Ria Misra

6 P.M. is the most dangerous time of day to be a pedestrian

At least in the winter. As the days get longer, the risk tapers off slowly, or gets pushed back an hour or two, as you can see in this chart of pedestrian risk over time. But, it’s not just a chart — it’s also a map. It’s the work of John Nelson, who has previously…

What’s in your bag right now?

Empty out your backpacks, totes, and purses and tell us what’s inside — though some researchers say that you may be revealing much more than you mean to. Carefully-arranged photographs of the entire contents of the bags we carry, much like the selfie, have become a pretty common spin on the self-portrait (while not being…

Is Peter Capaldi’s new costume a callback to a classic Doctor Who?

So, we’ve finally gotten a look at the outfit Peter Capaldi will be wearing as the Doctor. And while it’s a brand new look, it’s also strangely familiar. https://gizmodo.com/peter-capaldis-brand-new-doctor-who-outfit-revealed-1509990371 After sizing up the new outfit — a minimalist ensemble of black slacks and a crisp white button-up, topped with a red-lined, dark wool coat —…

Despite anti-vaxxer rhetoric, vaccination rates are higher than ever

Vaccination rates are up and have been for awhile. The public is more convinced than ever of the importance of vaccines. So, why are we hearing so much about the anti-vaccine movement? A new study delves into why — and what we can do about it. Top image: The (consistently high) vaccination rates in the…

This interactive chart maps out all the storylines in The Hobbit

The highs and lows of The Hobbit are made instantaneously clear here in this nifty interactive chart, which maps out both the evolving character relationships and the emotional ups-and-downs they experience as the story unfolds. Natalia Bilenko, a grad student in the University of California at Berkeley’s Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, and Asako Miyakawa, also…

What are the best songs to go along with your favorite books?

Some books are best read in complete silence, but sometimes you stumble upon the perfect music to pair it with. Today, we want to know about the songs you listen to while you read. Do you have a favorite selection of songs, or even just a type of music, to play while you read (whether…

So, why couldn’t R2D2 speak English, anyway?

R2D2 was a droid with incredible resources for data storage, navigation, and even defense, but no one ever bothered to install translation capabilities. After looking at some of the amazing footage of the user interfaces designed for the starships in Star Wars, a question came up: Why not? https://gizmodo.com/amazing-footage-the-spaceship-user-interfaces-of-star-1508275780 Dr_Gerbz If it’s so easy to…

Stephen Hawking says there are no black holes

At least, not as we’ve defined them. In a new paper, Hawking says that one of the defining features of black holes — the complete inability of even light to escape — may not hold true. “The absence of event horizons mean that there are no black holes — in the sense of regimes from…

Amazing Footage: The Spaceship User Interfaces of Star Wars

Noel Rubin designed the user interfaces for Star Wars Episodes 1 and 3, and now he’s put together a sizzle reel, showing just how awesome the computer screens on those ships really looked. “This reel features my own personal favorite shot takes and not George’s,” Rubin tells io9. “It’s extremely rare to see. Plus, there…

The world’s oldest cancer is 11,000 years old — and contagious

Scientists have finally unlocked the sequence of the world’s oldest surviving cancer — an 11,000-year-old, sexually-transmitted genital cancer that still affects dogs today. Scientists from the University of Cambridge and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, led by Elizabeth Murchison, published the new research in Science. The cancer first arose in a single dog over 11,000…

It’s Friday! Let’s GIF this party started

We’re wrapping this week up with a party! No need to crash, GIFs. You’re all invited. How did the week go for you? What did you see and do? Tell us about the high points, the low points, and everything in between through our chosen language of GIF.

Did a Victorian-era penny dreadful inspire the creation of Batman?

Batman is one of the most watched and portrayed fictional characters we have. Earlier today, we looked the tangled history of his creation in comics. But is it possible his origins are even older? https://gizmodo.com/heres-how-awful-batman-would-be-without-the-existence-1507373880 Commenter Michael Munro suggests that we should take a look at an old penny-dreadful as an inspiration to Batman: IMHO…

An earthquake threat is building up in the central U.S.

Seismologists have found that, contrary to popular thought, earthquakes in the central U.S. are not slowly tapering off — instead the threat appears to be building. A new research study, published today in Science by USGS seismologists Morgan Page and Susan Hough, looks at earthquake activity in the New Madrid Seismic Zone (see the red…

All the strange climate events in 2013 on one map

Last year saw a number of alarming climate events, from a jump in “superstorms” to a rapidly greening Arctic. Now, all the strange and significant climate events of last year have been gathered together on one map. https://gizmodo.com/welcome-to-the-age-of-the-superstorm-1460773814 https://gizmodo.com/welcome-to-the-new-green-arctic-1482162380 The National Climatic Data Center put together this map of the biggest climate events and anomalies…

Will your next job interview be a video game?

Videogames are becoming a more popular feature of job interviews. Could they start to replace the face-to-face job interview — and should they? Companies like Google once became famous for their now shelved interview brainteasters, ranging from figuring out how many piano tuners were in the world to the (oddly threatening) question of what someone…

The secret life of Star Trek

Miles O’Brien bridged the worlds between Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and a new fan theory explains why. After looking at these comics depicting the boredom of being the lone person working the Star Trek TNG transporter room, commenter Tolan advances this interesting theory: https://gizmodo.com/hilarious-comics-prove-obrien-had-the-crappiest-job-on-1506683204 Tolan Now I’m imagining…

Japan’s space agency, JAXA, is testing a giant, magnetic space net as a way to clean up space junk. Over at The New Scientist, they take a closer look at just what we can expect from the 700-meter long aluminum and steel net, set to launch next month.

Selfies In Space!

A selfie taken on Earth may not be that exciting, but snapped in space, the humble selfie suddenly becomes something pretty special. Here are some of the greatest spaces selfies ever to be snapped, ranging from the majestic, to the comic — even a few from before the selfie officially existed. Top image: Astronaut Mike…

A white dwarf just exploded, creating the closest supernova in 25 years

A white dwarf exploded last night up in the Cigar Galaxy (also known as M82 to its friends), creating the closest supernova we’ve seen in the last 25 years — and one of the brightest, too. Top image: Emerging supernova in M82 / via Ernesto Guido, Nick Howes, Martino Nicolini of Remanzacco Observator. Images of…

What’s the best place to see or visit in your area?

What place, local to you, should visitors to your area not miss? It could be someplace famous or barely known at all; a natural phenomenon or a museum; someplace unique to your area or just a personal favorite. Tell us about your favorite local spots with a picture, too! Image: Grand Prismatic Springs, Nomadic Lass.