What is the furthest anyone has ever been from every other living person? XKCD’s Randal Munroe thinksthe most likely candidates are the Apollo command module pilots, who were about 2,227 miles from the nearest humans (i.e. astronauts on the lunar surface) during the Apollo moon landings. That may be the obvious answer, but as Munroe…

Watch how a paralyzed man can use a quadrotor drone to fly

It’s all drones all week at TED, with experts asking if these things will save us or destroy us. But as shown in this remarkable talk delivered teleremotely by quadriplegic Henry Evens, they have the potential to expand the worlds of bedridden people by giving them the sense of flight. Henry Evans became a mute…

How to Build Los Angeles in 2094 A.D.

One can never have too many post-apocalyptic visions of Los Angeles, right? This future L.A. is better known as Mega-City Two, a late 21st-century megalopolis that comes to us thanks to a new Judge Dredd comic, Mega-City Two: City of Courts, which hits shelves in January 2014. Like Chris Burden’s Metropolis II sculpture crossed with…

James Marsters reveals the secrets of his dark new Spike comic

After Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel ended, there were persistent rumors that Director Joss Whedon was going to make a Spike movie with actor James Marsters reprising his role as the fan-favorite vampire. It never happened, but now the movie is taking new life as a comic book called Into the Light, written by…

New Gravity short shows the other end of Sandra Bullock’s radio call

Created by Jonas Cuarón, Gravity’s co-writer, this short film titled Aningaaq reveals who was on the other end of Sandra Bullock’s desperate call down to Earth. It’s pretty amazing. In the dire scene where Sandra Bullock is coming to terms with her inevitable doom, Ryan Stone desperately attempts to call in for help one last…

​What will NASA be doing with its new quantum computer?

Earlier this year, NASA, in partnership with Google, acquired the world’s largest quantum computer. But just what does the space agency plan to do with a device with such revolutionary potential? We talked to one of their lead researchers to find out. https://gizmodo.com/a-sneak-peak-inside-google-and-nasas-new-quantum-ai-la-1444007785 Above: Artistic impression of an exoplanet. Once scaled-up sufficiently, NASA will use…

Unknown Bacteria Discovered in Two Spacecraft Clean Rooms

Scientists have discovered a microbe that – to their knowledge – can be found just two places on Earth. The first: a spacecraft clean room in Guiana. The second: a spacecraft clean room in Florida, some 2,500 miles away. Above: Recently discovered species Tersicoccus phoenici under microscope | Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech The discovery is certainly…

The Time War is hell in the newest Doctor Who minisode

This second Doctor Who 50th anniversary special prequel short, titled “The Last Day,” isn’t quite as mind-blowing as the first one, but it does take us to Gallifrey at the very beginning of the Time War. Suffice it to say Steven Moffat is clearly not letting the Time Lords off easy. Any other clues you…

Muppets Most Wanted trailer is just so damn charming

Get ready to be smacked about with childlike wonder. It’s the new trailer for Muppets Most Wanted — filled with amazing actors like Tina Fey, Ricky Gervais and Ty Burell. Ok you win, Muppets. This looks really, really cute. The premise is simple mistaken identity — but it’s less about the plot and more about…

How Catching Fire transformed Peeta from Wuss to Blood Covered Bad Ass

Peeta Mellark didn’t get much to do in the first Hunger Games movie — so how do you make him cool enough to deserve Katniss Everdeen? We spoke with Catching Fire director Francis Lawrence about the many ways he decided to “expand” the the second chapter in the Hunger Games series. Including upgrading Peeta from…

10 Geeky Lists That Will Suck You in and Destroy Your Productivity

You’re about to fall into the Internet’s most dangerous trap. No, not malware — lists. The Internet is crammed with information, organized into handy lists, which will devour your brain. Here are the 10 most addictive and time-wasting lists for geeks online. Photo by Leszek Glasner 10. The List of Baby Names The joy of…

Astronomers Discover the Most Massive Structure in the Universe

Astronomers have found a mind-bogglingly large structure in a remote part of the Universe — an expanse of space that’s so big it takes light 10 billion years to traverse. Above: Artist’s impression of a gamma-ray burst. By tracking these powerful explosions the distribution of matter throughout the cosmos can be traced. ESO/L. CALÇADA The…

Our Sun Emits One of the Most Violent Solar Flares This Year

Yesterday morning, the sun unleashed a powerful X1 solar flare. X-flares are the most powerful classification of solar eruption there is. This is the latest in a string of recent outbursts, with yesterday’s eruption among the most violent we’ve seen all year. Above: An X1-class flare erupts from the right side of the sun, emerging…

The Avengers are Earth’s Derpiest Heroes in the blooperfied trailer

You saw the Star Wars trailer re-edited to include the wonderful, recently unearthed blooper footage; now OneMinuteGalactica has done the same by combining the Avengers blooper reel and its first movie trailer, and the results are even more delightful. The shawarma scene alone is worth the price of admission. https://gizmodo.com/the-original-star-wars-movie-trailer-has-been-blooperiz-1458034762

Why the original finale to Evangelion is the only one that matters

There are no questions about zombies, the ending of Man of Steel, or superhero genitalia in this week’s mailbag. I should be happy, but instead I’m just suspicious. What are you people planning?! Hrmm. Anyways, you’ll have to content yourself with the best Avengers stories, why The Dark Tower can’t be animated and a comparison…

Write Some Six-Word Science Fiction Stories with Us!

We had a lot of fun last time with your six-word stories that covered everything from a moon-landing with a very different ending (“That’s no moon!” screamed Neil Armstrong. –Armagh-Planet) to a rewrite of Hemingway’s original six-word tale (“Kid has tentacles. Sell baby shoes.” –angusm). Let’s write some more! https://gizmodo.com/write-some-very-very-short-scifi-for-io9-1458712865 So, whether you’re working on…

Ohio’s Supreme Court backs the firing of a creationist science teacher

In a case that’s lasted five years, the Supreme Court of Ohio upheld the termination of John Freshwater, an eighth-grade science teacher who refused to remove religious content from his class. But the decision was reached for a different reason than you may think. This story started in 2008, when a local family sued Freshwater…

Record-setting rocket launch puts on a show for America’s East Coast

Last night, the U.S. Air Force launched 29 satellites into orbit from Virginia’s eastern shore. The record-setting payload achieved liftoff atop a Minotaur-1 rocket at 8:15 p.m. ET, and was visible from the entire length of America’s Eastern Seaboard, and as far west as Kentucky. https://gizmodo.com/record-setting-launch-visible-from-u-s-east-coast-toni-1467703051 Top Photo Credit: NASA/Allison Stancil. Did you capture a…

New “comedy” video shows Einstein sexually assaulting Marie Curie

Apparently It’s Okay To Be Smart thinks it’s okay to be sexist. The science-themed YouTube show is taking a ton of flak after releasing a video portraying Albert Einstein as a lecherous old man who can’t keep his hands off Marie Curie during Thanksgiving dinner. The video, which was produced by Joe Hanson of IOTBS…

Even More Casting Rumors for Batman Vs. Superman and Star Wars: Rebels

The next season of Doctor Who’s taking its cues from the greatest era of the classic series. A loose end from Amazing Spider-Man is tied up. And Chris Pratt went to a lot of trouble to be cast in Guardians of the Galaxy. Plus new hints about Warcraft, Agents of SHIELD and more. Spoilers now!…