Latest

This Remarkable Palm Tree Couldn’t Decide Which Way to Grow

Many of us can sympathize with this fan palm in Pasadena, which in its roller-coaster youth apparently struggled to find its way. Trees of this species (Washingtonia robusta) don’t often have trouble deciding which way is up; they usually grow into the vertically oriented “skyduster palms” that punctuate L.A.’s horizontal skyline. But something disrupted this…

How Will We Decide Which Planets To Terraform?

Transforming another planet, moon, or other celestial body into a world fit for human habitation may be a key component of our post-Earth survival. But how will we determine which worlds should be terraformed and which should be left alone? Terraforming is just one possibility for human colonization of space. In his seminal work Terraforming:…

Google’s Flying Internet Balloons May Actually Be Feasible Next Year

The biggest secret on the internet is that most of the world still doesn’t have access to it. But while a year after launch there’s still the possibility Google’s Project Loon balloons may fall on you, it looks like they could actually be the most viable way to enable the 61 percent of humans without…

NASA’s Decisions May Affect The Future Of The U.S. Nuclear Arsenal

If NASA decides to use liquid fuel for its new boosters, it could be a deathblow for domestic solid fuel manufacturing. That worries the Navy, since roughly 70 percent of U.S. nukes will soon be deployed aboard submarines—on missiles that use solid fuel. Under the terms of the New START treaty with Russia, the U.S.…

These Nanoparticle Panels Can Perfectly Mimic the Italian Sky

A new lighting technology that uses a special blend of LEDs and nanoparticle coatings to recreate the concept of Rayleigh scattering—the process that makes the sky appear blue—is currently being used at the Biennale in Venice to bring the Italian sky indoors. Z! Zingonia, Mon Amour is an exhibition at this year’s architecture-focused La Biennale…

Stephen Hawking Interviewed By John Oliver Is Absolutely Hilarious

Physicist Stephen Hawking’s recent appearance on Last Week Tonight was genuinely laugh-out-loud hilarious. Oliver had him kickstart a new segment called “People Who Think Good,” where he was asked about the dangers of AI, time travel — and Oliver’s metaphysical odds of dating Charlize Theron. A must watch.

10 Scientific Ideas That Scientists Wish You Would Stop Misusing

Many ideas have left the world of science and made their way into everyday language — and unfortunately, they are almost always used incorrectly. We asked a group of scientists to tell us which scientific terms they believe are the most widely misunderstood. Here are ten of them. Image of two frustrated geneticists reading the…

A Carabiner Charging Cable Is Always Where You Last Clipped It

There’s a new weapon in the war on lost—or escaped—charging cables. Nomad Goods, who’ve already come up with a clever way to keep a charging cable on you at all times, has just revealed its new NomadClip which is, in a way, like a handcuff preventing your Lightning or microUSB charging cable from going missing.…

Deals: Shadow of Mordor, Akira, Attack on Titan, Avatar, Django

Unexpectedly, pre-orders of Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor on the PS3 and 360 are $10 off on Amazon today. We’re not complaining. [Shadow of Mordor] Want to see all our deals, and in one place? Check out Kinja Deals . https://theinventory.com/the-best-deals-for-june-16-2014-1591383519 Buy one “Inside HBO’s Game of Thrones: The Collector’s Edition” book and get one…

Yesterday’s epic skeleton battle scene in Game of Thrones

For the special effects nerd in me this was the coolest scene in yesterday’s Game of Thrones’ finale. Not because it was particularly brilliant, but because it reminded me of Ray Harryhausen and his skeletons in Jason and the Argonauts. WARNING: THIS CLIP CONTAINS A MAJOR SPOILER. I found myself cheering and going “wow, this…

What It Was Like To Judge That History-Making Turing Test

Earlier this week, a computer program passed the Turing Test for the first time in a controversial win for chatbots everywhere. Actor Robert Llewellyn was one of the judges for the test, and he gave Gizmodo an inside look at the strange experience of thinking a computer program was a real live boy. https://gizmodo.com/how-big-a-deal-is-that-turing-test-win-1588011992 Llewellyn…

Internet Explorer rolled out a developer version today, and among the goodies hidden inside is support for the Xbox 360 controller (and hopefully also the superior Xbox One one). Controller-based webgames could be a fun reason to pick up IE again. For a little while at least.

Deals: $250 Off MacBook Airs, $10 Lightning Cable, Solar Phone Charger

Best Buy today is taking $100 off several SKUs from the current generation of MacBook Airs, bringing the cost of a baseline 11″ model all the way down to $800. If you have access to a .edu email address, you can take an additional $150 off as well. $250 off a Mac is pretty much…

How Do “Chinese Magic Mirrors” Work?

Ever seen what’s known as a Chinese Magic Mirror? These mirrors, made of polished bronze and dating back to the Han Dynasty, have a design on the back. When you shine a light on the front, the front of the mirror projects the image of that design onto a screen. Cool! But how? You can…

This Origami-Inspired Emergency Shelter Pops Open in Seconds

In disaster-relief situations, every minute matters—as does every pound and inch. Because when thousands of people have been suddenly left homeless, you can’t just build new houses overnight. You can, however, set up one of these origami-like shelters in less than two minutes. The descriptively named Compact Shelter is due to hit the market this…

Let’s Make Some Hydrogen Gas!

Making explosive gas is a basic skill, and doing it can teach you a lot about chemistry. What you use that gas for is up to you. But please be careful. Aluminum is a metal we take too much for granted. We can’t be blamed for that, because aluminum tames itself for us. Whenever it’s…

I want to spend the summer in this tree house

I love the design of this tree house created by architectural firm Farrow for an eco resort in the middle of a protected Canadian forest. A floating ship—it is suspended from the tree, not nailed to it—that can fly to space at any given time. Inside it is beautiful too. I’d love my entire house…

Comic-Con’s Exclusive Twilight Zone Toys Revealed!

Thanks to Entertainment Earth, we’ve got the first look at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con Twilight Zone convention exclusives. Get a good look at the new action figures that will be available to you this July, including horrible airplane passenger Bob Wilson, as played by William Shatner! The convention exclusive will be available on the…

Why Ikea Shutting Down Its Most Popular Fan Site Is a Giant Mistake

If you’re like me, you’ve spent countless hours surfing IkeaHackers, where Ikea fans send in their mods and hacks. You’ve also probably spent money at Ikea thanks to the site, which has inspired a DIY fervor among its fans. Which is why Ikea shutting down IkeaHackers this weekend over trademark claims is beyond boneheaded. IkeaHackers…

This Week’s TV: True Blood Returns And The Angel Post-Apocalypse Begins

Game of Thrones has ended for the season, but summer television is starting to heat up. This week, we see the return of Defiance and True Blood, as well as the premiere of the angel-human war on the new show Dominion. Plus, what will Orphan Black reveal in its season finale? Check out the latest…