Alasdair Wilkins, Author at Gizmodo

New discovery might explain the origins of water and/or bleach the galaxy’s hair blonde

Near the star Rho Ophiuchi, there are thick cosmic dust clouds from which new suns are born. While the vast majority of particles in the clouds are hydrogen, a newly discovered molecule could explain where water came from. Specifically, astronomers at the European Southern Observatory have found evidence for hydrogen peroxide in those cosmic clouds.…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

The abstract art of Jackson Pollock is a case study in complex physics

The abstract expressionism pioneered by Jackson Pollock may look random, but they actually reveal a surprisingly deep knowledge of fluid dynamics and the relationship between gravity and viscosity. Turns out Pollock had a seriously deep intuition for physics. At least, we can only assume the knowledge was intuitive – Pollock didn’t finish high school, so…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Black widow spiders avoid cannibalization by sniffing webs

The black widow spider practices sexual cannibalism, in which the female eats the male after mating – indeed, that’s why they’re called black widows in the first place. But males have an unexpected way of avoiding that fate. The secret of male survival is to know just how hungry their potential mate is. That may…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Glow-in-the-dark mushrooms rediscovered after 170 years

In 1840, English botanist George Gardner was traveling in Brazil. One night, he noticed some boys playing with a strange, glowing object. To his shock, he had encountered a bioluminescent mushroom. It’s only taken 170 years to find some more. Neonothopanus gardneri – which is named after its discoverer, although it was originally misclassified as…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

This is the first ever photo of a fish using tools

This blackspot tuskfish, found in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, held a clam in its mouth and smashed it against a rock to reach the food inside. This photo is the first incontrovertible proof that fish are capable of tool use. While tool use was once seen as a uniquely human behavior, decades of animal observation…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Futurama offers up a surprisingly hilarious take-down of every cop cliche ever

Yesterday’s Futurama gleefully smashed together parodies of such modern sci-fi classics as Minority Report, Avatar, Tron…and, uh, Police Academy. It also turned Erwin Schroedinger into a supervillain and gave us the most ridiculous police chief ever. Now this is Futurama. I’ll admit, the beginning of “Law and Oracle”, which sort of pointlessly retreads Fry’s delivery…

Television Alasdair Wilkins

A Next Generation actor wants a part in the next Star Trek movie. Plus tons more Torchwood and Warehouse 13 spoilers!

John Noble thinks he knows how many seasons Fringe has left. Game of Thrones casts one of season two’s (literally) biggest roles. Michael Bay responds to the Jason Statham Transformers 4 rumors. Plus some new Man of Steel set photos! Spoilers from here on out! Top image from Captain America. Man of Steel Tipster Blake…

Television Alasdair Wilkins

Genetic evidence reveals that polar bears originally came from Ireland

Every polar bear alive today shares a common maternal ancestor, and it isn’t even a bear from the same species. Their mitochondrial DNA reveals a 100,000 year story of interbreeding and hybridization…and the story is far from over. Mitochondrial DNA is passed along exclusively from mothers to their offspring. Because this DNA never mixes with…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Sex evolved to prevent parasite infections, say scientists

Sexual reproduction that involves two partners is far less efficient than self-fertilization — at least, from the perspective of evolution. So why did creatures like humans ever start having sex with each other? According to a new study, we did it to fight parasites. We spoke with the researchers to discover what this says about…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Has the first actual Man of Steel plot synopsis been discovered?

We are never, ever getting rid of Transformers movies. Oz, the Great and Powerful may have hit the ultimate legal roadblock. Plus everyone is talking Torchwood: Miracle Day, chief dwarf Richard Armitage discusses The Hobbit, and Misha Collins address his Supernatural future. Spoilers from here on out! Top image from Rise of the Planet of…

Television Alasdair Wilkins

Are wide male faces really a predictor of unethical behavior?

