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New Film Takes a Close Look at the Biology and Culture of Penises

The Atlantic just released a short clip from The Dickumentary: A Short History of the Penis, a new documentary about penises from filmmaker Sofian Khan. The Dickumentatry explores the biology and culture of the penis, and Kahn interviews more than 40 experts from 14 countries on topics ranging from penis evolution and physiology, to phallus…

The First Photos From Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Are Here

We’ve seen a few promo shots and lots of paparazzi shots but now, for the first time, photos from the actual movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice are online. There’s a face-off between Batman (Ben Affleck) and Superman (Henry Cavill), Bruce Wayne with Diana Prince (aka Wonder Woman, played by Gal Gadot), and even…

This Solar-Powered Plane Just Set A New Flight Record

After 76 hours of solar-powered flight, pilot Andre Borschberg has set a new record for the longest non-stop solo trip without having to refuel. Solar Impulse departed from Nagoya, Japan on Monday, travelling some 3,420 miles (5,500 km) over the course of three days. The plane has now passed Midway Island and is heading towards…

GURPS, the Classic RPG System That Lets You Play Any—Or Every—Genre

You might use GURPS to play a fantasy campaign, then try a cyberpunk campaign, then switch to superheroes next. Or you might just have a wizard with a machine gun alongside a psi-mutant cyborg on a Sherman tank. That’s the power of GURPS. GURPS stands for Generic Universal RolePlaying System, and maybe it’s benefited over…

Why You Think Some Things Are Common on Social Media When They’re Not

Have you ever found yourself staring at Facebook, blinking in disbelief because you can’t quite fathom why something is so popular? Well you might just be victim of a network quirk that makes it appear as though something is common—when in fact it’s actually rare. A new piece of research from the University of Southern…

This Is Where The Opinions Of Scientists And The American Public Split

On evolution, genetically-modified foods, animal research, and global climate change, America’s scientists are almost all going one way—and the general public is going the other. This graphicfrom the Pew Research Center looks at the gaps between opinions on scientific issues, by contrasting surveys first given to members of the American Association for the Advancement of…

The Overlooked Medical Condition That Hospitalizes Millions Each Year

Most Americans have never heard of it, but according to new federal data, sepsis is the most expensive cause of hospitalization in the US. Sepsis is a complication of infection that leads to organ failure. One million patients are hospitalized for sepsis each year (across all types of health insurance). This is more than the…

The First Western Fatalities Due to Puffer Fish Poisoning Were Pigs

Puffer fish poisoning has claimed many victims. While the fish’s poison was well-known to the people who lived near its habitat, explorers ate it without a second thought. This proved bad for them, but much worse for their pigs. Tetrodotoxin is, in small doses, pretty nice. Not only is it known toget people high, it’s…

Meet the Newly Discovered Centipede Named After Greek Myth

This is a photo of Geophilus hadesi, a centipede found in caves that reach 4,7000 feet underground. The bug-phobic have every right to do a full body shudder right now. Scientists found the centipede in the caves of the Velebit Mountains in Croatia. Four were found, although only three were collected as samples. They were…

Peyton Reed Already Wants To Make Another Ant-Man—Starring Hank Pym

Channing Tatum talks about preparing to play Gambit. Fear The Walking Dead is all about families. Syfy announces a strange new horror series. Plus, what’s to come on Zoo and Under the Dome, more Fantastic Four footage, a female director returns to Doctor Who, and Agent Carter hits Comic-Con. Spoilers get! Ant-Man Peyton Reed is…

Sprint CEO Brands T-Mobile’s Uncarrier Concept Bullshit on Twitter

The joys of a simple Twitter slanging match. Sprint’s CEO Marcelo Claure has taken T-Mobile CEO John Legere’s criticism of his new “All-In” wireless plan badly. It’s like being in a playground with very wealthy people. Legere—rightly—points out that Sprint’s new initiative has some holes.In response, Claure slams T-Mobile for lying to its customers. Here’s…

Prince is starting to remove his back catalog from music streaming services, with tracks disappearing from Spotifyand Rdio so far. They’re still available on Google Play, Deezer and Tidal—though it’s not clear how long that will last.

Anki’s Officially Killed Slot Cars With Overdrive’s Customizable Tracks

Anki delivered a devastating blow to slot cars with its original Drive set, giving tiny RC cars a brain so they could stay on a track without the need for a peg underneath. But with Overdrive slot cars are officially dead now that your track can be any shape you want, complete with U-turns, intersections,…

Google’s Neural Network Chatbot Can Discuss Philosophy and IT Troubles

Chatbots are notoriously difficult to make work well. But now Google’s developed a new conversational AI that uses neural networks to learn from movie dialogue—and it can just about hold down conversations about ethics and VPN problems. The new chatbot eschews the usual techniques for building a chatbot—which usually sees a team of engineers programing…

Bad signs for Hannibal fans: the contracts for stars Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen have expired. Although both apparently love the show and would make a new deal if a home for the show was found, Deadline lists the number of challenges a fourth season faces. There are quite a few.

What Are the Strange Spots on These Brand New Images of Pluto?

New color images acquired by NASA’s New Horizon’s spacecraft show us Pluto as we’ve never seen it before—and on its surface appear to be a series of giant spots that scientists can not yet explain. NASA researchers have identified a series of spots along the dwarf planet’s equator. Each one is about 300 miles across…

Internet Shutdowns and State Violence in Syria Related, Shows Research

EFF has noted and protested when authorities deliberately cut off Internet access in times of unrest. As a restraint on the freedom of expression of those affected, communication blackouts during protests are unconscionable. But recent research by Anita Gohdes, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Mannheim, suggests that Internet shutdowns are becoming part of…

Photographer Turns Pre-Wedding Photos Into a Grand Lightsaber Battle

When a couple approached Singapore-based photographer Mezame Shashin-ka about doing a Star Wars-themed photoshoot, the results, which mingled real people, action figures, and a fair amount of post-production are damn impressive. DIY Photography interviewed the photographer about how they pulled this whole thing off: The Art of Mezame has been in the business of doing…

Modern Recuts of Disney Trailers Show How Melodramatic We’ve Become

Video editor Ryan Shukis has re-edited a bunch of Disney movies to create the trailers that would market Disney animated films to grown-ups. His latest is The Lion King, which takes on a much more heartwarming tone than in the original trailer. Shukis calls these “modern” trailers, but they’re less modern and more “adult.” I…

iOS 8.4 Quietly Disables Home Sharing for Music

With one hand Apple giveth, and with the other, it rips a long-standing feature away with no warning. As part of the iOS 8.4 update that brought Apple Music, Home Sharing has been disabled for iOS devices. Home Sharing would let you stream your local iTunes library from your computer to your iDevice on the…