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Even The Dome Isn’t Watching Under The Dome Any More

So I guess a new episode of Under the Dome aired last night. To be honest, I totally missed it. There was a snail-eating competition on the Gastropod Channel, and it was neck-and-neck for a long time, so I got fascinated. But I gather some stuff happened. I gotta come clean, or as clean as…

The Best of Gizmodo This Week

RIP hitchBOT. RIP iTunes. Hello lab-grown meat and zero emissions. Here’s the best of Gizmodo from this hot summer week. Hitchhiking Robot Lasts Just Two Weeks in US Because Humans Are Terrible When hitchBOT the hitchhiking robot started his journey in Boston two weeks ago he wanted to see the entire country. Unfortunately, he never…

A giant crane lifting a huge crane lifting a big crane lifting a crane

This is my favorite thing. A few years ago Liebherr showed off the power and strength of its giant mobile cranes by lifting each other. That is the small crane (which is pretty damn big already) gets lifted by a bigger crane which gets lifted by an even bigger crane which gets lifted by the…

Plane Makes an Emergency Landing in the LA River

If you’re a small plane looking to make an emergency landing, there’s really no better place than the LA River. Mostly because large stretches of it aren’t so much a river, as it is a long concrete wasteland. Ever seen the movies Drive or T2? Then you know what I’m talking about. According to CBS…

Astronauts Will Eat Space Lettuce for the First Time Next Week

In a rather science fictional moment, the Expedition 44 crew members on the International Space Station are about to eat the very first space crops. On Monday, a batch of red romaine lettuce will be harvested from the Veggie plant growth system on the ISS orbiting laboratory. Cosmically delicious. It’ll probably be the most scientific…

Via the American Psychological Association: “In an effort to build better bodies, more men are turning not to illegal anabolic steroids, but to legal over-the-counter bodybuilding supplements to the point where it may qualify as an emerging eating disorder.” See also, at Aeon: “Rise of the Ripped.” Contact the author at [email protected].

The Man Who Invented Corn Flakes Really Really Really Hated Masturbation

We know John H. Kellogg as the man who invented Corn Flakes and unleashed bran-filled diet fads on an unwary 19th century public. But he was also the author of an influential sex education book that was all about the dangers of self-pleasuring. Plain Facts about Sexual Life was first published in 1877, with an…

Let’s Talk About Whatever You Want Right Now

Like how we’re gonna skip Fantastic Four this weekend. After two brilliant and disparaging reviews by Will Leitch on Deadspin and Charlie Jane Anders on io9, there’s no way I’m dishing out $15 to see FF (yeah, $15 is now the cost of a movie in NYC—more for 3D). Then there’s director Josh Trank’s woe-is-me…

How to make bread like they did 2,000 years ago

Way, way back in 79 AD, a baker put a loaf of bread into his oven and then Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried the city. The oven was found and opened in 1930 during excavations and the recipe has been recreated by chef Giorgio Locatelli. He uses buckwheat flour, which was more readily available then,…

What’s The Most Amazingly Snarky Narrator In Science Fiction or Fantasy?

Science fiction and fantasy contain lots of stories that bend the walls of reality—so it should come as no surprise that there are also tons of narrators who break the fourth wall or otherwise disrupt normal storytelling. But which story has the most delightfully sarcastic or witty narrator? Please include a picture, poster, clip, book…

Frank Gehry Is the Wrong Architect to Revitalize the Los Angeles River

Last month Los Angeles was promised $1.3 billion in federal funding to transform its river from a cinematic cement chute to an honest-to-goodness urban waterway. That great news has been tainted by today’s puzzling announcement that the city has tapped architect Frank Gehry to lead the redevelopment. It’s a really bad idea. Specific details are…

The FDA Just Lost a Lawsuit That Could Change How Drugs Are Regulated

A small drug company has won an early fight in its case against the FDA, which will allow it to promote its fish-oil pill for treatments not explicitly approved by the agency. The federal case has huge implications for the future of prescription drugs in the US and could weaken the FDA’s power to regulate…

Firefly Larvae are Venomous and Pitiless Hunters

Did you know that, before they romantically illuminate the night, fireflies start out as fierce hunters that track down otherwise protected animals and kill them with venom? Learn about the cutthroat life of firefly larvae. I know it’s naive to assume that just because an animal is pretty, it’s actually benign—but somehow, I thought that…

Boozy Ice Cream Is the Best Ice Cream

Booze and ice cream. Two of humanity’s greatest inventions, so why not combine them? As I discovered on a weekend trip to San Antonio recently, you can, and it’s magical. And while boozy ice cream is typically made with gelatin, if you’re willing to put in a little extra leg work, yours can be 100%…

Trek Moves Bicycle Sales Online

In a first for a big bicycle brand, Trek is moving its sales online. And it’s claimed to be a move that won’t just benefit consumers, but your local bicycle shop, too. Called Trek Connect, the program will allow customers to research and compare prices online, then order the bike, which will be delivered to…

Another Secular Blogger Was Brutally Murdered In Bangladesh 

Niloy Chatterjee is the fourth Bangladeshi blogger to be attacked and killed in the last six months. Chatterjee, 40, who wrote under the pseudonym Niloy Neel, had feared for his life following the horrific murders of fellow secular-minded bloggers. He was a critic of religious extremism and part of a movement demanding capital punishment for…

Some Sexually-Transmitted Microbes Could Make You Healthier

One risk of sexual behavior is catching a disease from a partner. But sex partners trade a lot of other microorganisms as well, and some of them might actually have beneficial effects. Natasha Gilbert, writing for Scientific American, reports on a human virus called GBV-C which seems to improve survival in HIV-positive people. It’s one…

Read a Collection of Eerie Six-Word Science Fiction Stories

These short stories feature two lonely time-travelers locked in a doomed inter-dimensional romance, a cyborg frantically searching for their lost charger, and a typewriter with something to prove—and they do it all in just six words. Here are just a few of our favorites of the six-word science fiction stories you submitted to us this…

Verizon Is Finally Ditching Smartphone Contracts, Too

In a smartphone renaissance where we’ve finally realized that carrier contracts are bullshit, Verizon is now moving to month-by-month contracts, meaning you are no longer forced into sticking with Verizon for years at a time. Verizon’s model follows similar price breakdowns to T-Mobile and AT&T. Simply put, you’ll get more data for more money. Here’s…

We’ll Probably Never Know What Happened to Freediver Natalia Molchanova

The sport of freediving lost one of its premier athletes this week. Esteemed Russian freediver Natalia Molchanova was diving recreationally off the eastern coast of Spain on Sunday, when she attempted to descend, untethered, to what for her was a modest depth. She never resurfaced. Molchanova is a legend in freediving circles. She holds dozens…