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Extinction Events That Almost Wiped Out Humans

It turns out humanity has been almost wiped out a few times in our distant past. How did it happen, and what does it mean for the future of human evolution? Scientists can spot near-extinctions by correlating several different pieces of evidence. First, by studying DNA samples, counting mutations and measuring genetic diversity (Alu sequences…

io9 Ed Grabianowski

Artificial Leaf Is Key To Carbon-Free Hydrogen Economy

Scientists have raided the photosynthetic structures of leaves to figure out the most efficient way to use solar energy to turn water into hydrogen fuel. The Artificial Inorganic Leaf, or AIL, potentially represents a major step towards a hydrogen-powered world. A team of Chinese researchers from the State Key Lab of Matrix Composites at Shanghai…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

The Brewzer Pocket Tool Is Drunk MacGuyver’s Weapon of Choice

The PocketToolX Brewzer’s got a ton of functionality: it’s a pry tool, a scraper, a flat head screwdriver, and so on. But all of those are secondary to what Brewzer’s really all about. I don’t think I can put it better than PocketToolX does: “The tip has been notched to allow you to tear open…

Tech News Brian Barrett

The Raunchiest Science Fiction Comedies, Ranked In Order Of Nastiness

This weekend’s Hot Tub Time Machine is not the raunchiest scifi comedy of all time. Let’s take a moment to pay respect to the trail-blazing filth that came before. Here are some films you wouldn’t watch with your grandparents. Drop Dead Fred Who knew imaginary friends were so dirty? Actually, they’re not sexually gross, but…

io9 Meredith Woerner

Incarceron Is The Hunger Games In The City Of Ember

The latest young-adult reading sensation, Incarceron, feels like a mash-up of a few of the genre’s best-known books. Luckily, the book does have a supremely clever central conceit, which grows on you as you read it. Spoilers ahead… Reading Incarceron, it’s hard not to feel a certain amount of deja vu. Catherine Fisher’s hit YA…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

Auto Smiley Application Turns Your Real Life Smile Into :)

Some people get all >:o when it comes to emoticons, but I think they’re pretty B-). This =0 program detects your real life smiles with your webcam and turns them into :)s on your comptuer. :-p, haters. You can download Auto Smiley for Macs on the project page, and my initial testing found that it worked…

Tech News Kyle VanHemert

What Is This?

At first glance, this might look like some sort of ancient computer from the early days of processing. But it turns out it’s actually something very, very modern. Kate Greene, who uncovered the image, explains: I’m working on an article about a process called post-silicon debugging, something that chip makers like Intel use to catch…

Tech News Joel Johnson

Digg’s iPhone App Available Now

It’s their first native app for the iPhone, making it easier to browse popular, upcoming and recent stories for whatever topic you fancy. You can obviously Digg—and bury—stories in the app, and read comments too. The Digg guys described their iPhone app on the blog: “We wanted to make it easy to discover interesting content…

Tech News Kat Hannaford

OpenPeak OpenTablet 7 Looks Like a Cut Above Cookie Cutter

OpenPeak’s OpenTablet 7 made its debut yesterday as part of AT&T’s parade of emerging devices announcements. It’s still a ways off from launching, but according to Engadget’s hands on, it looks like it could be a standout device. Despite a lackluster keyboard and a UI that’s still in development, the OpenTablet 7 at least looks…

Tech News Brian Barrett

The Ten Greatest Modern-Day Recreations Of Ancient Technologies

For some people, studying the past isn’t enough. They recreate millennia-old tools, boats, and even towns to better understand how ancient peoples lived. They are called experimental archaeologists, and these are ten of their greatest triumphs. Experimental archaeology has been practiced for several decades, although it has only been accepted as a serious subfield of…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

iBooks’ Free Books Catalog from Project Gutenberg

A ton of the bestselling books in the Kindle Store are free, just like free and cheap apps are the most downloaded in the App Store. So we’re not too surprised Apple’s baking in a catalog of free books from Project Gutenberg right into the iBooks store. As we’ve mentioned, and as Steve Jobs told…

Tech News Matt Buchanan

If You Need A Good Lawyer, Hire A Giant Baby

Last night’s episode of Ugly Americans – “An American Werewolf In America” – expanded the show’s weird NYC universe with unruly lycanthropes, exploding magic lions, wizard open mic nights, and yes, a Brobdingnagian toddler attorney. In the second episode of Ugly Americans, the show doled out three interlocking story arcs: social worker Mark Lilly’s misadventures…

Television Cyriaque Lamar

Robot Makes Laughable Attempt At Simulating Dentist Chair Discomfort

Hanako, a robot designed in Japan, has a mouthful of sensors that let her realistically react to the pokings and proddings of dentists in training. Let me be clear, dentists in training: no robot can loathe you like I do. While I will begrudgingly admit that the “polish” phase of the dentist check-up is not…

Tech News Kyle VanHemert

Want a Free Trip to Switzerland?

