Alasdair Wilkins, Author at Gizmodo

A baby’s cuteness is determined by your reproductive hormones

If you’re tying to figure out how cute a baby is, you had better ask a premenopausal woman: they’re scientifically proven to have the highest cuteness sensitivity. Yes, this experiment involved coming up with an objective scale of baby cuteness. Back in 2009, researchers at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland decided to test…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

NASA has discovered the tiniest, most pathetic black hole in the universe

A couple weeks ago, astronomers spotted black holes that were ten billion times more massive than our Sun, setting new records for the biggest black holes ever found. NASA has spotted another record-setting black hole…although it’s not quite as impressive. The black hole is part of a binary system with the catchy name IGR J17091-3624.…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Democracy needs ignorant people, says science

You might think that democracies work best when people care and know about the key issues. But a new study argues that for a democracy to function at all, you need lots of ignorant people blindly siding with the majority. That’s the argument put forward by Princeton researcher Iain Couzin and his team, who make…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

New Posters for The Avengers, John Carter and Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter! Plus Tons of American Horror Story Spoilers!

The next Adventures of Tintin movie will introduce a beloved character from the comics. There are tons of new posters for The Avengers, John Carter, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Chronicle, and more. Ryan Murphy previews the ultimate insanity in the American Horror Story season finale. It’s spoilers all the way down! Top image from The…

Television Alasdair Wilkins

Did the Durban climate change talks actually accomplish anything?

The UN’s latest Climate Change Conference recently concluded after two weeks of intense negotiations in Durban, South Africa. There’s going to be a new agreement to address climate change, but does that really mean anything? Let’s break down what happened. Top image: Chukchi Sea Polar Bears by AP/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. There’s no point…

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Modern humans may have evolved 200,000 years earlier than we thought

For early hominid hunters, there was no greater prize than an elephant. Kill just one of those, and a tribe could eat well for days. But when the elephants suddenly disappeared, something remarkable happened: Our hominid ancestors became more intelligent. Homo erectus was particularly fond of eating elephants, and it isn’t hard to see why.…

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A Snow Angel Spread Across the Stars 2,000 Light-Years Away

We humans are wired to see shapes and patterns in randomness, which makes us see faces on Mars and everything from butterflies to California in faraway nebulae. Well, this is the holiday edition of that phenomenon… and it’s pretty wonderfully ridiculous. With all due respect to kids in the Midwest, I’m going to go ahead…

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Steven Moffat reveals the bold new direction of Doctor Who‘s next season!

Christopher Nolan explains the reason for The Dark Knight Rises’ surprising timeframe. A new Amazing Spider-Man set video seems to reimagine one of Spidey’s darkest moments. And has Thor 2 found its director? Spoilers from here on out! Top image from Doctor Who. The Dark Knight Rises Christopher Nolan reveals the eight year time jump…

Television Alasdair Wilkins

Ant species uses chemical warfare to kill termites from afar

You don’t want to mess with the African ant species Crematogaster striatula — and neither do other insects. This species has a built-in “gas gun” that can paralyze its enemies, giving them a secret weapon in their endless war against termites. This particular species emits powerful, poisonous chemicals from its stinger. The worker ants emit…

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We (literally) smell way better than Neanderthals did

This isn’t about odor — honestly, if the species that invented indoor plumbing doesn’t smell better, we’re in serious trouble. But we have a far better sense of smell than Neanderthals did, and that reveals some crucial differences in our brains. Markus Bastir and Antonio Rosas of the Spanish Natural Science Museum (CSIC) used high-tech…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

We’re about to watch a supermassive black hole devour something for the very first time

A massive gas cloud is on a collision course with the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy. As this awesome artist’s conception shows, it will be torn completely apart. This is our first chance to watch that happen. The image up top, courtesy of the European Southern Observatory, shows how the gas…

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NASA developing “comet harpoon” to bring back icy samples

Comets rush through the solar system at up to 150,000 miles per hour, making it extremely difficult to actually land a space probe on one of them. The solution? NASA is working on something new, awesomely called a “comet harpoon.” It’s not just the immense speed of comets that makes landings difficult. The icy rocks…

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Christopher Nolan explains why his Dark Knight Rises villain Bane is like a classic movie monster!

