Alasdair Wilkins, Author at Gizmodo

Why we might send humans to the Mars moon Deimos before we go to Mars itself

Our best chance to send humans to Mars will be in the mid-2030s, but the Red Planet might not be our final destination. It might actually be much easier and just as effective to land on Mars’s moon tiny Deimos. That’s the plan put forward by Lockheed Martin’s Project Red Rocks, which suggests Deimos would…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Bryan Singer explains the logic behind X-Men: First Class. Plus tons more crazy Doctor Who hints and clues!

Bryan Singer talks at length about the new X-Men movie, while we deal with some wonderfully crazy (and possibly true) Doctor Who rumors. Plus casting news for The Hunger Games and the Total Recall reboot. Spoilers ahead! Top image from Green Lantern. X-Men: First Class Here’s a slightly different UK trailer with more special effects…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Neanderthals might have believed in the spiritual world before Homo sapiens did

A recently-uncovered Neanderthal burial site in Spain has provided intriguing evidence that these ancient hominids believed in an afterlife and were capable of complex symbolic thought, all possibly before early Homo sapiens demonstrated these abilities. The 50,000-year-old site appears to be a burial ground for three Neanderthals. There’s good evidence that their peers buried them…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Chimps emerge from the womb headfirst, just like humans

The longer we watch our primate cousins, the more we realize that all the things that make us uniquely human aren’t quite as unique as we thought. The latest discovery reveals chimpanzees give birth in the most human way possible. Specifically, chimpanzee babies emerge from the birth canal facing away from the mother. In all…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

NASA explains how their latest experiment will (hopefully!) find dark matter

On its final flight, the space shuttle Endeavour will carry the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. It’s a state-of-the-art particle detector that provides perhaps our best chance to find dark matter particles, and in this video NASA scientists explain how it works. NASA via Space.com.

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

25 Great Books By Legendary Scientists

From Darwin and Einstein to Hawking and Sagan, here are twenty-five amazing books written by world-famous scientists. These are legendary texts, popular science explainers, personal memoirs, and controversial new theories, and they’re all enduring monuments to the power of science. 1. The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin Darwin is obviously recognized as the father…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Does Thor’s post-credits scene reveal The Avengers’ villain?

The head of Marvel Studios reveals what films will follow The Avengers. Matt Smith and Karen Gillan reveal some key Doctor Who plot points. Michael Bay talks Transformers 3, and new director Craig Gillespie discusses Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Spoilers from here on out! Top image from Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Thor A…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Mysterious desert kites were the ancient world’s slaughterhouses

These are the remains of a “desert kite”, a giant animal corral built out of stones some 5,500 years ago. They were effectively the world’s first slaughterhouses, as dozens of animals at a time were herded inside and killed. Desert kites are just one of a number of archaeological sites that modern people only noticed…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

The galaxy’s hottest planet uses a shockwave shield to save its atmosphere

The exoplanet WASP-12b, located 867 light-years from Earth, is just two million miles away from its star. It has a surface temperature of 4000 degrees Fahrenheit, and it has to take some seriously extreme measures to keep its atmosphere intact. Researchers at the Open University discovered that WASP-12b appeared to have a giant cloud of…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Watch new sunspots bubble up and grow on the solar surface

This video from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory tracks five new sunspots as they twist and turn on the Sun’s surface. Amazingly, all of these sunspots are bigger than the Earth and have more energy than a million nuclear bombs. Phil Plait over at Bad Astronomy offers this helpful explanation: Taken over the course of two…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Alfonso Cuarón’s astronaut thriller Gravity is finally ready to go. Plus Chris Hemsworth explains Thor’s Marvel movie future!

Writer Zak Penn explains why The Avengers is like no other superhero movie, while Roberto Orci and Simon Pegg explain where Star Trek is headed next. Plus new Hunger Games cast members, tons of Games of Thrones interviews, and more! Spoilers from here on out! Top image from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Hear King Tutankhamun’s trumpets played for the first time in 3000 years

Among the remarkable treasures found in Tutankhamun’s tomb were two ornate trumpets, one made of silver and the other of bronze. In 1939, BBC radio broadcast the trumpets’ music to 150 million people, and they’re now re-releasing the original audio. The trumpet music – performed 72 years ago by bandsman and soldier James Tappern –…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Legendary “royal star” was an actual supernova

In 1660, Britain restored the monarchy after a decade of Oliver Cromwell’s puritanical dictatorship. Charles II’s supporters pointed out that his birth was marked by a glorious noon-day star, proving his divine right to rule…and that wasn’t necessarily just propaganda. Royalist pamphleteer Edward Matthew offered this predictably flowery description of the star in 1661, the…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Titan’s weird orbit reveals a giant ocean hidden beneath the moon’s surface

