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We Found a New and Cheaper Way to Get to Mars

There are myriad reasons why getting from Earth to Mars is hard, but chief among them are two 1) the massive amount of fuel needed and 2) a launch window that is limited to every 26 months, when the two planets are in optimal alignment. A couple of mathematicians have calculated a new path to…

Into The Woods Clips Show ​The Best Part Of This Musical, The Singing! 

The very best part of Into The Woods is the super fast, sing-song exposition of the ensemble cast. This work is truly at its best when all the cast is crooning and joking together, and these new clips show it. Also spoilers ahead. If you haven’t seen the original musical maybe skip the last clip.

Review: Lego Friends, City, Star Wars advent calendars–day 23

Day 23 of the 2014 Lego advent calendars gives another Christmas tree, a trike and a place by the fire for your light sabers. See images and a review of the 23rd day of mini builds after the jump! Friends Advent Calendar (41040) We got Christmas trees in the other two calendars yesterday, today we…

Beef Up Google Keep With Category Tabs

Google Keep is a handy note-taking and list-making tool that works across Web and mobile, but it’s hardly overrun with features. Perhaps that’s part of the point, but you feel that with a little more care and attention Google could have a seriously useful app on its hands. Category Tabs is a Chrome extension that…

So Who Shut Down North Korea’s Internet?

Just this past Friday, North Korea’s already shaky internet access started to crumble. Over the weekend, things just got worse, and by yesterday morning, the country was in a state of total blackout. Considering that the U.S. just officially blamed North Korea for the Sony hack, and that the U.S. asked China for help in…

Hungry female praying mantis will fake fertility to eat males

Everybody knows that the female praying mantis will sometimes eat her partner after he’s mated with her. But new research suggests that some female mantids on the verge of starvation will actually fake fertility in order to lure mates to snack on. The Washington Post reports on a new study from Proceedings of the Royal…

The FDA Blew Its Chance to End the Ridiculous Ban on Gay Blood Donation

So much for ending government-mandated discrimination. The FDA today eased restrictions on blood donation for gay and bisexual men—but only if they haven’t had any sex in the past year. Good try, FDA, but this is still messed up. The glaringly problematic issue with this new policy is that men in monogamous relationships with other…

The Best Science Fiction And Fantasy Short Films Of 2014

In the span of mere minutes, short films can introduce us to fascinating ideas, dazzle us with mind-blowing visuals, and introduce us to strange and mysterious people. Here are the short films that we simply couldn’t get out of our heads in 2014. Top GIF from Wanderers. There were so many great shorts this year…

A Cool New Theory Explains Why Red Wine Is So Damned Good For You

The antioxidant resveratrol, which is found in red wine and other foods like nuts and soy, is known for its ability to decrease incidence of heart disease and other illnesses, leading some to call it the “elixir of youth.” Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute now have an explanation for how it works. Resveratrol (prounounced…

Discover The Unique Sounds Of British Science Fiction Movies

One of the most fascinating and memorable things about classic British science fiction is its eerie, jarring soundscape. And just like Doctor Who and other TV shows, a handful of British composers and sound designers did a lot to shape this aural phenomenon. A new BBC radio documentary will open your ears. Here’s the official…

An Artist 3D-Printed 100,000 Parts To Make This 26-Foot Long Sculpture

What’s more impressive than this 26-foot long version of Taiwanese artist Hung-Chih Peng’s Noah’s Ark sculpture is the fact that it’s assembled from over 100,000 3D-printed pieces. And what’s even more impressive than that is the 3D printer farm that Peng has been using to churn out all those pieces. No single person should wield…

Do you want to build a snowman? Where to find the Lego Frozen set

Combine Lego and Frozen and you have a recipe for one of the most sought after toys this Christmas. The problem is that Elsa’s Sparkling Ice Castle (41062) isn’t slated for release by Lego until January 1st of 2015. Fortunately, if you know how to look and where to look, you might just find this…

Finally, A Guardians Of The Galaxy Toy For Nebula

We loved Karen Gillain’s take on Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy – if only there was more of it. But while it might be a while until we see more of her, at least now we’re getting some Nebula merchandise, in the shape of a new Funko Pop! Vinyl. https://gizmodo.com/guardians-of-the-galaxy-deleted-scene-gives-us-more-neb-1658782602 The second wave of…

Our Best Explainers of 2014

The speed at which our technologies progress is both a blessing and curse of the 21st century. We’re closer than any people before us to actually travelling into the stars, understanding the basic laws of our universe, or actually banging a robot. It’s a wonderful time to be alive, albeit a confusing one. What happens…

That Time Texas Was At The Bottom Of The Sea

Around 265 million years ago, much of the territory we now know as Texas was underwater, when the Earth’s continents were combined into one vast landmass, Pangea, surrounded by ocean. The remnants of a huge reef from that distant era can still be seen today, as an 8,751-foot-tall mountain. Dozens of reefs across the world…

Fans of destruct-o-tainment: step right this way for Curbed’s deeply satisfying video countdown of “The 10 Best Demolitions of 2014, Judged Purely on Aesthetics.” Fireworks! Earnest commentary! Stirring soundtracks! It’s all here … no earplugs required.

Top Christmas Porn Searches: Leave Dad’s Girlfriend Alone

People don’t watch porn as much as usual on Christmas Eve. Whether it’s the extended family time, too much eggnog, extremely close proximity with the people who raised you, or a lingering fear of Santa’s judgmental and unblinking eye, PornHub experiences a 43% drop in traffic on the night before Christmas. That doesn’t mean the…

What Are All Those Quarks Doing in Your Body?

We’re made of flesh and bone and fat, which are in turn made of protons and electrons, which are (mostly) made of quarks. Which, even though they are the most basic form of matter, are a minuscule percentage of your body’s mass. Wait, what? Why do we have so much more mass than what we’re…

Your Tablet Computer Is Screwing Up Your Sleep Patterns

A new Harvard study is re-affirming the assertion that reading light-emitting e-books before bed, like computer tablets, could have a detrimental effect on sleep, which can in turn lead to serious health problems. You may already be familiar with the suggestions that too much exposure to light, both before and after we go to bed,…

One of the most magical photos I have seen this year

Today’s National Geographic Your Shot editor’s pick is this stunning image of what seems to be a man/alien hovering over the ground in a forest. In reality, it is a surreal photo of a diver in a cenote, in the Yucatán, Mexico. The lighting is so perfect and the water so clear that you can’t…