Alasdair Wilkins, Author at Gizmodo

What causes rogue planets to run away from their stars?

We now estimate that every star in the galaxy has at least one planet, but that is leaving aside the potentially billions more planets that were ejected from their solar system and are now hurtling through the universe all alone. We know that these rogue planets exist – indeed, they could outnumber all the other…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

What if every electron in the universe was all the same exact particle?

There’s an idea that suggests all the universe’s electrons are actually one particle forever traveling backwards and forwards in time. It’s a simple, elegant idea that solves some of physics’s biggest mysteries. There’s only one tiny problem. It’s complete nonsense. This is the story of that bizarre thought experiment and John Archibald Wheeler, the brilliant,…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Stare into the eerie heart of the Little Ghost Nebula…if you dare!

What is this strange astronomical formation? A more fanciful interpretation is that it’s a vast cosmic eye, but then its official designation – planetary nebula – isn’t much more helpful, considering it’s neither a planet nor even really a nebula. In reality, the Little Ghost Nebula, or NGC 6369 if you want to keep things…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

What to Expect from Total Recall, Iron Man 3 and Game of Thrones Season 2!

Nicolas Cage’s research for Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance prominently involved insects and ancient Egyptian dance. Benedict Cumberbatch discusses his involvement in the Star Trek sequel. Plus director Rian Johnson addresses the biggest challenge of his time travel epic Looper! All that plus Don Cheadle talks Iron Man 3, Chris Evans boards a post-apocalyptic train,…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Ultra-tiny “nano-ear” can hear bacteria and viruses

The world’s smallest ear doesn’t belong to any animal. Instead, it’s a tiny piece of gold suspended in a laser beam. It can hear sounds a million times fainter than any human ear can, making it a powerful acoustic microscope. The nano-ear is the work of Jochen Friedmann and Andrey Lutich of Munich’s Ludwig-Maximilians University.…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Life might not be possible around red dwarf stars

There could be over 150 billion planets in our galaxy alone, which makes the chances of life on other words look very solid indeed. But there’s one snag: the universe’s most common stars might not support life at all. The problem is down to axial tilt. Relative to its orbital plane around the Sun, the…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Yup, it’s time to start drinking urine

That’s the recommendation from a new report by the US National Research Council, who say reclaimed waste water is needed as a necessary substitute for the dwindling supply of freshwater. What’s more, reprocessed urine might actually be cleaner than freshwater. As we consider the “Kevin Costner in Waterworld” school of water management, let’s look at…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

What mysterious genetic material ruled the world before DNA and RNA?

All living organisms use DNA as the carrier of genetic material and RNA as the messenger molecule directing the expression of genes and creation of proteins. This arrangement has lasted 3.5 billion years. But what came before these life-giving molecules? These two massive molecules are wonderfully versatile, capable of assembling and replicating themselves while also…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Newly discovered Egyptian tomb contains mummy of 3,000 year old singer

The legendary 1922 discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb was the 62nd burial discovered in the Valley of the Kings. Amazingly, it wouldn’t be until 2005 that a 63rd tomb was found. Now, a newly announced, pristine tomb is number 64. According to inscriptions inside the tomb, which has been designated KV64 – Tutankhamen’s chamber is,…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Has Steven Moffat cryptically revealed the next Doctor Who companion?

It looks as though Doctor Who could be signing up a new companion next fall. Executive producer Steven Moffat may just have pointed us towards her – and it’s someone we’ve seen before on the show! Joss Whedon reveals just why The Avengers revolves around Captain America. The Star Trek sequel begins production, and the…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

io9 Weekend Roundup: January 15, 2012

Russell T. Davies’ new show will be “Doctor Who meets Harry Potter” It sounds like Russell T. Davies still has plenty of genre television up his sleeve. Davies’ agency has revealed that Davies is co-creating a children’s series for the BBC’s CBBC channel titled Aliens vs Wizards, which the BBC is describing as “Doctor Who…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Most important scientific study ever: What about farting astronauts?