We know that Saturn’s moon Titan is home to everything from ice volcanoes to methane lakes to possibly even very simple forms of life. But its biggest secret is still hidden from sight: a giant subterranean ocean, possibly of water. The evidence for this ocean comes from careful analysis of Titan’s orbit around Saturn. Its…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

10 Greatest Libertarian Science Fiction Stories

Looking for an antidote to Star Trek’s utopian but overbearing Federation? Like your science fiction with a bigger emphasis on personal liberties? Then check out our list of the greatest libertarian science fiction. Here’s an io9 flashback to a list we originally published in 2009. https://gizmodo.com/10-greatest-libertarian-science-fiction-stories-5254742 Top image: Detail from the cover of Heinlein’s The…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Plot hints and rumors for Man of Steel, The Dark Knight Rises, the Avengers and Torchwood!

Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt talks CGI chimps and why this movie is about the loss of scientific innocence. Plus a Star Trek alum joins Torchwood, the next Supernatural gimmick episode, and Fringe finale hints! Spoilers from here on out! Top image from Rise of the Planet of the Apes.…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Medicine doesn’t work properly in space

Here’s one more unexpected challenge for space travel: drugs crucial for treating everything from a mild headache to a serious infection don’t work properly in the radically different environment away from Earth…and yes, radiation might be part of the problem. On Earth, medicine can generally remain effective for about two years, as long as it’s…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

The most perfect spiral galaxy in the universe

This is the galaxy Messier 74, located about 32 million light-years away. Home to some 100 billion stars, Messier 74 is one of the most perfect examples of a spiral galaxy because it’s positioned face-on towards Earth. A NASA astronomer adds: Classified as an Sc galaxy, the grand design of M74’s graceful spiral arms are…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Why we really can judge people on first impressions

There’s a very good reason why first impressions are thought to be so important: it’s because most people really can accurately judge another person after just one meeting. Turns out we’re much more perceptive than we give ourselves credit for. Of course, this doesn’t mean that the first impression a person makes is always accurate.…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Will humans one day run a marathon in under two hours?

Ethiopian runner Haile Gebrselassie holds the current world record in the marathon at 2 hours, 3 minutes, and 59 seconds. Here’s the question: what’s it going to take to shave those last four minutes off for the first two-hour marathon? A century ago, the world record for the marathon was only a little under three…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Alasdair Wilkins

Why we might send humans to the Mars moon Deimos before we go to Mars itself

Bryan Singer explains the logic behind X-Men: First Class. Plus tons more crazy Doctor Who hints and clues!

Neanderthals might have believed in the spiritual world before Homo sapiens did

Chimps emerge from the womb headfirst, just like humans

NASA explains how their latest experiment will (hopefully!) find dark matter

25 Great Books By Legendary Scientists

Does Thor’s post-credits scene reveal The Avengers’ villain?

Mysterious desert kites were the ancient world’s slaughterhouses

The galaxy’s hottest planet uses a shockwave shield to save its atmosphere

Watch new sunspots bubble up and grow on the solar surface

Alfonso Cuarón’s astronaut thriller Gravity is finally ready to go. Plus Chris Hemsworth explains Thor’s Marvel movie future!

Hear King Tutankhamun’s trumpets played for the first time in 3000 years

Legendary “royal star” was an actual supernova

Titan’s weird orbit reveals a giant ocean hidden beneath the moon’s surface

10 Greatest Libertarian Science Fiction Stories

Plot hints and rumors for Man of Steel, The Dark Knight Rises, the Avengers and Torchwood!

Medicine doesn’t work properly in space

The most perfect spiral galaxy in the universe

Why we really can judge people on first impressions

Will humans one day run a marathon in under two hours?

Smart Glasses Now Have One of the Vision Pro’s Best Features

Marvel Just Put ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 2 in a Very Weird Place in the MCU Timeline

Trump Drops $1B to Kill 2 Wind Farms, Then Watches a Bigger One Go Online

Scientists Found a Weird New Way to Wash Fruits and Vegetables

White House’s Mysterious ‘Covfefe Moment’ Was Stupider Than We Imagined

Gym Bros Are Pushing Mystery Muscle Drugs Doctors Barely Recognize, Study Warns

The Head of HBO Explains What it Takes to Get a ‘Game of Thrones’ Spinoff Going

Elon Musk’s Lawyer Claims Jury’s 420 ‘Joke’ Proves He Didn’t Receive a Fair Trial

‘Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice’ Is a Genre Blending Delight

Leaked Anthropic Model Presents ‘Unprecedented Cybersecurity Risks,’ Much to Pentagon’s Pleasure

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