but pretty much all of them were…

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Eureka returns to the past to set the stage for a great future

Yesterday’s Eureka mid-season finale hit all the right notes, sending Grant and Carter back to 1947 in a desperate attempt to save a friend’s life and keep time itself from unraveling. And the show looks to just be getting started. “I’ll Be Seeing You” was very definitely the Back to the Future Part II to…

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Wisdom teeth could provide your own private bonanza of stem cells

Wisdom teeth, the vestigial molars that ancient humans used to grind plants but nowadays serve no purpose, might have their uses after all. The teeth possess a gold mine of cells that can be reprogrammed into pristine, treatment-ready stem cells. Most people’s wisdom teeth, or third molars, grow in sometime between the ages of 17…

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Spiral galaxies are eating their dwarf galaxy brethren all across the universe

A new series of photos and artists’ conceptions reveal in breathtaking detail the vicious world of galactic evolution, where spiral galaxies attract, shred, and assimilate nearby dwarf galaxies. Check out more images of our galaxy-eat-galaxy cosmos. Although we already knew that spiral galaxies in the immediate vicinity of the Milky Way were taking part in…

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Genetically-engineered yeast brings us closer to a biofuel future

Biofuels like ethanol could help us reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, but growing crops for ethanol involves using up huge swaths of valuable farmland. Now we might have a solution – thanks to some re-engineered yeast. Ethanol and other biofuels face a number of hurdles in becoming a viable alternative energy source, and one…

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Hit-Girl explains her dream ride for Kick-Ass 2, plus Bruce Campbell wants to make The Expendables of horror!

Chloë Moretz will return as Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass 2, no matter how much taller she gets. See some photos her as a vampire in Let Me In. Plus spoilers for The Hunger Games, Fringe, Chuck, Supernatural, True Blood and more! Kick-Ass 2: A new interview with Chloë Moretz finds her discussing what toys and gadgets…

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Scientists unveil more proof that water still flows on Mars

We now know two things about the Martian atmosphere’s carbon dioxide: volcanic eruptions created the gas quite recently, and it probably reacted with liquid water. Taken together, these discoveries confirm water is still a major player in Martian geology. NASA’s Mars Phoenix Lander has provided the most precise readings yet on the carbon dioxide gas…

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What would happen to Earth if we stopped expanding fossil fuel use tomorrow?

If all the peoples of the world got together tomorrow and agreed to never build another fossil fuel power plant or gasoline-powered automobile, all the carbon-emitting structures already built would still produce 496 gigatonnes of carbon between now and 2060. According to Steven Davis and his team at the Carnegie Institution, our energy infrastructure is…

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Predict extinctions before they occur – and stop them

All species on the road to extinction reach a critical moment when their overall chances of survival drop to zero. We might be able to identify when this moment approaches, allowing us to save species on the brink of extinction. This tipping point between extinction and survival is known as “critical slowing down”, a term…

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Pink clouds of the spiral galaxy

NGC 300 is one of the brightest and most colorful galaxies in the night sky, thanks to its big pink clouds. Because it’s so close to Earth, you can actually spot it in the night sky with regular binoculars. Located in the Sculptor Group of galaxies just six million light-years from Earth – barely any…

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Martin Freeman could be The Hobbit after all. Plus, Ali Larter explains how much ass Resident Evil will kick (a lot)

The star of the British Office might still be the new Bilbo Baggins. Milla Jovovich will fly off the screen to kick your ass in the 3D Resident Evil Afterlife. Chuck adds a real nightmare to its cast. Spoilers away! The Hobbit: There’s a new twist in the “Will Martin Freeman play Bilbo Baggins?” story…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Alasdair Wilkins

Children and adults see the world in fundamentally different ways

Faraway planet lacks methane gas, violating everything we know about atmospheres

Do we have the right to violate King Tut’s medical privacy?

Meteorite carries remnant of the supernova that created our solar system

Bilbo may get to kick some ass in The Hobbit, while Kick-Ass 2 will bring on the hardcore supervillainy

Dark matters could be hiding in the Sun and affecting neutrinos

Distant galaxy may be home to the elusive mid-sized black hole

Men and women act differently after sex because of evolution

New electronic skin gives robots the sense of touch

Star clusters are destroying gigantic exoplanets with their fierce gravity

Eureka returns to the past to set the stage for a great future

Wisdom teeth could provide your own private bonanza of stem cells

Spiral galaxies are eating their dwarf galaxy brethren all across the universe

Genetically-engineered yeast brings us closer to a biofuel future

Hit-Girl explains her dream ride for Kick-Ass 2, plus Bruce Campbell wants to make The Expendables of horror!

Scientists unveil more proof that water still flows on Mars

What would happen to Earth if we stopped expanding fossil fuel use tomorrow?

Predict extinctions before they occur – and stop them

Pink clouds of the spiral galaxy

Martin Freeman could be The Hobbit after all. Plus, Ali Larter explains how much ass Resident Evil will kick (a lot)

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