The strange galaxies of the Pisces constellation
https://gizmodo.com/the-strange-galaxies-of-the-pisces-constellation-5771527
Located some hundred million light-years from here, these colorful galaxies can be seen behind the stars that make up the constellation of Pisces. We don’t know exactly how these galaxies got here…but they’re certainly amazing sights to look at now. More »
This is what a space shuttle launch looks like from an airplane
https://gizmodo.com/this-is-what-a-space-shuttle-launch-looks-like-from-an-5771577
Thursday marked the final flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery, and one lucky airliner was fortunate enough to witness its launch from a high altitude. And even better, one of its passengers was able to video Discovery taking off. More »
https://gizmodo.com/this-is-the-last-launch-of-the-space-shuttle-discovery-5769760
In the 1950s, Ford Motor’s vice-president pushed for a flying car
https://gizmodo.com/in-the-1950s-ford-motors-vice-president-pushed-for-a-f-5771601
In 1958, you’d find no greater advocate for the hovercar than Ford vice president Andrew A. Kucher. More »
Aliens invaded Pennsylvania last week (and nobody noticed)
https://gizmodo.com/aliens-invaded-pennsylvania-last-week-and-nobody-notic-5771628
Or at least this lone camerawoman (who was armed with a night vision attachment) did. This footage of extraterrestrial dropships (or weather balloons or spontaneously combusting sparrows or whatever) was recently taken outside of Pittsburgh. More »
Robotic fish could both save and enslave all fishkind
https://gizmodo.com/robotic-fish-could-both-save-and-enslave-all-fishkind-5771521
Fish are under constant threat from natural disasters, chemical spills, and even boat turbines. Their best chance for survival might be leaders who know when danger is imminent and lead the others to safety…and those leaders might be robot fish. More »
Q: What’s one way to unclog a frozen river? A: Dynamite
https://gizmodo.com/q-whats-one-way-to-unclog-a-frozen-river-a-dynamite-5771419
When the Rideau River in Ottawa, Canada freezes for the winter, the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority and city officials clear up the river’s ice jams using a rather jarring method — blowing up the ice with dynamite. More »
Lasers could someday fight cancer without breaking a patient’s skin
https://gizmodo.com/lasers-could-someday-fight-cancer-without-breaking-a-pa-5771501
Lasers are everywhere these days, and for very good reason. They’re insanely useful. They can be used to detect chemicals, play tag, re-shape people’s eyes, play music, make concerts more spectacular, play with pets, make precision cuts, and play virtual tennis inside the house. Whether lasers are used for aesthetic, utilitarian, or recreational reasons, the vast majority of lasers need one thing — a clear field between the device that emits them and whatever is supposed to receive them. Now it looks like —at least in medicine — that’s about to change. More »
Human magnets are actually just really greasy
https://gizmodo.com/human-magnets-are-actually-just-really-greasy-5771510
Every so often, people claim to be human magnets, able to attract and make metal objects stick to their bodies. It seems like a strange, physics-defying ability…but the perfectly simple explanation isn’t quite so flattering to these supposed human magnets. More »
How old is the earth, and how do we know?
Short answer: 4,540,000,000 Earth-years, plus or minus 1%. More »
The Lord of Rings, remixed into a stuttering electronic track
https://gizmodo.com/the-lord-of-rings-remixed-into-a-stuttering-electronic-5771591
The remixer Pogo’s gained internet acclaim for his aural cut-and-pastes of such films as Snow White. Now he’s used snippets of dialogue and sound from Lord of the Rings for his latest composition, “Murmurs Of Middle-Earth.” More »
Game-playing monkeys reveal how we evolved self-awareness
https://gizmodo.com/game-playing-monkeys-reveal-how-we-evolved-self-awarene-5771500
Self-awareness, the ability to assess and even doubt one’s own thoughts, is a crucial sign of intelligence, but it’s also one of the hardest traits to identify. Macaques have now demonstrated they have self-awareness…which might explain our own evolutionary story. More »
Lois Lane’s bachelorette party = a drunk Superman and a cross-dressing Green Arrow
http://io9.com/5771769/lois-lanes-bachelorette-party–a-drunk-superman-and-a-cross+dressing-green-arrow
Last Friday’s episode of Smallville, “Fortune,” was hands-down the most deranged hour of the show in recent memory. Thanks to some magically spiked champagne from Zatanna, Smallville delivered a shitfaced Superman stopping criminals and Oliver Queen dressed a showgirl. Spoilers? More »
Oops! We cloned the Antichrist!
https://gizmodo.com/oops-we-cloned-the-antichrist-5771868
Don’t you hate it when you’re stealing embryos from a secret government cloning facility and you swipe the Anti-Christ clone? Plus a first look at Nick Frost’s alien invasion flick Attack The Block! More »
