This Is How You Test A Tool Before Firing It Off Into Space

Spending more time in space requires the right tools for the job — and since these tools need to stand up outside the bounds of our own atmosphere, we have to make new tools.And of course, before they go up into space, they need to be tested. Here’s how — and where — they do…

The Mysterious Balancing Boulders Of Rosetta’s Comet 

Using the OSIRIS camera aboard the Rosetta spacecraft, ESA scientists have discovered a strange formation of what appears to be balancing boulders on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The three objects are located in the Aker region of the comet. The largest (labelled 3), which measures approximately 100 feet (30 meters) in diameter, appears to be making very…

Marvel Finally Reveals New Details About Its Post-Secret Wars Universe

Most of Marvel Comics’ attention right now is on their ongoing gigantic Secret Wars event. We’ve known what’s ending, but what about what happens after? At last weekend’s Atlantic City Boardwalk Con, the company lifted the lid on a few of the things that will happen when the dust settles later this year. https://gizmodo.com/33-marvel-comic-series-will-end-during-secret-wars-1692374014 Some…

This Is The World’s Smelliest Chemical

Ever heard of thioacetone? If you live in Freiburg, Germany, you probably have. It takes a lot for people to forget a stink that once evacuated an entire city. A factory in Freiberg attempted to make thioacetone in 1889. Thioacetone is not easy to make — the compound (CH3)2CS stays liquid only at temperatures of…

The Earliest Plastic Billiard Balls Had A Habit Of Exploding

When you play a game of billiards, you’re usually hoping to hear the satisfying clack of the balls. You’re probably not hoping to hear a sound like gunfire as your cue ball connects with the eight ball. But if you got your hands on some of the earliest plastic billiard balls, that was a chance…

Grant Gustin Calls Arrow, Flash And Legends Of Tomorrow “All One Show”

My one worry about The CW’s third DC TV show, Legends of Tomorrow, was that it would steal great characters like the Atom and Captain Cold away from their original series. Happily, Flash star Grant Gustin has revealed that some of Legends’ stars will be appearing on all three DC TV series. In an interview…

What Helped You Finally Understand A Tricky Scientific Concept?

Some scientific ideas click right into place almost immediately, but some concepts take longer — and a lot of help — to land. Today we want to know about what finally made you get some of the more difficult-to-grasp concepts. Tell us in the comments what the idea was, and then recreate the explanation that…

Simon Pegg has written a thoughtful response to our article about his comments on science fiction and infantilization: “Maybe I was being a little bit trollish… [but] it’s good to ask why we like this stuff, what makes it so alluring, so discussed, so sacred.”

A Map Showing The “Most Distinctive” Causes Of Death By State

For the most part, the things that kill Americans are fairly consistent from state to state. But as this new map by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention clearly shows, not all states are equal when it comes to certain risks. Heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes are among the leading causes of…

A Force Awakens Star Hints At A Huge Secret. Plus The NEXT Mad Max!

Lex Luthor might be wearing a familiar outfit in Batman v. Superman. The next Mad Max movie already has a title. Check out a clip from tonight’s Flash finale. Plus a set video from Suicide Squad, and teasers for what’s next on Orphan Black and iZombie. So many spoilers! Top image: Star Wars Episode VII:…

The Neuromancer Movie Lives Again

The long-delayed movie adaptation of William Gibson’s Neuromancer has a second chance at life now that a Chinese media company has stepped up with money. A film’s been in the works for nearly a decade. In 2007, it was going to be helmed by Joseph Kahn. Then, in 2010, it was in the hands of…

Did the last episode of Game of Thrones have a hidden death scene? Vanity Fairhas slowed down a scene and dug up some possible foreshadowing and book clues to come to the conclusion that, yes, someone may have died without us noticing.

See Just How Beautiful Neverland Is in the New Pan Trailer

The first trailer for Joe Wright’s Pan focused pretty hard on the characters and the relationship between Hook and Peter. This one doesn’t add much new to our understanding of the plot, but, man, is Neverland gorgeous. There are globes of sea water filled with fish, a sky full of crystal, and lush jungle. It…

Simon Pegg Worries The Love Of Science Fiction Is Making Us “Childish”

In a new interview with the Radio Times, Simon Pegg says that the genre that he’s spent pretty much his entire career celebrating could actually be causing society to become “infantilized.” And he might want to “retire from geekdom.” Is he trolling, or has he really gotten so little out of years of science fiction?…

This Subway Tunnel Looks Like A Portal To A Psychedelic Fantasy World

No, this isn’t a set from Tim Burton’s next Alice in Wonderland film. (If those films had sets.) Rather, it’s part of the 191st St. Tunnel, which the New York City Department of Transportation just unveiled. Here are the details, from the NYC DOT Flickr page: The New York City Department of Transportation’s Art Program…

There’s A Special Kind Of Wolf Spider That “Purrs”

Most spiders neither make nor receive airborne sounds. But there is one exception. A specific kind of wolf spider makes purring noises when seeking a mate. Find out what gets a female spider in the mood. According to the University of Cincinnati, spiders don’t have any physical structures that will let them hear airborne sounds,…

These Satellite Timelapses Show Just How Much Our Planet Has Changed

Cities grow. Human settlements expand across lands — and even into the water. Some forests burn down and regrow while others are gradually depleted by logging. And, over the last few decades, satellites have captured it all, showing how Earth has changed in just a matter of years. Growth of Phoenix, Arizona, between 1972 and…

Pluto Can Become A Full-Fledged Planet—But Only With Stellar Dance Moves

Now this is one of the sillier takes we’ve seen on Pluto’s journey from planet to dwarf planet, but it’s also pretty adorable. In the short film Stellar Moves: The Story of Pluto, Pluto is a young man who wants to join the popular dancers known as the Planets, but he’s going to need some…

Economists Can’t Agree On What This Simple Term Means—And It’s A Problem

There are many terms in economics whose definitions drift towards either the higher branches of mathematics or the more esoteric regions of history. But it’s a very simple, everyday term that has economists most up in arms. In response to a question about the internal debates that have their industry-insiders grinding their teeth (while the…

How Many Miles Did Frodo And Sam Have To Walk To Get To Mount Doom?

Turns out it’s a lot. Industrious Imgur user Mattsawizard tabulated the miles it took Frodo and his erstwhile companion Samwise to get from Bag’s End all the way to Mt. Doom in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the distance is 1350 miles — as long as it would take you to walk from…