Humans produce two flammable gases: hydrogen and methane. Flammable gases accumulate in an enclosed space and can ignite. Astronauts are humans who spend lots of time in enclosed space. The logic is irrefutable. So, what’s the risk to farting astronauts? Let’s go retro for this story that we at io9 somehow missed when it was…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Our closest galactic neighbor is shrouded in dust

This doesn’t look much like a galaxy, but it is in fact the Large Magellanic Cloud, one of the biggest satellite galaxies of our Milky Way. This awesome infrared image reveals the real look of this galaxy like never before. While images taken in the optical wavelengths reveal a more familiar view of the Large…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Is this bizarre organism an animal, a plant, or both?

Actually, Mesodinium chamaeleon is both. This single-celled organism definitely eats other creatures, which makes it an animal. But it also absorbs algae cells that can then give it extra energy through photosynthesis. So what on earth is this strange creature? Found off the Scandinavian coast, Mesodinium chamaeleon is an animal that forms a symbiotic relationship…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Rising carbon dioxide levels could turn fish into drunken daredevils

Climate change might turn lizards into geniuses, but fish won’t be quite so lucky. All the billions of tons of carbon dioxide that enters the oceans each year is like alcohol for fish, turning them into risk-taking idiots. That’s the finding of Philip Munday and his research team at Australia’s James Cook University. The researchers…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

The last European great ape lived 7 million years ago

Millions of years ago, Europe was a vast savanna full of giraffes, elephants, and rhinos. There was also at least one hominid ape, according to a fossilized tooth recently discovered in Bulgaria. Meet the latest complication in our evolutionary story. The tooth was unearthed by a team of Bulgarian, French, and German paleontologists, including geologist…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Are allergies for real?

Allergies were pretty much completely unknown until the beginning of the twentieth century, and allergic diseases have skyrocketed in the last twenty years, and well over half of all Americans are allergic to an airborne substance. What’s going on here? At first glance, that big spike in allergies might seem a bit unlikely — particularly…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Tim Burton and Steven Spielberg spill the beans on all their upcoming projects!

The next season of True Blood may reveal the origins of a fan favorite character. The newly cast Richard Schiff talks playing Dr. Hamilton in Man of Steel. Plus new images for Amazing Spider-Man, Hunger Games, and much more! It’s spoilers all the way down! Top image from The Amazing Spider-Man. Man of Steel West…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Language is hardwired to be optimistic, even if people aren’t

Between political disagreements, economic instability, and climate troubles, you might assume every newspaper is full of bad news. Weirdly enough, the exact opposite is true. No matter what’s going on in the real world, English is a perversely positive language. That’s the rather counter-intuitive finding of mathematicians at the University of Vermont, who just last…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Finding the star in this supernova could unlock the secrets of the universe

Right at the center of this image, there’s a dim orange dot. Somewhere around that dot, one of the stars in a binary system once went supernova, creating the vast red gaseous remnant you see all around it. The problem is that no one can find the other star in that binary system, the one…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Alasdair Wilkins

What causes rogue planets to run away from their stars?

What if every electron in the universe was all the same exact particle?

Stare into the eerie heart of the Little Ghost Nebula…if you dare!

What to Expect from Total Recall, Iron Man 3 and Game of Thrones Season 2!

Ultra-tiny “nano-ear” can hear bacteria and viruses

Life might not be possible around red dwarf stars

Yup, it’s time to start drinking urine

What mysterious genetic material ruled the world before DNA and RNA?

Newly discovered Egyptian tomb contains mummy of 3,000 year old singer

Has Steven Moffat cryptically revealed the next Doctor Who companion?

io9 Weekend Roundup: January 15, 2012

Most important scientific study ever: What about farting astronauts?

Our closest galactic neighbor is shrouded in dust

Is this bizarre organism an animal, a plant, or both?

Rising carbon dioxide levels could turn fish into drunken daredevils

The last European great ape lived 7 million years ago

Are allergies for real?

Tim Burton and Steven Spielberg spill the beans on all their upcoming projects!

Language is hardwired to be optimistic, even if people aren’t

Finding the star in this supernova could unlock the secrets of the universe

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