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What the Heck Is a Road Diet?

You might have heard the term “road diet,” which sounds like the dining habits of some asphalt-chomping ogre. And it kind of is! But what does it really mean? Here are four videos that explain exactly what transportation planners are doing when they turn space for cars into space for walkers and bikers—and why it’s…

This Messy Mass of Colorful Orbs Shows How Cancer Grows

Healthy tissues are like healthy ecosystems: Both composed of diverse populations. But in tumors, a single, malignant cell type often dominates. A new computer model is helping researchers understand why, and it could pave the way to more effective cancer treatments. Using mathematical algorithms, a team of researchers has developed a new, 3D simulation depicting…

Nielsen Is Tracking What We Like to Watch on Netflix

Global information company Nielsen is months into a program that allows it to track the performance of shows on streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu, the Wall Street Journal reports. This sort of data could offer major studios the ammo they desperately want in order to negotiate higher licensing fees. Studios like Twentieth…

How to Recreate One of Aliens‘ Most Iconic Props For Under $30 

Many of you now know about one of the many things I collect. Another thing on that list is prop replicas of weapons from movies. I’ve got lightsabers and samurai swords, but one thing I always wanted and never got was the Pulse Rifle from Aliens. Now I can build one for under $30. The…

Check Out “Noticing,” a New Project From Robert Krulwich and Aatish Bhatia

Two of our favorite science writers, Robert Krulwich and Aatish Bhatia, just launched a new science blog about “noticing small things and exploring big ideas.” They call their project “Noticing.” [Noticing is] for folks who like to look around. Who can’t not. Who find it hard to get anywhere on time because there’s always something…

The Vast Majority of the World Doesn’t Use Facebook

Soon-to-be dad Mark Zuckerberg just made a big announcement on Facebook, a soul-searching website he created in 2004: “For the first time ever, one billion people used Facebook in a single day.” Do you know what that means? That means that over 6 billion people did not use Facebook in a single day. In the…

So, Every Science Fiction and Fantasy Character Ever Walk Into a Bar … 

Artist Noah Stacey (Zen-Master on DeviantArt) created this piece of art for the menus at Storm Crow Tavern in Vancouver, which imagines a galactic way station where Lando absolutely destroys Link at holographic monster chess. See the full art below. Contact the author at [email protected].

The Fembots of Ashley Madison [Updated]

Now we know that almost none of the woman in the Ashley Madison database ever used the site. The question is, was this a deliberate fraud? Or was it just a dating site gone wrong? Editor’s Note: The number of female users reported in this article are based in part on a misinterpretation of the…

A Cyclist’s Track Stand Befuddled One of Google’s Self-Driving Cars

It’s usually easy for our human brains to predict how any given car, pedestrian, or cyclist is going to act, but computers must be programmed to “understand” all of our varying behaviors on the road. The latest thing perplexing Google’s self-driving cars (and thereby entertaining us)? A simple track stand, according to Washington Post’s Matt…

What’s the Most Enjoyably Terrifying Animal-Attack Movie Ever Made?

Last week, Zoo was the second-most watched show in America. Yep, the silliest show on TV is a huge hit. Clearly, the people have spoken, and what they’re saying is: We can’t get enough of ANIMALS ATTACKING! But this genre is hardly new, with some of its finest examples hitting (drive-in) theaters decades ago. So…

Scandinavian Children’s Books Get Away With Way More Sex and Violence

Scandinavians are just a lot more relaxed about certain things. Like, one popular Norwegian book for eight-year-olds includes lessons on how to masturbate. Author Ingelin Røssland, writing in the Guardian, explains just how far children’s and young-adult titles can go in Scandinavia. Røssland writes: Traditionally, Scandinavian authors take a child’s world very seriously. Think of…

A Journalist Used an Artificial Tusk to Track the Illegal Ivory Trade

Tracking the movement of ivory through the nebulous, international black market is extraordinarily difficult. But we need to start doing a better job of it if we want to stamp out the illegal trade that claims 100 elephant lives every day. One journalist’s solution? Build the world’s most convincing fake tusk, and stick a tracking…

Video: Bending light and blowing glass is visually electric

The craft of making neon lights is always so fun for me to see. The way the glass curves and the way the light fills up the tube is like seeing magic light up. Even better is to see the entire process of a neon sign get made, Stray Matter shows Andrew Hibbs at work…

Meet the Protein That Plugs a Sperm Into an Egg During Fertilization

The successful union of egg and sperm in fertilization depends on a sperm cell’s ability to get through an egg’s thick protective coating and latch itself to its membrane. A study published in the journal Andrology yesterday gives us our first look at the protein responsible for the tie-down. Sperm-lysozyme-like protein 1 (SLLP1, above) is…

Our Favorite Android, iOS, and Windows Phone Apps of the Week

We’re busy preparing for all the new smartwatches, phones, and gadgets that will be coming out of IFA in Berlin next week, but let’s take a moment to remember all the neat software that will fill up those cases of aluminum, glass, and silicon. Here are the best apps from this week. Android Cortana Wait.…

Beach Stink Smells Bad Because It Went Through Two Different Animals

As much as we like to marvel at the power and majesty of the ocean, we have to admit that as beautiful as it is, it also stinks. It stinks because it’s shot through with sulfur. And that sulfur has seen the insides of two different creatues before it got to your nose. Our story…

120,000-piece Lego Erebor Is Twice the Size Of a Hobbit

Michał Kaźmierczak is the Lego super-builder responsible for the massive gates of Erebor build from The Hobbit. Well, he’s now added an insanely-large Lego interior to the build. And it’s incredibly cool. In total 120,000 bricks were used to build the 7-foot tall, 5.5-foot deep, 6-foot wide behemoth. And itweighs as much as two dwarves…

Nextwave Is A Bloody Brilliant Comic Book That Everyone Should Read

While researching my article on Monica Rambeau’s unfortunate history, I naturally re-read one of her standout series: Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen’s Nextwave: Agents of HATE. It’s a comic I already held dear to my heart, but it re-affirmed what I previously thought: It’s the most joyful comic Marvel have ever released. https://gizmodo.com/the-unfortunate-and-obscure-history-of-monica-rambeau-1726108988 Warren Ellis’…

American Drones Are Killing ISIS Hackers Now

ISIS talks a big talk when it comes to hacking, and United States forces just showed they’re not going to put up with it. The Obama administration just announced that a drone strike has killed the organization’s top cyber-terrorist, Junaid Hussain. At least one American leader says the rest of the ISIS hackers should watch…

How did H.P. Lovecraft conquer popular culture? In The Atlantic, writer Philip Eil examines the posthumous history of Lovecraft’s works and the current mania for all things Cthulhu. At the same time, he asks: How can fans reconcile their affection for Lovecraft’s fiction with the author’s virulent racism? [via Boing Boing]