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Could a juiced-up particle accelerator destroy the Earth?

One of the world’s largest particle colliders is about to undergo upgrades that will make it considerably more powerful than it is now. The ensuing experiments will once again take us into uncharted scientific waters, prompting critics to warn of a potential catastrophe — one powerful enough to destroy our entire planet. The world’s second…

The 50+ Best Tweets About the Comcast-Time Warner Cable Merger

In case you missed it, Comcast and Time Warner Cable have officially confirmed their intentions to be come one gigantic conglomerate of suck. The internet, understandably, found this upsetting! Here are the funniest, angriest tweets about your new favorite monopoly:

Rocket Raccoon and Groot rule in Guardians of the Galaxy test footage

The first trailer for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy will finally drop on February 18th, but if you just can’t wait, here’s two very short clips of test animation, featuring Rocket Raccoon gunning down enemies with a semi-automatic while on top of the alien-tree-man Groot. It’s a tad awesome. [Via Gamma Squad]

Rick and Morty gets a second season

Good news! Adult Swim has announced that Rick and Morty is getting a second season! If you’re not watching Rick and Morty, you need to start watching it right now. The animated series centers around a scientist and his grandson (but it’s really so much more than that). Creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland released…

Why speed cameras don’t work as well as we think they do

Speed cameras have been put in at various intersections across the globe. Depending on who you ask, they were put in to bring in money or to reduce accidents. But here’s one reason why they don’t reduce accidents as much as we think they do. In the past we’ve talked about how extraordinary results cause…

Nuclear Fusion Just Got More Energy Out of Its Fuel Than It Put Into It

It’s one of science’s ultimate goals, and perhaps the only thing that could prevent humanity’s ultimate depletion of the Earth’s resources — the ability to create more energy than is used to make it. Now, a new nuclear breakthrough has brought that feat even closer to becoming a reality. Continuing on from an earlier breakthrough…

A heroine who went from burlesque dancing to crime fighting

During the Golden Age of comics, before the rise of the Comics Code Authority, crime was king. Newsstands were filled with lurid titles like Gangsters and Gun Molls, Prison Riot, Murder, Inc., Murderous Gangsters and their equally lurid covers. As obscure as some of these comics were, even more obscure was the one called Velda:…

Comcast Confirms Its $45 Billion Merger with Time Warner Cable

Following rumors last night, Comcast has announced that it is acquiring Time Warner Cable in a multibillion-dollar deal. The official press releaseclaims that this is a merger, but in reality Comcast is ponying up a cool $45.2 billion to absorb 100 percent of TWC. In turn, Time Warner Cable shareholders will find that they own…

The World’s Largest Solar Plant Started Creating Electricity Today

Take 300,000 computer-controlled mirrors, each 7 feet high and 10 feet wide. Control them with computers to focus the Sun’s light to the top of 459-foot towers, where water is turned into steam to power turbines. Bingo: you have the world’s biggest solar power plant, the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System. Long-mired by regulatory issues…

Your brain no longer knows the difference between emoticons and emotion

Does anyone know the emoticon for a vague sense of discomfort, caused by staring-down a dark and technologically alienating future? A new study published in Social Neuroscience says that the brain has begun processing a typed emoticon with the same signals that previously only accompanied processing a real, emoting human face. Smithsonian explains: Researchers at…

China’s Lunar Rover Yutu: Not Dead Yet

Just one day after being declared officially dead, Jade Rabbit has suddenly sprung back to life, transmitting a downlink signal to mission controllers back home on Earth. But while the rover may not be completely lost, it’s still not clear if it’s functional enough to continue the mission. Details are vague. Here’s the entire release…

The Fascinating History of Eugenics

The name deriving from the Greek “eugenes,” meaning “well-born,” it should be no surprise that “eugenics” seeks to engineer a better human race by purposefully selecting good traits, and eliminating bad ones, as is common when breeding animals. Over the years, eugenics has had a number of proponents, from some of the greatest and most…

The sixth and final season of Clone Wars will debut on Netflix

Those waiting for Clone Wars: The Lost Missions to get some kind of closure for the hit Star Wars cartoon won’t need to wait much longer. The never-before-seen final episodes will debut on Netflix on March 7th, and here’s the first clip featuring a very special cameo! The 13-episode Lost Missions season will premiere along…

Google has announced that, in collaboration with VMWare, it’s starting to port Windows software to run in its Chrome OS. Time for Microsoft to worry?

Just what will Avengers: Age of Ultron‘s Scarlet Witch look like?

The Divergent sequel has a new director. Amazing Spider-Man 2’s viral site sets up B.J. Novak’s character. Josh Schwartz talks bringing Chuck back. And does a set photo reveal Eric’s fate on True Blood? Plus, new photos from X-Men: Days of Future Past! Spoilers now! Avengers: Age of Ultron According to Elizabeth Olsen, we shouldn’t…

Ten Technologies That Could Enslave Humanity

While humans continue to mold and shape technology, it’s just a matter of time before it starts molding and shaping us, too. This video investigates ten current technologies that could go on to enslave us in the future. Some you might agree with, some you might not—after all, it’s pretty tough to predict the future—but…

The Most Common Relationship Advice, Visualized

Ahead of the schmaltz that is Valentine’s Day, how about a little advice? This visualization shows the most frequently provided words of relationship wisdom so you can console your friends—or yourself—tomorrow. A simple word cloud put together by the guys at Information Is Beautiful, it takes data from 25 popular relationship guides to ascertain which…

An Xbox One Media Remote Could Be Coming March 4th

You can control the Xbox One by shouting, waving your arms or—if you must—using a controller. But a leaked pre-order page suggests that a conventional remote is on the way, too. The page briefly appeared on Amazon’s Canadian website. It revealed an image, a price ($25), a March 4th release date and… little else. But…

Apple: Our Supplies (Largely) Don’t Come From War Zones

Apple has just published its supplier responsibility report, which audits its contract workers who produce and assemble hardware in factories outside the US. Perhaps most interestingly, Apple explains in the report that it has confirmed that none of its suppliers use tantalum—a metal that is regularly used in mobile electronics—from areas engaged in warfare. The…

Aphex Twin SAW2 Countdown: Track 2 (“Radiator”)

I am going to do this track-by-track countdown to the release, on February 13, 2014, the day prior to Valentine’s Day, of my book in the estimable 33 1/3 series. It is a love letter to Aphex Twin’s album Selected Ambient Works Volume II, which will mark its 20th anniversary this year, less than a…