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A Magical View of Saturn’s Ring, Side-On

This image shows two moons of Saturn, Mimas on the right and Dione om the left. And though you might find it hard to believe, that dark line running through the center is in fact Saturn’s ring. The image was captured looking towards Saturn at a distance of 634,000 miles but from less than 1…

You can now use Samsung Pay to purchase apps, books, movies, and whatever else on Samsung’s smart TVs.

The Future of Rail Travel—and Why It Doesn’t Look Like Hyperloop

As the world’s population becomes increasingly urbanised, it is estimated that the number of journeys measured in passenger-kilometres will triple by 2050. Roads simply can’t absorb this increase. Railways, with their greater capacity for carrying more people, quickly and with greater energy efficiency, are the best bet to become our mobility backbone. Of course, engineers’…

The Last Rays of Sunlight Hit the White Sands

Image credit: Across the Desert Grass by Angi English/flickr/CC BY 2.0 Contact the author at [email protected].

An Orphaned Wallaby Gets Comfort From His Teddy Bear

The wallaby is named Doodlebug. It doesn’t actually get cuter than that. Tim Beshara shared the photo, taken by Gillian Abbott, on Twitter: Contact the author at [email protected].

Parrot Isn’t Actually Going to Sell Its Fantastic Dual-Mode Dash System

Parrot’s RNB6 promised an in-dash system that would work with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It promised a Utopia of car tech that would make any smartphone compatible with basically any car. And it still promises all those things, but only if you buy a new vehicle. The RBN6 debuted at CES this year, with…

Take a Sightseeing Flight Over Mars’s Atlantis Chaos

The Atlantis Chaos is a region on Mars splattered with small peaks and troughs, the result of erosion of a once-flat plateau. Thanks to the magic of technology (and the ESA’s hard work), you can take a virtual flight over the area. The ESA’s ride-along description paints an impressive picture of the area: Explore the…

Lizard Man Is Back in South Carolina, and Looking Good 

Look at those abs! And those shining red eyes! The legendary swamp monster known as Lizard Man is back in his home town of Bishopville, South Carolina, and ABC News is on the case. Over at Doubtful News, Sharon Hill points out the ABC story, which ran the photo above and reports breathlessly: Sarah, a…

Study Suggests Uber Reduces DUI Deaths

You can have your own argument about Uber’s value as an industry-changing technology (just please don’t torch anyone’s car in the process). But one recent study looked at a particular effect of Uber: namely, when it started in California, did it reduce drinking and driving deaths? The research was conducted by professors from Philidelphia’s Temple…

Two Deadpool Trailers? Both Are Awesome

Well, these are exactly what we’ve been looking for: Deadpool, full of funny and killing. Redband trailer’s below, it’s … really NSFW. If nothing else, the fight to get Deadpool it’s rightful R rating is borne out by this version, which is mostly the same as the other one. Except for all the blood. And…

I Wrote A Bot That Won Twitter Contests

This is the story of how I wrote a Twitter bot to automatically enter contests and ended up winning an average of four contests per day, every day, for about nine months straight. If you’ve ever used Twitter, you’ve probably seen a tweet that looks something like this: Maybe you’ve actually retweeted it, maybe not,…

How Do You Pronounce URL?

A minor tussle broke out in Gizmodo comments today when one of our writers dared to write the phrase “an URL.” The issue at stake? None other than the correct pronunciation of this crucial acronym. If it’s pronounced “earl,” then one should indeed write “an URL.” If it’s pronounced “yoo arr ell,” then it’s “a…

#FieldWorkFail Proves Science is a Horrifyingly Messy Process

When most of us imagine scientists, we picture white lab coats, sparkling work benches, and tidy, controlled experiments. We do not tend to imagine accidentally exchanging saliva with dead animals or gluing oneself to a large carnivore. But such is the nature of field work, a romantic-sounding activity that, in reality, is a bit like…

This surfer looks like he’s standing on water

Here’s a fun surf video of Tommy Witt surfing on his longboard and pulling fun tricks that make him look like he’s not even surfing but just riding the waves with his own two feet. The board kind of just disappears into the wave and it leaves him looking like he’s just standing there, on…

Things That Are Pranks and Things That Are Not Pranks

For your consideration… Things that are pranks: Reprogramming hitchBOT to sound like HAL from Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey Taking hitchBOT to Mount Rushmore and leaving him on Teddy Roosevelt’s moustache Making hitchBOT a real boy through magic and/or sorcery Auditioning hitchBOT for the lead role in a buddy comedy opposite David Spade Things that…

Placentas are amazing organs, and we’re learning that they do so much more than simply manage the movement of nutrients and wastes between mother and fetus. In this month’s issue of The Scientist, placenta expert Christopher Coe explains its other roles, including hormonal regulation, iron storage, and immune system training. Contact the author at [email protected].

Brazil Would Like Its Four Legged Snake Fossil Back

Remember that adorable (horrifying?) four legged snake fossil that made such a sensation last month? Well, not everyone’s tickled pink about it. Brazilian officials suspect the fossil was stolen from their country, and if it was, they’d like it back, thank you very much. The controversial leggy snake in question, Tetrapodophis amplectus, hails from the…

Tuesday Game Room: God Damn Battletoads Edition

I guess it’s cheating a little to say that Battletoads is a new release this week—but it is, alongside 29 Rare games in the absurdly nifty Rare Replay collection. Are you dipping into some nostalgia this week, or getting through the summer lull in some other way? Come tell us about it in this week’s…

A Super Typhoon Gathers Strength As it Moves Across the Pacific

This is super typhoon Soudelor, captured by NASA instruments as it attained Category Five status on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale earlier today. Its eye is 12 nautical miles wide; its winds are up to 161 miles per hour; and the extremely rough waves below it are up to 48 feet high. According to NASA’s Goddard…

How Do Astronauts Sleep In Space?

The brief answer to your question? I slept fine! There is really no specific training that astronauts receive with regard to sleeping and sleeping conditions. As a matter of fact, the best advice I got for sleeping was from my STS-117 Shuttle Commander C.J. “Rick” Sturckow. He told me to bring a good book and…