Just find every empty Red Bull can you can, create a piece of art (can you sculpt a giant head bearing an uncanny resemblance to Candace Bushnell or Jose Canseco—see where we’re going here?) out of cans. Click here if think you can. In other words, enter the Red Bull Art of Can contest. Submissions…

io9 Gawkercreative

Will Smith Might Choose To Play David Blaine Instead Of Doing Men In Black 3

With Hollywood suffering from sequel fever, it seems like Men In Black 3 would be a no-brainer for Will Smith. But Fox’s fantasy film The City That Sailed might make it impossible for Agents J and K to reunite. Variety is reporting that the only thing getting in the way of Will Smith getting back…

Movies Meredith Woerner

“Nature By Numbers” Explains The Math In Nature – Beautifully

Created by Cristóbal Vila, this video manages to explain how everything, from snails to flowers, is built according to predictable mathematical principles. Numbers have never been more sublime. [via Etérea Studios]

io9 Annalee Newitz

Drunk History: Nikola Tesla, the Electric Jesus

We’re big fans of Nikola Tesla around these parts, which is why I’m so pleasantly shocked that he’s gotten his very own hilarious Drunk History treatment. And hey, it’s actually pretty accurate! So many things here to love: Crispin Glover as a jerk Thomas Edison, John C. Reilly as Tesla, and a grown man vomiting…

Tech News Brian Barrett

Commenters, Rejoice! Giz Comment System Now Faster Than Ever

We know, we know, the comment system has been a little bit wonky lately. But the hardworking team of gnomes who keep our back-end running have been busy night and day, banging away with their adorable little chisels and mallets, and they report that comments should now be functioning better than ever. That means that…

Tech News Kyle VanHemert

The iPad, Airport Security and You

Questions. The iPad raises a lot of them. Like, “What’s gonna happen when I carry it through airport security? Will I get fingerbanged by the TSA?” So, we asked the TSA: What’s the official iPad airport security policy? https://gizmodo.com/an-ipad-is-not-a-laptop-5470450 Their response simultaneously says very little, and very much: Laptop computers or electronics similar in size…

Tech News don nguyen & matt buchanan

Scott Wolf Is Glad He’s Not Morena Baccarin’s Media Whore

Now that Gaius Baltar is gone, there’s only one sleazy traitor to humanity on television: Chad Decker, the blow-dried newsman who’s Anna’s bitch on V. But Chad was originally way more of a whore, actor Scott Wolf tells us. Back when the V pilot was still in production, we had a chance to read part…

Television Charlie Jane Anders

Extinction Events That Almost Wiped Out Humans

Artificial Leaf Is Key To Carbon-Free Hydrogen Economy

The Brewzer Pocket Tool Is Drunk MacGuyver’s Weapon of Choice

The Raunchiest Science Fiction Comedies, Ranked In Order Of Nastiness

Incarceron Is The Hunger Games In The City Of Ember

Auto Smiley Application Turns Your Real Life Smile Into :)

What Is This?

Digg’s iPhone App Available Now

OpenPeak OpenTablet 7 Looks Like a Cut Above Cookie Cutter

The Ten Greatest Modern-Day Recreations Of Ancient Technologies

iBooks’ Free Books Catalog from Project Gutenberg

If You Need A Good Lawyer, Hire A Giant Baby

Robot Makes Laughable Attempt At Simulating Dentist Chair Discomfort

Want a Free Trip to Switzerland?

Will Smith Might Choose To Play David Blaine Instead Of Doing Men In Black 3

“Nature By Numbers” Explains The Math In Nature – Beautifully

Drunk History: Nikola Tesla, the Electric Jesus

Commenters, Rejoice! Giz Comment System Now Faster Than Ever

The iPad, Airport Security and You

Scott Wolf Is Glad He’s Not Morena Baccarin’s Media Whore

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