Emma Stone breaks down Gwen Stacy, The Amazing Spider-Man’s love interest. The gritty Paradise Lost movie hits a snag. Robert Kirkman promises more death on The Walking Dead. Plus Andy Serkis talks the next Planet of the Apes movie! Spoilers from here on out! The Dark Knight Rises Christopher Nolan talks about how he came…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Ancient fish learned to walk underwater before they arrived on land

Hundreds of millions of years ago, the first land animals emerged, facing new challenges unlike any their aquatic ancestors had experienced. But their marine predecessors had solved one big problem for living on land: they already knew how to walk. That’s the finding of researchers at the University of Chicago, who have studied the motion…

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Starving orangutans may explain why humans evolved to become obese

They’re not as closely related to us as chimps and gorillas, but we share something crucial with orangutans: we both evolved to survive long periods without decent food. And that shared past could help explain our modern obesity epidemic. The orangutans on the Indonesian island of Borneo have been isolated for the last 400,000 years.…

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The most ancient black holes grew fat on cosmic fast food

In the first billion years after the Big Bang, the universe was a smaller, emptier place, without the huge galaxies that dominate today. But there were already supermassive black holes that had grown shockingly huge by gorging themselves on gas. Generally speaking, the size of a black hole at the center of a galaxy will…

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Watch light particles crawl through a Coke bottle at a trillion frames per second

Three MIT physicists took the idea of high-exposure photography and cranked it up to absolutely ridiculous levels, using special optical equipment to show actual light particles on the move. Prepare to see the fastest thing you’ll ever see… in slow motion. The video up top was created using a streak camera, a new form of…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Why the beginning of the Star Trek sequel will remind you of The Empire Strikes Back!

The latest batch of probably fake Dark Knight Rises spoilers sets a new bar for lunacy. Tons new details about Doctor Who’s Christmas special. Scarlett Johansson talks her Marvel movie future. Plus Man of Steel and Amazing Spider-Man set photos! Spoilers from here on out! Top image from The Amazing Spider-Man. The Dark Knight Rises…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Spiders have to keep their extra brains in their legs

Spiders aren’t generally thought of as particularly smart creatures, but some spiders’ brains are literally too big for their heads. It seems that no matter how big or small a spider’s body is, its brain is always the same size. No matter their size, all spider species have to perform the same basic set of…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Ostriches and their bloodless erections solve a centuries-old mystery

Sometimes, scientists ask deep, probing questions that cut to the very core of the universe’s greatest mysteries. And sometimes, they wonder about how ostriches’ and emus’ penises work. And sometimes, that apparently prurient research can lead to new insights into how birds and reptiles evolved apart. There are two major types of bird sex. The…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Alasdair Wilkins

A baby’s cuteness is determined by your reproductive hormones

NASA has discovered the tiniest, most pathetic black hole in the universe

Democracy needs ignorant people, says science

New Posters for The Avengers, John Carter and Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter! Plus Tons of American Horror Story Spoilers!

Did the Durban climate change talks actually accomplish anything?

Modern humans may have evolved 200,000 years earlier than we thought

A Snow Angel Spread Across the Stars 2,000 Light-Years Away

Steven Moffat reveals the bold new direction of Doctor Who‘s next season!

Ant species uses chemical warfare to kill termites from afar

We (literally) smell way better than Neanderthals did

We’re about to watch a supermassive black hole devour something for the very first time

NASA developing “comet harpoon” to bring back icy samples

Christopher Nolan explains why his Dark Knight Rises villain Bane is like a classic movie monster!

Ancient fish learned to walk underwater before they arrived on land

Starving orangutans may explain why humans evolved to become obese

The most ancient black holes grew fat on cosmic fast food

Watch light particles crawl through a Coke bottle at a trillion frames per second

Why the beginning of the Star Trek sequel will remind you of The Empire Strikes Back!

Spiders have to keep their extra brains in their legs

Ostriches and their bloodless erections solve a centuries-old mystery

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