Why is your stomach growling right now?

You’re probably pretty hungry at the moment — which means your stomach is making a lot of noise. You hardly need an audio cue to let yourself know that you’re hungry, so why do our bodies send us this alarm? Image: Kate Ter Haar, on Flickr If your family is like mine, you’ve skipped breakfast…

Has Comet ISON broken up?

It’s sure starting to look that way. This newly released photo, via NASA on Twitter, shows a comet that looks as though its lost its nucleus after a fiery encounter with the sun. As astronomer Carl Hergenrother explains, over at ALPO, “The comet is now extremely smeared out and the brightest part of the ‘coma’…

Seventh Son delayed again. The fantasy movie starring Jeff Bridges has had release dates of Feb. 2013, Oct. 2013 and Jan. 2014… but now it’s moved to Feb. 2015. Also, Duncan Jones’ Warcraft is delayed to 2016, to avoid clashing with Star Wars: Episode VII.

Nope. Scientists did not just find an ‘alcoholism gene’

A number of media outlets are reporting on the apparent discovery of an alcoholism gene — a “single fault” in your DNA that supposedly contributes to alcohol dependency. But while this new research is interesting, it’s clear that addiction is much more complex than that. Here’s what the new study found: There’s a gene, called…

8 Superhero Origins the Movies Got Right (and 8 That They Messed Up)

Superheroes gain power from their origins, which explain how they perform their awesome feats, but also why. And most superhero movies are still origin stories. But sometimes Hollywood takes liberties and loses the souls of these characters. Here are eight superhero origins Hollywood captured, and eight they ruined. Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier…

I am thankful this Magic: The Gathering puppet musical exists

Still have some time before your turkey is done cooking? Then bust out your comfiest ornithopter and watch Zombie Cat Productions’ brilliant, hysterical Magic: The Gathering musical. It’s 27 minutes of puppets, profanity, and Mana pools. [Via Geeks Are Sexy]

Why are we so fascinated by photographs of decaying buildings?

Even as we dream of shiny new futures, many of us are captivated by images of crumbling modern buildings — mental institutions that have faded from use, amusement parks reclaimed by nature, houses that will never again serve as homes. But why are we so fascinated by the art and archaeology of the very recent…

Bilbo finally meets Smaug in this fantastic new Hobbit TV spot

Admittedly, we don’t get to see that much of Bilbo’s first encounter with the massive dragon, but it’s still such a cool/important scene we figured you’d probably want to check it out. Besides, this video has some more cool new footage in it that makes it well worth taking 30 seconds out of your day…

Small Black Holes Are Deadlier Than Previously Thought

There’s a black hole in a galaxy 22 million light-years away that’s incredibly bright and energetic. Astronomers naturally assumed it was a supermassive black hole. But new observations show it’s actually quite tiny — throwing many conceptions of what we thought we knew about these things completely out the window. Black holes come in two…

Here Are the Items that Your Gamer Friends Actually Want as Presents

If there’s a tabletop gamer in your life, your gift-giving dilemma is one of abundance – there are so many awesome things to give a gamer, how do you pick the right one? We’ll sort you out with this guide to great gaming gifts. Card Sleeves. Your gamer friends might play Magic: the Gathering or…

Winter is coming, and so are Game of Thrones action figures

Well, finally! Funko — makers of bobbleheads and those PoP! vinyl figures that are all the craze nowadays — has all but announced they’ve received the official Game of Thrones toy license. They’ll be part of Funko’s all-new Legacy line of 6-inch action figures, which will be revealed at next year’s NY Toy Fair. Before…

Today is Comet ISON’s make-or-break day — here’s how to watch

The so-called “Comet of the Century” is about to have its much anticipated brush with the Sun — the results of which could be visible to the naked eye. Thankfully, NASA is tracking ISON’s journey in realtime, and here’s how you can watch the drama unfold. https://gizmodo.com/our-last-views-of-comet-ison-could-also-be-some-of-the-1471139156 Scientists say Comet ISON is already starting to…

Bad science led people to settle in the Great Plains

Some people have heard the line, “rain follows the plow.” It’s become a poetic way to say that the world will provide, given a person puts in the work. Once upon a time, it was actual climate science. It did not prove correct. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, a burgeoning population and a…

Have all the secrets of Matt Smith’s last Doctor Who been revealed?

Could Stephen King’s The Stand become a movie at last? Stan Lee’s working on a movie for Sony, details have emerged about the in-development Agent Carter series, and someone we know well is getting shot by Oliver on Arrow. Plus, there’s a rumor CBS is working on two Star Trek series — but what are…

Read These 3 Unpublished JD Salinger Stories That Just Leaked Online

Later today, you’ll be full of turkey and bored with talking to your family. Fact. So why not settle down with a nice story? In fact, how about these three unpublished works by JD Salinger, that have just been leaked online? After showing up on an eBay auction, the trio of stories—The Ocean Full of…

A Foggy Evening in Phobos Square

Tessa pulled her coat close around her neck as she stared up at the monument to the Battle for Phobos, the turning point in the Martian-Colonial War. She shivered at the alien sculpture of the indigenous Martian crouching at the front. Everyone always commented on what a tragedy it was that humans had killed off…

Person of Interest reveals the machines inside its human characters

Person of Interest delivered a blisteringly intense final episode in its three-part story about bringing down New York City’s most corrupt secret organization, HR. This is one of the few action shows on television where subtle character development can be as unnerving as an assassination. In this brilliant episode, the main characters’ dark psychological lives…

How the “data whisperer” uncovered a psychology scandal

What happens when scientists lie about the results of their work? Often, they never get caught. But now, a new breed of scientific whistleblowers are trying to keep their colleagues honest, sometimes working for years to show that data has been fudged. Here are their stories. Over at Nature, there’s a great piece that profiles…

No, Guys, THIS Is How You Fry a Turkey

There’s no one wrong way to fry a turkey. Nope, there’s at least seventeen of them, as we got video proof of today. Fortunately, we also got a few tips on how to fry your turkey the right way. https://gizmodo.com/the-best-turkey-frying-disasters-on-the-internet-1472707558 Commenter AbetheBabe, who tells us he’s been frying turkeys for almost a decade now, offers…

These Are The Most Amazing Tree Houses Ever

When you’re tired of city life — or just tired of life on the ground — there’s nothing more wonderful than scampering up a tree to your bedroom. A few lucky people among us actually get to do it. Here are the places they go: the most beautiful and bizarre tree houses in the world.…