Lily Hay Newman

Thieves Steal Entire Bridge, The Whole Bridge, For Scrap Metal

The days of casually crossing a creek are over if you live in the Gölçük district of Kocaeli province in western Turkey. Which maybe you don’t. But the point is that someone stole a 22-ton, 82-foot-long bridge from there. It’s just gone. Police suspect that the bridge was cut into sections and removed on a…

The Human Cells We Use For Research Are Kind of A Genetic Disaster

It turns out that the human cells scientists have studied the most and used in research for more than 60 years have some unexpected and pretty intense genetic mutations. Good thing they weren’t used as part of 60,000 published papers. They were? Oh geez. The cells, known as HeLa cells (pictured above), come from a…

Dogs Need A Place To Be Hipsters Too, Right?

Look, it’s just a given that people love their dogs stupid a lot. They also love Instagram effects and cute animals, broadly defined. We know this. But somehow Pack is only showing up now. Social media for dogs has existed before, of course, but never with so much aggressive simplicity. The site is currently invite-only,…

Women In India Use Smartphones To Map Perverts In Real Time

Let’s be real here, most of the time smartphones get used for a lot of nothing. But in India women are using their smartphones to protect themselves by tracking local incidents of harassment and violence. Safety websites and apps have been increasingly popular since a woman was fatally attacked in New Delhi last December. The…

Your 3D Printer Could Eat Empty Milk Jugs Instead of Expensive Plastic

Oh 3D printing. You’re so glamorous. You’re so cool. But, let’s be honest, you’re soooo expensive. Maybe instead of printing with $30 spools of plastic you could print with empty shampoo bottles and milk jugs. Oh, you can do that? See, this is why everyone loves you. Researchers at Michigan Technological University have created a…

Meet the Symbiote: The Ironclad, Adaptable Future of Antivirus Protection

Ang Cui has a lot of power. With enough time he can take control of pretty much any networked device. He could watch you through your iSight or track the Netflix on your smart TV. But he has bigger fish to fry, so your Catfish marathons are safe for now. From him, at least. A…

Journalism Students Are Learning To Operate Drones For…Journalism?

In an attempt to keep pace with rapidly evolving technology, the journalism schools at the University of Missouri and University of Nebraska both offer classes on drone reporting, in spite of the fact that this practice is currently illegal for professional journalists. https://gizmodo.com/all-burritos-should-be-delivered-by-a-bomber-like-this-5966901 Domestic drone regulations are changing quickly. For example the Missouri state government…

Octopus Suckers Are Moving Off Of Tentacles And Onto Robots

Octopus tentacles are pretty great looking, and they’re functional, too. Everyone wants a piece of this creepily awesome natural design. But the coolest part of an octopus tentacle, its suction cups, has been difficult to replicate in robotic models. https://gizmodo.com/is-a-prosthetic-tentacle-better-than-a-prosthetic-arm-5709418 A group of scientists has made progress, though, developing a type of robotic sucker that…

Bear Grylls Likes The Kyocera Torque, Doesn’t Take Shit From Other Smartphones

Grylls, man of many words uttered in a gruff, pee-drinking, yet hopeful voice is endorsing a smartphone. Let’s be real here, if he says it’s waterproof, dirt-proof and drop-proof it probably is. But let’s take a closer look, shall we? The Kyocera Torque is an LTE Android phone running Ice Cream Sandwich and retailing on…

Taking Notes Will Feel A Lot More Biblical On Paper Made Of Stone

Recycling is great, but it would nice if trees didn’t have to be involved at all in paper production. More oxygen, more animal hangouts, good stuff. The Italian notebook maker Ogami agrees, so they’ve developed a line of paper products made out of rocks. Ogami’s paper, called “REPAP,” is made by binding calcium carbonate (basically…

How The Sun Might Protect Us From Future Asteroid Disasters

Two large flying space rocks have hit or almost hit Earth lately. I think everyone agrees that this needs to not be happening. So two California researchers are developing a plan for destroying asteroids in space. Get after it. https://gizmodo.com/congress-plans-to-hold-hearings-over-our-little-asteroi-5984672 The idea is to use the sun’s intense energy to vaporize asteroids as big as…

Best Buy is making price-match permanent starting March 3, but their return policy is dropping to 15 days. [Consumerist]

Become A DJ At Any Moment With This Svelt Splitter

The boyscouts pretty much nailed it when they coined the motto “Be Prepared to DJ.” And Swedish headphone manufacturer Urbanears wants to make that possible with Slussen, an audio jack splitter and app combo. The setup includes a narrow-profile splitter for simultaneously connecting headphones and a sound system to your iOS device, plus an app…

Paranoid Movie Watches You Watch It and Changes to Your Liking

If Choose Your Own Adventure books weren’t your go-to in fourth grade there’s something seriously wrong with you. But you’re going to have another chance to dictate the creative process thanks to a movie that chooses its ending based on sensor data from the audience. Many Worlds is a 15 minute short film that taps…

Google Street View Could Be the Best Road Crew Ever

Potholes are not a joke. They get in your way, damage your car and make you spill a Big Gulp’s worth of Grape Fanta on your already-dingy upholstered seats. But new research shows that Google Street View may be all municipalities need to correct the problem. The U.S. has about 4 million miles of road…

“Breathing Bike” Protects Riders Against Ominous Beijing Air

Beijing’s smog problem isn’t exactly new information, but it’s been getting way worse lately. In response, local artist Matt Hope decided to integrate an air purifier into his bike so riding around the city would be less hazardous. The contraption is powered by Hope’s pedaling, and includes a mesh IKEA garbage can, a fighter-pilot breathing…

This Could Be The First Photo Of Someone Being Flipped Off

This is an 1886 photo of the Boston Beaneaters posing at a game against the New York Giants. Note (or see below) that the player on the far left in the back row is giving the camera the finger. That’s not very mid-1880s of him! He’s way ahead of his time. This may in fact…

This Foldable Scooter Could Almost Be Your Carry On

Most folding scooters are missing something. You know, like a seat or actual portability. But the MOVEO from Turkish nonprofit Antro has a true mounted seat and folds to the size of a wheely suitcase. Intriguing. The MOVEO has a carbon-composite body and weighs about 55 pounds, heavy as luggage goes, but pretty light for…

Hacker Channels Men In Black, Straps Virus Information to Feral Cat’s Collar

Scavenger hunt-loving hacker, Yusuke Katayama was arrested today after months on the run. Disgruntled for some reason, he sent viral death threats, and while evading Japanese police, he mentioned that information about his virus was strapped to a cat roaming Tokyo. Months later the cat was found, leading to his arrest. Japanese police used riddles…

This Polymer Film Flexes Like an Artificial Muscle

This polymer film is expanding and contracting like a muscle, and looks pretty alive doing it, but the energy is coming from water vapor, not black magic. Go figure. Researchers at MIT hope to use the material’s continuous motion to generate electricity for nanoelectronic devices, like tiny sensors, or as muscles in robots. The material…