What’s so special about this photo of the Moon?

We’ll give you a hint: It was taken by John W. Draper in 1839. If you guessed that it’s the first photograph ever taken of the Moon, you are absolutely correct. Originally from England, Draper was a chemistry professor at New York University during the 1800s. This silver platinum plate of the moon was the…

Clever illustrations use negative space to capture animals’ essence

These animal illustrations may be simple, but their subjects are undeniably clear. In a style of illustration evocative of the WWF’s panda logo, designer George Bokhua has used negative space to create a series of wonderful animal illustrations. We’ve included some of our favorites here, but you’ll want to check out the full collection over…

How to make a fiery black snake rise from the sand

Ever wanted to make a glowing black snake rise up out of the sand? All you need is sand and a few kitchen ingredients — and the ability to either temporarily disable smoke detectors at home or keep a look out for the authorities in public. First mix together about four parts powdered sugar to…

The Savage Panda of the Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland Returns

Well over a year ago, we showed you the Prologue for the bizarre “Wastelander Panda” short from Epic Films; today, we’re thrilled to present Episode One, in which Arcayus the Panda is caught and forced to fight for his life alongside a fellow anthropomorphic wanderer. https://gizmodo.com/what-if-mad-max-was-played-by-a-panda-it-would-look-a-5878871 If you wanted to call it Max Max Beyond…

Can you guess what’s strange about these pine cones?

Here’s a hint: try guessing what they’re made of. This coniferous installation is the work of Floyd Elzinga, who uses three-dimensional sculpture, relief work and environmental installations to highlight “broken landscapes, portraits of trees and the aggressive nature of seeds.” Here, he’s welded together steel spade heads to create a series of massive metal pine…

An algorithm that finds face-like structures on the Earth’s surface

A new software program called GoogleFaces uses Google Maps and facial recognition software to isolate geographic structures that look like human faces. It’s far from perfect, but the program has uncovered some remarkably face-like surface features. Humans are good at picking out faces from everyday objects and structures — a characteristic known as pareidolia; we…

John C. Reilly could be the Agent Coulson of Guardians of the Galaxy!

And he’s not the only awesome actor who might be joining Marvel’s space opera. Check out set photos for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Gwendoline Christie discusses Brienne’s journey on Game of Thrones. Stand by for spoilers! Top image from Guardians of the Galaxy. Guardians of the Galaxy…

BuzzFeed, CNN and YouTube are apparently joining forces to create an online video channel, that will combine CNN’s content with BuzzFeed’s social media skill.

We’re Leaving Earth at Last

It seemed like summer vacation would never come. But at last we’d gotten our bags packed into the space elevator car, and made it to our ship at the port 60,000 miles above Earth. As the clouds and seas streamed away below us, all we wanted to do was look away from home, into the…

The Transhumanist Wager and the terrifying struggle for the future

Zoltan Istvan’s The Transhumanist Wager is an epic story of radical libertarianism, its enemies, and the violent global conflict that ensues. It’s a story that Istvan has painted in strong saturated colors, and with little room for intermediate shades and character development. After reading it from cover to cover, and then reading it more carefully,…

The Mysteries Beneath New York City’s Grand Central Terminal

Grand Central Terminal is a small village in one of the largest cities in the world. But this village has secret features that don’t appear on any map. A hidden track Through the decades of construction and renovation of Grand Central Terminal, one track remains a mystery. The secret track, Track 61, links Grand Central…

Aliens are invading, annoying and abducting women in This Week’s DVDs!

So many aliens, you guys. Extra-terrestrials are dominating this week’s DVD and Blu-ray releases, and they’re not all good. Honestly, the only nice one is the Doctor, and since he mostly abducts hot young Earth women, even that’s arguable. • Doctor Who: Series 7 Part 2 Clara joins the Doctor for his most recent adventures,…

Is it time for another New Wave of science fiction?

Back in the 1960s, a gang of rebellious authors, led by Michael Moorcock among others, launched an uprising called the New Wave, which shook up science fiction and introduced more literary aspirations, weirdness, and diversity. Over at Tor.com, David Barnett wonders if we’re in for another wave. The Tor.com piece is largely inspired by the…

Scientists Revive 400 Year-Old Frozen Plants

Frozen mosses that were buried under glaciers 400 years ago have now been regrown. Surprisingly, the hardy “bryophytes” required no special techniques to regenerate. That means they might be candidates for colonizing extreme environments — even in space. During the Little Ice Age, which occured between the 16th and 19th centuries, massive glaciers moved in…

These twisted animal mashups are some of the best we’ve ever seen

Arne Olav likes to create ridiculous new species by splicing together two or more real animals. The resulting chimeras look like something right out a bizarre fantasy movie. The work of Reddit user Arne Olav comes to us from PetaPixel which recently showcased his images. You can also find more at his Reddit submissions page.…

Avengers Assemble is Avengers, Acceptable

The good news: Marvel’s new Avengers cartoon is okay. The bad news: It’s inferior in almost every way to Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. The ugly news: It’s probably going to be a lot more popular. That’s definitely the most infuriating part about Avengers Assemble; watching it fail to measure up to its cartoon predecessor and…

This disease’s deadliest weapon is the fact you’ve never heard of it

A deadly fungal infection has been spreading across western North America. The number of human and animal cases has grown rapidly in recent years, to the extent that government agencies in US and Canada have labelled the infection an outbreak. Top image by Paxson Woelber The infection, cryptococcosis, affects the lungs first, because it is…

Astronomers Map the Extreme Weather of a Distant Hot Jupiter

An emerging branch of science known as exometeorology is offering remarkable insights into the conditions found on some of the more extreme planets in the galaxy — including the weird and mind-boggingly massive weather patterns experienced on a hot Jupiter that’s 385 light years from Earth. Hot Jupiters are those exotic class of extrasolar planets…

True Blood trailer gets political and naked. Mostly naked

Oh lordy, looks like True Blood is gettin’ political again. The latest two trailers for True Blood showcase new character Governor Burrell’s mission to “bite back,” by screaming GUNS GUNS GUNS GUNS GUNS. We love it when True Blood starts talking politics. The subtle and nuanced plot lines, into which the show weaves passionate takes…

In Love Minus Eighty, mail-order brides are cryogenically frozen

Love Minus Eighty is a dystopian novel of manners set in a social media-saturated world. It’s also about a future where one company has the power to cryogenically freeze beautiful women who die young — and rich men can revive them briefly for “dates,” or long-term binding marriage contracts. We’ve got an excerpt. Author Will…