Snubbed scientist wants to rename the Higgs boson

When it comes to the theory of the Higgs boson, British physicist Peter Higgs gets all the love. But that’s not fair, says Carl Hagen, arguing that he and four other scientists deserve just as much credit. The time has come, he says, to officially rename the so-called God particle. We’ve covered the battle over…

There’s way more ninja action in the Japanese Wolverine trailer

I know the Thor 2 trailer is today;’s big trailer news, but might I humbly suggest checking out the first Japanese trailer for The Wolverine (or, as they apparently call it, Wolverine: Samurai)? It contains a good chunk of new footage, especially of the ninja-attacking, sword-fighting, ass-kicking variety — and it just makes the movie…

Researchers watch nanoparticles self-assemble for the very first time

It’s not quite the T-1000 pulling itself together after being blown apart, but it’s pretty much the same idea. For the first time in history, scientists have observed the self-assembly of nanoparticles in real-time. Each of the particles seen in the video above measures a scant 12 nanometers across. To put that in perspective, you’d…

What does the Star Trek game reveal about the destiny of the Vulcans?

We’ve waited four long years for our next installment in J.J. Abrams’ movie series, and Star Trek Into Darkness is almost here. But meanwhile, you can catch up with the rebooted Trek with Star Trek: The Video Game, which comes out today. We’ve got tons of concept art, and an exclusive interview with Paramount’s Brian…

If Batman took over Disney’s Haunted Mansion, it would be awesome

There is nothing more spookily spectacular than Disney Mansion’s Hall of Portraits. The stretchy art that reveals terrible horrors under their subjects feet as guests descend into the ride get us every time. But what if this horror was set in Wayne Manor? Check out this bit of truly brilliant mash-up art created by DeviantArtist…

This chemical can turn you into Poison Ivy

One simple molecule, two carbon atoms, each attended by two hydrogen atoms, can make you all-powerful in the plant world. Apply it and flowers shrivel up fast, leaves yellow, and the entire plant dies off quickly — or grows even more enthusiastically. How can you get the power of life and death over plants? Although…

Defiance‘s second episode is better than the pilot

I can’t think of how many TV shows I’ve seen where a promising pilot is followed by a crappy second episode. It’s like people get burned out trying to make the pilot as awesome as it can be, and so the second episode suffers. But I’m happy to report that Defiance has no sophomore slump.…

Watch SpaceX’s Grasshopper vehicle “hop” 820 feet into the air

In its latest trial run, SpaceX’s Grasshopper spacecraft soared to a height of 820 feet, hovered, then lowered itself back to Earth, alighting gracefully on the landing pad from whence it launched. The Grasshopper is a 10-story tall Vertical Takeoff Vertical Landing (VTVL) rocket; it lifts things up, and it sets things back on the…

Aereo’s cloud-based DVR for broadcast TV launches in Boston on May 15th—Even though nobody’s sure it’s legal.

Watch this meteor tear a hole in the Argentinian sky

This past Sunday, an audience attending a rock concert near Santiago del Estero in Argentina were treated to an unexpected pyrotechnics display. The meteor, which measured about a half-meter across, flashed across the sky around 3:30 AM on April 21 and could be seen in central and northern Argentina. It blazed through the atmosphere at…

Just how complex are Man of Steel and Nolan’s Interstellar?

Matthew McConaughey’s wonderfully crazy ramblings hint at the scale of Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar. Orson Scott Card discusses the Ender’s Game movie. Guardians of the Galaxy casts a very British actress. Plus spoilers for Game of Thrones, Revolution, and Arrow! Spoilers… Top image from Star Trek Into Darkness. Man of Steel Michael Shannon discusses filming his…

This Song Is Made Up Entirely of Computer Sounds From Movies

Created by Alex Moschina, this video, called Hollywood Bleeps and Bloops, features a soundtrack which is made up entirely of computer sounds found in films and television shows. It uses clips from 26 films, and weaves them into a fairly entertaining little tune—though, perhaps understandably, it is really quite short. [Slackstory]

The first Thor 2 trailer reveals Thor’s biggest weakness!

There’s enough cheese for a billion pizzas in this new trailer for Thor: The Dark World. But it also makes the Asgardian sequel look fun, and promises a film that ups the ante — including a situation so dire, Thor has to make an almost unthinkable decision. Minor spoilers… You have to admire the moxie…

Watch two fairytale characters get turned on beating a man senseless

Once Upon A Time is encroaching on Neil-Diamond-on-SNL “I killed a drifter to get an erection” territory. After a long break, the fairy-tale soap is back — and serving up a hot plate of bizarre sadomasochism. Spoilers ahead… Honestly, not that much happens in last night’s episode — but we got to spend some quality…

This is a surgical amputation kit from the 19th century. That is all.

It looks beautiful and elegant — until you imagine someone performing an actual amputation using these tools. Probably with not terribly great anesthetic or antibiotics. What do you think the curved one is for? These implements are on display at Drexel University as part of an exhibition called “A Legacy of Art, Science & Industry:…

Anthropologists explain how to approach aliens parked in Earth orbit

It happens all the time in science fiction stories: aliens park their vessels in Earth orbit, and things go pear-shaped. But what if this scenario unfolded in real life? What would be the best thing for us to do? We asked several anthropologists the best way to go about communicating with truly unknown life forms.…

“Sexy” Star Wars Costumes Will Give You a Disturbance in the Force

Seriously, these “sexy” women’s Star Wars costumes are the worst — they remind me, in a weird way, of those ultra-cheap Halloween costumes from the 70s where you had to wear the face of whoever you were dressing as. Except these also have the trashy “sexy version of regular costume” going on. Like Sexy Darth…

This lovely unicorn poster contains all of Peter Beagle’s Last Unicorn

Tomorrow, Peter S. Beagle kicks off his world tour for The Last Unicorn, and to celebrate Litographs.com is releasing this Last Unicorn poster — which contains the entire text of the novel, in collaboration with Beagle. https://gizmodo.com/see-a-restored-print-of-the-last-unicorn-with-author-pe-472547263 According to the Litographs product page, where you can order your own poster: Every Litograph design emerges from…

Lush, High-Tech Ecotopias of Today and Tomorrow

When Ernest Callenback published his novel Ecotopia back in the 1970s, he crystallized an idea beloved by science fiction writers and urban planners alike. He imagined modern cities that were both high tech and carbon neutral. Here are some ways that people have tried to make his dream real. Europa City, suburbs of Paris The…

Jurassic Park re-opens for 3D business in this week’s DVDs!

Plus, there are girls with cow tails, Marvel’s most bizarre mutants, some serious exploration of human-monkey relations and more, in this week’s DVD and Blu-ray releases. • Jurassic Park 3D Was your Jurassic Park DVD, your previous Jurassic Park Blu-ray, and then all those Jurassic Park trilogy sets getting lonely? Why not give Steven Spielberg…