The American Medical Association has declared obesity a disease

In a landmark decision that could have a dramatic impact on the lives of millions of Americans, the American Medical Association voted Tuesday to officially recognize obesity as a disease, drawing a clear distinction between what has long been regarded as a consequence of lifestyle and a medical illness. “Recognizing obesity as a disease will…

12 Most Unfaithful Movie Versions of Science Fiction and Fantasy Books

Tomorrow, Max Brooks’ acclaimed novel World War Z becomes a movie… well, sort of. They kept the title. Actually, World War Z is just the latest in a long line of films that depart from the books so much, they’re basically a brand new story. Here are 12 science fiction and fantasy movies that toss…

This amazing R2-D2 cake can project a holographic Leia

This incredible — and edible — version of everybody’s favorite Astromech droid can actually project Princess Leia’s holographic message to Obi-Wan. I just hope whoever received the cake didn’t accidentally eat the Death Star Plans hidden inside, because otherwise the Rebellion is gonna be screwed. [WedgeStrap via Hackaday]

All hail the Periodic Table of Muppets

Mike Baboon combined the elements and Jim Henson’s oeuvre to design this amazing poster, which you can see in its entirety below, and which you can order for purchase here. Now all I can think of is how awesome it would be if the elements on the actual Periodic Table also had googly eyes. [Via…

Scientists have figured out why naked mole rats don’t get cancer

In all the years that biologists have studied the naked mole rat, they’ve yet to detect a single incidence of cancer. That’s amazing. And pretty damned important to understand. A recent experiment has offered an important clue as to how this extraordinary rodent pulls off this feat — and it has to do with its…

Official casting call reveals the characters in Star Wars: Episode VII

A Lucasfilm verified casting call for Star Wars: Episode VII has finally leaked. And now we have a vague grasp of just what kind of characters Disney wants to cast in the next Star Wars movie. And it’s a very “fit” future. Bleeding Cool uncovered the first official casting call for Star Wars: Episode VII,…

Would you magically reset your country to only its native species?

Let’s say you get a device, or perhaps a biological agent, or maybe even a weirdly specific wizard-wand. It has one function. If you use it, all the non-native species in your country would be gone. Would you use it? And if you’re on the fence, what conditions would sway you either way? The first…

Hemlock Grove gets a second season on Netflix

Eli Roth’s gory werewolf series will live on for another season on Netflix. Based on the novel by Brian McGreevy, Hemlock Grove’s first season really got the blood pumping… and gushing, mainly all over its characters. The 13-episode gore and sex heave series has been given a 10-episode second season, which will be released in…

Ray Bradbury left his personal book collection, and some other personal effects, to the Waukegan Public Library, which is planning a permanent Ray Bradbury exhibit. Road trip?

The Most Important Scenes from Man of Steel (As I Remember Them)

While Man of Steel has been a box office success, its interpretation of Superman has divided some critics and fans. In hopes of bridging this gap, I have decided write down Man of Steel’s most important scenes for further discussion. (Warning: My memory may be a tiny bit off, but I’m pretty sure this is…

This bizarre optical illusion dance is way more fun than it should be

It’s the folk-rock polka music that really makes it. What’s most impressive about this illusion is how it manages to trick your brain, even after you’ve worked out the whole split-body, black-and-white outfit situation that makes it work. Try as you might, and conscious of the gimmick though you may be, it’s more or less…

Why is NASA studying these concentric stone rings?

These patterns are stromatolites. They can be flat layers, they can be puffy mushroomoids, they can be made of white limestone or they can be made from iron. And they can be clues about life on other planets. Stromatolites are the oldest fossils in existence. They’d have to be, since they’re remnants of the oldest…

Ask a New York City Movie Location Scout Anything You Want

Did you know there’s an abandoned swimming pool in the basement of the Woolworth Building? Did you know there’s an abandoned Cold War-era missile silo buried under a log cabin in the Adirondacks? Do you have any idea what happened with the filming location of Ghostbusters or Annie Hall? Nope! But Nick Carr, the location…

What do you do when your work becomes obsolete?

The Last Ice Merchant is the story of Baltazar Ushca – a 67-year-old, 5-foot-tall man who has been harvesting glacial ice from Ecuador’s Mount Chimborazo for over 50 years with little more than his hands, some hay, and a small pack of donkeys. Ushca lives a life of toil, and for very little pay. That…

This pathetic GIF could be the first message aliens receive from us

As if to further reinforce the stupidity of the recently launched Lone Signal project, this mind-boggingly absurd GIF was just sent on a 17.6 light-year journey to Gliese 526 in hopes that it’ll get picked up by an extraterrestrial civilization. Yes, really — this is how we’re going to say “hello.” https://gizmodo.com/new-project-to-message-aliens-is-both-useless-and-poten-512863567 This GIF, along…

Check out new videos for Pacific Rim, R.I.P.D., and World War Z!

The very funny Charlie Day explains why he isn’t just comic relief in Pacific Rim. Patricia Clarkson joins the latest dystopian YA novel adaptation. BSG star Katee Sackhoff talks Riddick. Could a character more famous than Green Arrow himself show up in Arrow’s second season? Plus Orphan Black hints. Spoilers right now! Top image from…

How could we engineer humans to have more empathy?

People are capable of amazing kindness, but also of unbelievable callousness. We go out of our way to help strangers, but we also turn a blind eye to misery. But what if you could make human beings kind all the time? What does science teach us about empathy, and how to create it in people?…

NASA unveils a spellbinding billion-pixel panorama of Mars

In a beautiful demonstration of Curiosity’s imaging abilities, NASA has just released a stunning interactive 1.3-billion pixel panorama of the surface of Mars, as photographed by the rover’s Mastcam. Assembled by Bob Deen of the Multi-Mission Image Processing Laboratory at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the massive image comprises close to 900 high-resolution photographs, the vast…

No, dolphins are not your ‘therapists.’ So just stop it.

Though it might not fit with New Age dolphin lore, the reality is that dolphins, even those born in captivity, are wild. There’s absolutely no evidence to support the burgeoning practice of dolphin-assisted therapy. Here’s why dolphins are not healers — and why this practice needs to stop. Top image: An autistic child swims with…

Real-Life Flying Saucers Prove That the Truth Is Right Here

We introduced you some of the weirdest aircraft of the 20th century before, but now it’s time to talk about Earth’s fleets of flying saucers. Check out these vehicles and concepts that show how we’ve been building UFOs all along. https://gizmodo.com/the-weirdest-aircraft-of-the-20th-century-456552834 VZ-9 Avrocar, a VTOL aircraft developed by the Canadian Avro Aircraft, introduced in 1958…