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New Computer-Designed ‘Drug’ Prevents AIDS From Replicating

European researchers have used a computer to design small synthetic molecules capable of attacking the deadly AIDS virus where it hurts the most: its ability to produce the genetic material required for replication. It’s the first time in history this has ever been done. To date, HIV/AIDS has killed more than 28 million people worldwide.…

This Rolls-Royce Tanker Is a School Bus for Salmon

Fish tends to spoil fast, even when kept on ice. So to ensure that farm-raised salmon remain at peak of their freshness (read: still swimming) for whole trip to back to shore for processing, Rolls-Royce is building the world’s largest mobile aquarium/meat wagon. Aquaculture, especially the open-water variety, is quickly gaining traction as a sustainable…

The congruence bias is why we all jump to conclusions and stay there

We like to think of ourselves as open-minded, but we’re not. The problem is not that, once we’ve found a solution to a problem, we refuse to think of alternatives. It’s that we don’t even realize that there are alternatives to consider. If you remember someone having a name “like Megan,” it’s going to be…

This Massive Steel Structure Will Entomb Chernobyl’s Reactor 4

When an unexpected power surge sparked the world’s worst nuclear accident in Chernobyl, nearly a quarter of a million construction workers risked their lives to build an ad hoc “sarcophagus” of concrete around the stricken reactor. It was a stop-gap measure—and now, almost 3o years later, one of the biggest engineering projects in history is…

First (fuzzy) look at Amazing Spider-Man’s Rhino and Green Goblin

I have no idea why Las Vegas’ Red Rock Casino had this Amazing Spider-Man 2 poster up, but these (fuzzy, awkwardly angled) photos contain our first looks at two of the seemingly millions of bad guys in the movie. It’s after the jump, in case you consider it a spoiler (or would prefer to wait…

Controversial study linking GM corn to tumors in rats retracted

Since its publication in September 2012, a study that showed rats fed Monsanto’s glyphosate-resistant NK603 maize developed more tumors than controls has been roundly criticized for its poor experimental design and dubious statistical methods. Yesterday, the study was retracted. The retraction was initiated by the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology after the authors refused to…

The Best Black Friday App Deals of 2013

Update: Looking for 2014’s best Black Friday App Deals? Head over to this year’s post. Black Friday’s not just for real-world goods; it’s also arguably the biggest day of the year for sales on great apps. We’ve listed a ton of the best deals below, and we’ll add more as we see them. If you…

10 Simple Party Tricks To Impress Your Turkey-Stuffed Friends

Thanksgiving dinner might be over for another year, but you’ve got a fridge full of leftovers that says friends and family will be stopping by for another meal today. And if you’re worried your famous pumpkin pie isn’t going to be enough to impress them, Richard Wiseman is back with another collection of super simple…

The Ultimate io9 Gift Guide for 2013

Today begins the greatest adventure of all: shopping for your loved ones. (Or you could sleep in and start on Monday.) To help you lock on to the most optimal gift targets, we’ve created lists of the best DVD, book, toy and all-purpose fan presents. Here’s our complete 2013 gift guide. https://gizmodo.com/the-ultimate-motherlode-of-dvd-box-sets-that-make-aston-1469093399 https://gizmodo.com/holiday-gift-books-for-science-and-science-fiction-love-1470418763 https://gizmodo.com/all-the-toys-and-collectibles-youll-hate-to-give-away-1471349900 https://gizmodo.com/gift-ideas-for-the-10-major-species-of-science-fiction-1468441313…

​Sex ‘n Spas: The Future (And Not So Future) of In-Flight Entertainment

Careening through the air 30,000 feet above the ground in seats that get smaller every day are too cramped to recline can be a brutal experience. To help us cope, airlines have evolved sophisticated on-demand entertainment in the form of games, movies, internet, and the occasional backrub. Here’s a look at some of the ambitious…

The trailer for Japan’s Gothic Lolita Battle Bear is charmingly insane

Warning: Do not watch this video within the first hour of waking up. It will break your brain. Gothic Lolita Battle Bear is directed by Noboru Igushi, who also directed the quite mad movies Robo Geisha and The Machine Girl, although it looks like he’s topped himself here. Here’s the movie’s description from the Stockholm…

This Stealth Camera Captures Images in Almost Complete Darkness

If you thought low-light photography was coming on in leaps and bounds, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. This new camera, developed by researchers at MIT, can capture ultra-sharp images of objects even when they’re illuminated by just a handful of photons. The technology uses incredibly low-intensity pulses of visible laser light to scan an object…

What are DC’s big plans for Aquaman?

Is another villain really being teased for Amazing Spider-Man 2? And get a look at the new Transformers, some uncanny details about the Flash will be revealed in the next Arrow, and a Fringe co-star joins the 12 Monkeys TV show. Plus, new photos from Dracula. Spoilers ahead! The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Another entry from…

These Colorful Floor Tiles Were Made From Snail Poop

Stepping on snails is nasty—feeling the distinctive crack-and-squelch beneath your foot is all sorts of ugh-ack-yuck-ew. Dutch artist, designer, and scientific researcher Lieske Schreuder found a way to make the experience less visceral but arguably more disgusting, by creating tiles composed of terrestrial mollusc turds. Screuder discovered that the common garden critters happily eat paper,…

Evolution Doesn’t Look Like You Think It Does

There’s an iconic scientific image which depicts evolution, and it suggests that we went from monkey to man in six easy steps. The only problem is, that’s kinda bull. The image, now known as The March of Progress, first appeared in 1965 and has captured the imagination of wannabe scientists since. This video explains why…

A New and Aggressive Strain of HIV Is Spreading Across West Africa

A newly discovered strain of HIV is spreading across West Africa. What’s worse is that it’s particularly aggressive—and causes significantly faster progression to AIDS than other strains. Called A3/02, the strain of HIV was first observed in 2011. But now, reports Al Jazeera, researchers at Sweden’s Lund University have found that it’s spreading across the…

Scientists have found that in worms and flies, the scent of pheromones from the opposite sex speeds up the aging process and shortens life — sometimes by as much as 40%! As Ed Yong points out in his latest column, there may be a trade-off between sex and longevity. Image: Christi Gendron.

For 20 Years the Nuclear Launch Code at US Minuteman Silos Was 00000000

Today I found out that during the height of the Cold War, the US military put such an emphasis on a rapid response to an attack on American soil, that to minimize any foreseeable delay in launching a nuclear missile, for nearly two decades they intentionally set the launch codes at every silo in the…

This Is Why 4D Printing Is Cool

The U.S. Army Research Office has just thrown some money the way of 4D printing—but what, exactly, is all the fuss about? This beautiful video goes a long way to showing us why the technology is so exciting. https://gizmodo.com/why-is-the-us-army-investing-in-4d-printing-1442964294 The title ‘4D printing’ is fairly slippery, but we had a stab at pinning down the…

Apple’s Black Friday Deals: Lots of Gift Cards

If you’ve been eagerly awaiting Apple’s Black Friday offers, then they’re finally here! You will, however, have to make do with gift cards. Here’s a rundown of what you can get your hands on. iPads iPad Air: from $499 with $75 gift card iPad mini (non-Retina display model): from $299 with $50 gift card iPad…