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Watch a crab climb out of its old shell like a mutant

Crabs are red alien water tarantulas who regenerate like mutants. Just look at this crab literally climb out of its old shell and toss away that used exoskeleton like it’s a dirty pair of pants. So gross but so cool. I kind of wish I could shed skin like this. It’d probably be the most…

The nanotubes are working my last nerve, on Revolution

Remember how the teaser on last week’s episode of Revolution said “everything will be revealed next week”? You knew it was a lie. I knew it was a lie. But we didn’t know it would be this much of a ripoff. Spoilers ahead! So this week there was a shitty subplot, and a so-so subplot.…

Scientists discover three galaxies merging in the dawn of the universe

NASA has published an incredible photo that shows a “far-flung trio of primitive galaxies nestled inside an enormous blob of primordial gas nearly 13 billion light-years from Earth.” What’s amazing about this is that you are looking at something being created in the Cosmic Dawn, the period “when the universe was first bathed in starlight.”…

Which supporting character does the best job of upstaging the hero?

Every story needs a protagonist, who’s noble and well-meaning and clever, and who struggles against darkness… freeing up the supporting cast to be just awesome and kick tons of ass. What’s your favorite example of a supporting character who steals the hero’s thunder? Please include a picture or clip of this awesome character. And mention…

New massive building looks like one of the Death Star’s building blocks

Rem Koolhaas’ new building in Rotterdam is in reality three towers joined by common spaces into a single massive unit that contains offices, apartments, and a hotel. More than a normal skyscraper it feels like a chunk of the Death Star teleported to the Netherlands. https://gizmodo.com/rotterdams-biggest-building-opens-after-16-years-of-wo-1469185298

What Is This Bizarre-Looking Flying Machine Doing Near Google HQ?

Looks like a new chapter’s just been added to the recent bit of Google strangeness that’s been going on. Except instead of coming to us by sea, this particular mystery seems to want to take on both land and air in a Jetson’s dream-cum-reality: the flying car. https://gizmodo.com/report-googles-barge-will-be-an-unprecedented-artist-1460715177 Yesterday, SFGate revealed that Zee.Aero, a suspiciously…

What would it really feel like to touch a human brain?

Fair warning: the video below features HD footage of a freshly dissected human brain. Not surprisingly, it’s a little graphic – but it’s also 100% fascinating, not to mention it shows a brain very different from the one you’re probably imagining. Top photo via 2eat2drink Ask yourself what a human brain feels like. Most of…

​The Real Hero of the Harry Potter Series

It’s not Harry, it’s not Hermione or Ron… it’s Neville Longbottom. Over at Tor.com, Emily Asher-Perrin has a deep dive into Harry Potter lore which explains how Neville’s choices shape the entire saga, and save the day.

​Spectacular Stellar Explosion Rewrites the Book on Gamma-ray Bursts

Earlier this year, astronomers detected one of the brightest explosions ever seen in space. Now, some seven months later, the unusual event has been confirmed as a gamma-ray burst — and it’s changing the way we think about these cataclysmic explosions. https://gizmodo.com/astronomers-witness-an-extraordinarily-bright-stellar-e-493109611 Called GRB 130427A, it’s now officially the brightest gamma-ray burst (GRB) ever recorded.…

Europe’s Biggest Building Opens 16 Years After It Was Designed

De Rotterdam, a massive tower designed by Rotterdam darling Rem Koolhaas, has opened. It is the city’s largest building—a little bit of Manhattan, in Rotterdam. It’s also, in an odd way, a tribute to the original World Trade Center. The analogy you’re going to hear again and again about this building is Lego: It’s a…

​A Brief History of Buildings That Look Like Vaginas

This week, the internet’s collective chortling at a particularly yonic stadium for Qatar’s World Cup may have actually doomed the project to abandonment. But it’s hardly the first—or most overt—anatomical architecture in recent years. In fact, it’s just the latest in a centuries-spanning tradition. https://jezebel.com/qatars-new-world-cup-stadium-will-look-like-a-giant-va-1466640033 Of course, most buildings end up being phallic, simply out…

A federal jury ordered that Samsung must pay Apple $290 million for copying iPhone features. This is far less than the original ruling by a judge for $1.05 billion but probably won’t be the final figure as Samsung is expected to appeal. Again.

Feds Say Silk Road Kingpin Ordered Six Murders for $730,000

Things aren’t looking so good for Ross Ulbricht, the alleged Silk Road mastermind. Federal prosecutors in New York just filed paperwork accusing the 29-year-old of ordering six murders for the lofty price of $730,000. Ulbricht’s friends swear he wouldn’t hurt a honeybee. https://gizmodo.com/feds-seize-silk-road-everybodys-favorite-illegal-drug-1440172693 It’ll be up to a jury to decide what Ulbricht did or…

The Ultimate Motherlode of DVD Box Sets for the Holidays

All your friends have Netflix. We can all access a wealth of movies any time we want. But DVD box sets can still make fantastic gifts, if they’re cool-looking enough, and contain stuff your loved ones will watch over and over. Here are the most beautiful (and cheapest) DVD box sets to give to your…

Wu Tang Clan’s GZA shows his nerd cred by rapping the Big Bang

At a recent lecture at the University of Toronto, GZA “Genius” of the Wu Tang Clan gave students a sneak preview of his upcoming cosmology-themed album “Dark Matter” by spitting some scientifically accurate rhymes about the Big Bang, the “fastest growing infant since the time of birth.” https://gizmodo.com/neil-degrasse-tyson-joins-the-wu-tang-clan-5918872 Said GZA at the conclusion of his…

WSJ: The FCC Is Considering Letting You Use Your Phone On Planes

Following loads upon loads of evidence that the ban on smartphone usage during flights is absolutely ridiculous, the government will finally formally take up the matter. According to the WSJ, the FCC is now formally considering a proposal that would allow you to make phone calls above 10,000 feet. https://gizmodo.com/the-ridiculousness-of-why-we-cant-use-our-phones-on-ai-1060294604 The new proposal comes just…

WordPress Strikes Back Against DMCA Censorship Trolls

A few months ago, we told you the story of Oliver Hotham, a British journalist whose reporting on Straight Pride UK was silenced by a spurious DMCA takedown request from the hate group. Now the Hotham’s web host, WordPress, has filed a complaint in court against Straight Pride. This may be the case that helps…

Making Designer Babies Was Supposed to Be Just Like Shopping for Seeds

Fears over “designer babies” were common long before we understood the science of genetics well enough to actually produce them. For many, the idea of predetermining a child’s eye color or trying to influence their intelligence or athletic prowess through genetics is the very definition of dystopia. It probably doesn’t help that we once equated…

Oh My God someone made a plush “Mew-Mew” version of Thor’s Hammer

One of the very best things about Kat Dennings’ character (Darcy Lewis) in the Thor movies is how she pronounces Mjölnir. Instead of calling it by it’s traditional Norse name she prefers to call it Mew-Mew. And some genius has created a “Mew-Mew Mjölnir.” Thanks to TwinsGeekShop we can now purchase a Mew-Mew-Mjolnir, but I’ll…

Tokyo’s Newest Cafe Rents Out Naps to Women On the Go

With women languidly stretched out across Tokyo’s newest cafe’s stock of pay-by-the-minute beds, you could hardly be blamed for assuming something a little more lascivious is going on. But that’s not what Nap Cafe Corne is about. Women come to this particular spot for the one thing every working girl craves—shut-eye. Japan is certainly no…