Deadly lake lures animals to their deaths and petrifies them

Tanzania’s Lake Natron is the most caustic body of water on Earth – and that makes it a terrifying, if eerily beautiful, place. Photographs by Nick Brandt via New Scientist The ominously colored pool takes its name from the naturally occurring salt-mixture that saturates its depths. Natron (the mineral) was once used by the ancient…

Which sudden off-screen death left you feeling most betrayed?

Earlier this week, Helen Fielding caused jaws to drop across the planet, because the new Bridget Jones book opens five years after the death of Mark Darcy. But this kind of off-screen (or off-page) death happens all the time. What’s your least favorite example of an unseen character death from science fiction or fantasy? Perhaps…

Japan’s newest scifi anime sensation Coppelion begins tomorrow

The highly anticipated anime Coppelion premieres in Japan tomorrow, and thanks to U.S. licensor Viz Media, it’ll premiere here, too! The scifi series, about three radiation-resistant high school girls who search through the irradiated ruins of Tokyo, will be simulcast on Hulu and over at VizAnime.com. Coppelion is set in 2036, 30 years after a…

How L.A.’s “Last Bookstore” evolved from post-apocalyptic to magical

When Josh Spencer decided to open a bookstore called the Last Bookstore in Los Angeles, he pictured it as a post-apocalyptic thing — the Last Bookstore on Earth. But now that he’s moved to a much larger space, an old bank headquarters in an Art Nouveau building, quirky weirdness has taken over. Top image: Robjtak…

What Makes Sugar and Salt So Delicious Together?

What makes a chocolate-covered pretzel such an insanely tasty concoction? The English language is curiously lacking in a word for something that’s both sugary and salty, but fortunately science has some answers. There are five basic tastes that a person can pick up on: sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and savory / umami. For awhile, people…

Can you really be allergic to exercise? Yes – and it sounds awful.

Does your skin get really itchy when you run, bike, or lift weights? If it does, you could suffer from a physical allergy that causes you to itch when you exercise. Greatest allergy ever? Sure, maybe – unless you’ve got the version that makes it miserable to even climb stairs. Top photo by Ed Yourdon…

Black Kirby and Janelle Monae: The New Cutting Edge of Afrofuturism

Afrofuturism, the movement that puts people of African descent at the center of futuristic and science-fictional ideals, has gotten a new avatar in the form of singer Janelle Monae. But there’s also a new book coming out, two new art shows, an Octavia Butler graphic novel, and much, much more. A terrific article in Ebony…

The 14 Most Ridiculous Mutants from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The Turtles are not alone. Countless animals — and people — have encountered the Mutagen ooze over the series’ shows, comics and toylines; sometimes they turn into normal anthropomorphic animals with reasonable goals and sometimes they become exotic creatures who lose their minds and devote their lives to esoteric themes. And sometimes they get weirder…

Do you have a Star Trek t-shirt design you’ve been dying to create? Now you can enter the ThinkGeek and HerUniverse contest for best Star Trek tee design — winners get cash, and the design will be turned into a gorgeous tee! More details about the contest on ThinkGeek.

Ask A Geophysicist Anything You Want About Earthquakes

What will happen to the island created by the earthquake last week? How accurate are earthquake portrayals in pop culture? What should you do to prepare for an earthquake? Today, we have an expert here to answer your questions about the inner workings and effects of earthquakes. https://gizmodo.com/7-7-magnitude-quake-in-pakistan-just-created-a-new-isla-1377964003 John Bellini has been a geophysicist with…

Sleepy Hollow Is a Shirtless Nightmare This Week

Sleepy Hollow has been on a two-week speed date with the Headless Horseman, Sheriff Abbie Mills, resurrectee Ichabod Crane, his remarkably sturdy coat, witches, and George Washington’s New International Expository Bible. This week, it delivered a brisk dream-horror episode that managed to get everybody’s shirts off. (Don’t worry, the Horseman showed up in the apparently…

The true story of Sir Jeffery Hudson, the real-life Tyrion Lannister

Born in 1619 to a prominent butcher, Sir Jeffery Hudson became a valued member of Charles I’s court in England — this despite being a dwarf who measured under three feet tall. And remarkably, his life contained some indisputable Game of Thrones-like action and intrigue. Writing in History Today, C. Northcote Parkinson describes the life…

Amazing Concept Art Shows How We Fixed the World By 2050

There’s tons of bleak, dystopian science fiction about our terrible near future — so instead, author Jonathon Porritt decided to write an upbeat novel about how we dragged the world back from the edge of disaster. Check out a book trailer that’s also an uplifting documentary from 2050. Porritt is the author of The World…

S.H.I.E.L.D.’s success revives talk of a live-action Star Wars Show

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series premiered to insane numbers. Everyone was watching, and because of this massive TV success, Disney is allegedly rethinking the axing of the live-action Star Wars show. Clearly, there’s money to be made here. Blue Sky is reporting that even thought Disney put the kibosh on Luscasfilm’s plans for a…

How is the Government Shutdown affecting NASA?

As of 12:00 am this morning, the American Government is offline. Federal employees, besides those deemed absolutely necessary to the essential operations of cabinet-level departments and federal agencies, have been furloughed indefinitely. Among the federal divisions deemed unessential during the shutdown is NASA. Here’s a breakdown of how the Agency is weathering this governmental sh*tstorm…

Get an Adorable Book of Your Digital Sketches Delivered to Your Door

If you’re an artist or designer with an iPad, chances are you have come across Paper, the elegant and fun drawing app. Thanks to Paper’s new partnership with Moleskine, you can now free your sketches from digital purgatory and purchase an actual physical book of your art. https://gizmodo.com/paper-for-ipad-hands-on-so-this-is-what-microsofts-for-5897413 The project is called Book, and the…

The logical paradox that you can take to court

One of the oldest logical paradoxes stems from a controversial figure in Greek history. Like most controversial figures, he was involved in a few lawsuits, and one in particular became known as The Paradox of the Court. Protagoras was a divisive figure in his day. He was one of the first sophists, teachers who based…

Sperm Wars Can Create New Species

Take a look at the battle unfolding in this remarkable image. It shows the sperm from two related fruit fly species competing inside a reproductive tract. It’s an evolutionary struggle that, as scientists are now learning, often leads to the introduction of entirely new species. Sexual competition in the animal kingdom is a fierce and…

What Do You Want to 3D Print?

3D printing: It’s been suggested as a possibility in the not-too-distant future for everything from building homes to cooking to medical tech. Today, we want to know what you are most looking forward to 3-D printing. Is it a meal? A piece of furniture? Something completely new? Whatever it is, tell us about it (in…

This is officially the most absurd Batman merchandise of all time

It’s a Batman leg lamp. BATMAN LEG LAMP. It’s clearly inspired by the movie A Christmas Story and the sexy female leg lamp the father receives, although I don’t think that makes it any less insane. You can pre-order it over at Entertainment Earth for a mere $35 — there’s even an equally weird Superman…