Robbie Gonzalez

Life scientists now have a preprint server all their own! Like the similarly named arXiv, the newly launched bioRχiv is a place where scientists can upload their research papers the minute they’re ready to share them with the world (that could be days, weeks or even months before their formal publication). But as the name…

This animated history of the English language is wonderful

I didn’t mean to watch this entire thing, but dammit if I didn’t sit through all ten minutes (alright, technically 11 minutes and 20 seconds) of this fantastically witty, animated history of the English language. Created by the good folks at The Open University’s OpenLab, the animation is presented in ten “chapters,” beginning with an…

Earth’s tides, explained in 9.999 seconds

Henry Reich of Minute Physics may have just set a world record for providing the quickest explanation to that infamously inexplicable phenomenon: Earth’s tides. The video is the first in Reich’s month-long foray into “10-Second Physics”: I’m going to make a 10-second physics explanation video every day for the next month. The rules: 1) physics…

Here’s a little-known fact: You know the spacesuit Neil Armstrong wore on the first moonwalk? Turns out that suit was made by a bra manufacturer in Dover, Deleware. As Andrew Chaikin explains at Smithsonian, the seamstresses who hand-stitched NASA’s spacesuits were used to devoting their needlework to an entirely different kind of rubber garment. Top…

Great Unintended Scientific Discoveries

In the latest episode of Mental Floss, Derek Muller is on loan from Veritasium to dish out two dozen unintended scientific discoveries, including a few you’ve probably heard of (like penicillin*) and a bunch you probably haven’t (like Viagra). https://gizmodo.com/meet-the-scientific-accident-that-could-change-the-worl-5987086 https://gizmodo.com/7-scientific-accidents-that-led-to-world-changing-disco-5739235 *While we’re on the subject of penicillin, there’s more to its discovery than you’ve…

Is nutrition research a pseudoscience?

Everyone agrees “eating right” is a good idea – what we can’t agree on is what the hell it means. (Whole wheat is now a healthy diet option or “probably killing you,” depending on who you ask.) What does science have to say about good dietary habits? According to University of South Carolina researcher Edward…

This is a video of a dolphin masturbating with a decapitated fish

Did I stutter? This one does exactly what is says on the tin, folks. Hit the jump for the clip, if you dare, then we’ll discuss what we can learn from the footage. Because you’re damn right there’s a teaching moment to be had here. All right, so between YouTuber alexandros malikides‘s choice of music…

Mexico may amend its constitution so that it can drill for more oil

Mexico sits atop some positively massive quantities of shale oil and gas, but, unlike America, has not pursued these lucrative subterranean reserves. Why? According to Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, doing so is against the country’s constitution; so he’s asking the government to change it. Above: The world’s largest shale gas deposits. Mexico’s go largely…

See Mars through a rover’s eyes with this interactive panorama

This newly released Mars panorama gives armchair explorers a 360°, rover’s-eye view of the Red Planet, from a vantage point near the base of Aeolis Mons. Also known as Mount Sharp, the 18,000-foot mound of sedimentary layers forms the central peak of Gale crater, and is the Curiosity Rover’s primary scientific target. Curiosity’s come a…

Let’s all move to the Isle of Wight and camp out every. Single. Night.

Astrophotographer Chad Powell captured this vision of the Milky Way arcing phosphorescent over England’s Isle of Wight, which island is renowned for its lack of light pollution. https://gizmodo.com/this-is-why-astronomers-build-telescopes-in-the-mountai-5893347 https://gizmodo.com/what-do-we-really-mean-when-we-say-light-is-pollution-552474812 Photo published by kind permission of Chad Powell Powell tells io9 the panorama (which he’s titled, appropriately, “Too Many Stars to Count”) was shot on a…

Awesome Forensic Technique Could Reveal Outlaw’s True Resting Place

In 1876, the outlaw Clelland “Clell” Miller was buried at Muddy Fork Cemetery in Kearney, Missouri. You can visit his grave. But the body interred at Muddy Fork may not be Miller’s at all, as 3D scans of a skeleton discovered in Grand Forks, North Dakota – purported to belong to Miller – now show.…

NASA’s Humanoid Robot to Receive Legs

NASA’s Robonaut 2, which is currently stationed aboard the International Space Station, could be outfitted with a pair of legs as early as the start of next year. The anatomical upgrade will raise the spacefaring robot’s height to an imposing 8-feet, and increase its potential for mobility considerably. Let’s just hope it hasn’t been infected…

Maybe the most d’awww-worthy photo of an astronaut ever taken

Pictured here: Leland Melvin (NASA Astronaut and the Agency’s Associate Administrator for Education) with his two dogs, Jake and Scout (Adorable Assistants to NASA’s Associate Administrator for Education). Another shot of Jake (left) and Scout (right): More info on all three here. ht Courtney O’Conner

Industry groups fund studies to prove cheese doesn’t cause nightmares

There’s a common bit of folk wisdom that claims ingesting cheese before bed can cause you to have weird dreams, nightmares, and even night terrors. In an effort to combat this myth, the cheese industry has been funneling money into poorly conducted (albeit pretty entertaining) scientific studies. https://gizmodo.com/10-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-dreams-5852410 https://gizmodo.com/what-is-the-most-common-nightmare-1461032988 Top photo by _gee_ via flickr…

India’s Mars mission encounters hurdle in Earth orbit

India’s recently launched Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) ran into a bit of trouble this weekend when a planned engine burn failed to raise the spacecraft to the correct orbital distance around Earth in the lead-up to its Mars departure, scheduled for later this month. BBC’s Paul Rincon explains: The problem occurred during a manoeuvre designed…

A Reincarnation Story, Stunningly Told

Face paint and stop-motion are combined to beautiful effect in Ruby, a fantastically imaginative portrayal of life, death and rebirth. London-based artist Emma Allen calls her 75-second short “an animated self-portrait exploring the idea of rebirth and illustrating the transfer of energy from one incarnation to another.” Allen created the animation over the course of…

Dance Your PhD finalists have been announced, and they are GLORIOUS

Every year, Science’s Dance your PhD competition challenges grad students past and present to convey their dissertations with interpretive dance. Finalists for this year’s competition were just announced, and yes, they are amazing. https://gizmodo.com/ph-d-students-explain-their-research-using-interpretiv-5951989 https://gizmodo.com/check-out-the-winners-of-this-years-dance-your-phd-comp-5851521 Featured up top is one of the finalists in the Biology category: “Sperm competition between brothers & female choice,” by…

What is the most common nightmare?

Scientists have been investigating nightmares for over a century. Their work has resulted in some seriously bizarre findings, but nothing is more strange than the discovery of what people’s most common nightmares are. Above: “The Nightmare,” by Henry Fuseli A Strange Fact About Nightmares Before we begin, it’s important to be clear about what we…

The trumpeter hornbill: Photoshop accident, or a real bird? Yep, it’s a real bird. More atWTF, Evolution? [Photo by Steve Garvie.]

Some of the first international air routes, mapped

Published in 1944, mapmaker Sally De Long’s “Our New Neighbors” beautifully depicts projected air routes of the mid-20th century. The dawn of the Air Age, the 1940s were when many airlines first began making international flights. Via Old Map Gallery, whose curators call attention to feature of the map that you may have missed (emphasized…