The wider a man’s face is, the more likely he is to deceive others and cheat to get ahead…or so a new study claims. Is this just the new phrenology, or could there be something to the idea? Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s look at the actual study. Researchers at the…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Bananas have been hopelessly inbred clones for the last 7,000 years

If you want to see an evolutionary dead end, look no further than the supermarket produce aisle. Every banana you eat is an infertile clone, and its wild ancestors weren’t much better when it came to finding new genes. This isn’t good news for the bananas or one of their primary consumers (that’d be us).…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Bizarre, ancient Egyptian chamber discovered in Italy

This room might look worthy of pharaohs, but it was built more than eighteen centuries after the last one died. Found in a villa in northern Italy, it’s a strange memorial to an Egyptian obsession from three hundred years ago. These walls were discovered while renovations were being done on the town hall of the…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

This ancient giant wombat was as big as an SUV

This pleasant-looking fellow is diprotodon optatum, a giant marsupial that lived in Australia for millions of years. We’ve now discovered the first complete skeleton of this marsupial, proving the only things more bizarre than Australian animals are ancient Australian animals. This particular wombat is generally thought to be the largest marsupial to ever walk the…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

An absolutely insane rumor reveals the potential new star of Transformers 4. Plus new videos for Captain America and Rise of the Planet of the Apes!

We don’t know much about The Dark Knight Rises, but we do know it involves tons of parachuting. A former Doctor Who companion may be about to star in a major scifi movie. Plus Olivia Wilde talks Cowboys & Aliens! Plus it turns out a crucial scene from the book won’t be in Harry Potter…

Television Alasdair Wilkins

Why does the naked mole rat live 3 decades longer than other rodents, and never get cancer?

The naked mole-rat lives for thirty years – compared to 1-2 years for other rodents – and we’ve never found any evidence that it can get cancer. Now we’re peeking inside its genome to figure out what makes it special. This particular rodent is the only known mammal species to possess negligible senescence, which means…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Voting is so stressful that it can actually trigger hormone changes

Voting isn’t generally seen as the most enjoyable activity, but this is really taking things to a whole new level: voting actually causes a significant increase in the levels of cortisol, a hormone the body uses to deal with stress. Researchers at Israel’s University of Haifa and Ben-Gurion University measured the cortisol levels of voters…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Zoos are giving chimps mental illnesses

We may not be on the verge of full-on chimp rebellion, but we still might want to rethink the ethics of keeping chimps in zoos. The captive apes are showing signs of mental illnesses never seen in their wild counterparts. These are some fairly serious manifestations of mental health problems: self-mutilation, constant rocking back and…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

The universe probably isn’t a giant hologram after all

One of the strangest and most exotic theories to come out of theoretical physics is that the entire universe is a projection of a two-dimensional shell. But the latest evidence suggests the cosmic hologram really is just a crazy theory. While the notion of a holographic universe opens itself up to all sorts of fanciful…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

New videos for Captain America, Torchwood and True Blood. Plus two absolutely insane Dark Knight Rises rumors!

Steven Moffat offers the latest update on the future of Doctor Who. Does a children’s book reveal the secret origin of Captain America’s all-powerful artifact? Plus tons of Torchwood: Miracle Day hints to get you ready for the big premiere! Spoilers from this point forward! Top image from Torchwood: Miracle Day. The Dark Knight Rises…

Television Alasdair Wilkins

Alasdair Wilkins

New discovery might explain the origins of water and/or bleach the galaxy’s hair blonde

The abstract art of Jackson Pollock is a case study in complex physics

Black widow spiders avoid cannibalization by sniffing webs

Glow-in-the-dark mushrooms rediscovered after 170 years

This is the first ever photo of a fish using tools

Futurama offers up a surprisingly hilarious take-down of every cop cliche ever

A Next Generation actor wants a part in the next Star Trek movie. Plus tons more Torchwood and Warehouse 13 spoilers!

Genetic evidence reveals that polar bears originally came from Ireland

Sex evolved to prevent parasite infections, say scientists

Has the first actual Man of Steel plot synopsis been discovered?

Are wide male faces really a predictor of unethical behavior?

Bananas have been hopelessly inbred clones for the last 7,000 years

Bizarre, ancient Egyptian chamber discovered in Italy

This ancient giant wombat was as big as an SUV

An absolutely insane rumor reveals the potential new star of Transformers 4. Plus new videos for Captain America and Rise of the Planet of the Apes!

Why does the naked mole rat live 3 decades longer than other rodents, and never get cancer?

Voting is so stressful that it can actually trigger hormone changes

Zoos are giving chimps mental illnesses

The universe probably isn’t a giant hologram after all

New videos for Captain America, Torchwood and True Blood. Plus two absolutely insane Dark Knight Rises rumors!

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