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Hyenas may be using bacteria to communicate

We all have bacteria that live in our bodies, helping us by breaking down food, flushing out toxins, and regulating our weight. But for hyenas and other animals with specialized scent glands, bacteria may have an additional, important role: They could be allowing hyenas to communicate with each other. https://gizmodo.com/could-the-microbes-in-your-gut-be-making-you-gain-weigh-1255281287 Top image via Chris Eason/Flickr.…

NASA’s new simulation of ancient Mars looks just like Earth

NASA has created a beautiful simulation of how Mars might have looked billions of years ago. It’s a fascinating view that looks eerily like Earth. According to NASA: Billions of years ago when the Red Planet was young, it appears to have had a thick atmosphere that was warm enough to support oceans of liquid…

Earth is a really spooky and wonderful alien-looking world

At the right time and under the right light, our planet can look really weird and alien. Take a look at the phenomenal work of Scottish photographer Scott Wilson. Some of the scenes really seem out of this world—or belonging to other fantastic eras. Scott says that he likes to “prowl around between dusk and…

Why scientists need to search for alien life on purple planets

Billions of years ago, when microbial life first emerged on Earth, our planet would have appeared purple from space. Armed with this knowledge, scientists now say we should be on the lookout for exoplanets tinged in a similar purple hue — a possible sign of extraterrestrial life. Back during the Archean era, some three billion…

Motorola Moto G: $180 (Off Contract!) of Android KitKat Goodness

For all the super-powerful flagship Android handsets out there, the OS gained popularity because it’s traditionally been a cheaper alternative to the priciness of Apple’s iPhone. With that in mind, here’s the Motorola Moto G, a solid Android phone that’ll be available off-contract for just $180. https://gizmodo.com/android-is-popular-because-its-cheap-not-because-its-g-5977625 So here’s the spec breakdown: $180 gets you…

First-ever Maleficent trailer shows Angelina Jolie as Disney’s Big Bad

Here it is, the very first trailer for Disney’s Maleficent, the origin story for the biggest, baddest witch in the whole collection of Disney villains. This teaser trailer seems more intent on setting up the Sleeping Beauty story rather than Maleficent’s past, but that’s okay because Angelina Jolie looks fantastic in her bitchy headdress. Not…

Alien life may be thriving in purple planets

New Scientists reports on a new planetary model that describes the most probable color signature of worlds thriving with life: purple. We would be able to detect these planets in 2018, once the James Webb Space Telescope is in orbit. According to the model developed by scientists at the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary…

Dallas Is the Latest City to Propose Tearing Down Huge Urban Freeways

The rest of the country might think of Dallas as an ultra-conservative town. And as some one who spends a lot of time there, I can tell you that… It sort of is. But it’s also home to great art, food, and increasingly, a progressive take on the future of cars. To wit: A proposal…

Do the Words You Need Not Exist Yet? Good, Let’s Make Some Up!

The folks over at Language Log are calling the word tuhao (definition: bling) “the hottest term on the Chinese internet these days.” Today, we want to know your favorite new words spawned by the internet. Is the word you need not yet flying all over the interwebs? Then now is exactly the right time to…

It’s Impossible To Explain Why These Magnetic Gyros Look So Fun

Humans seem drawn to things they don’t fully understand. That’s why we have a hunger to explore the stars, and why it’s almost impossible for us to put down magnetic toys. The makers of those wildly popular Nanodot magnets have a new obsession for you: a magnet-powered gyroscopic sphere that has no real purpose besides…

Disembodied duck feet helped Darwin make the case for evolution

Charles Darwin knew that making the case for evolution would involve more than just a good idea. . Darwin knew the idea of evolution would fall into disrepute if any aspect of it was questionable. Thankfully, dead duck feet provided the answer to one of evolution’s biggest mysteries. The problem was this: Why it was…

7 Repurposed Military Vehicles Hiding Out in Civilian Life

It’s no mystery that technology developed to fight wars comes in handy during peacetime. From duct tape to the internet, some of the most important pieces of modern technology were developed by the military. Badass vehicles are no exception. All kinds of vehicles, both big and small—but mostly big—make their way back home after carrying…

iPad Mini With Retina Display Spills Its Glorious High-Resolution Guts

The new iPad Mini with retina display finally started trickling into stores yesterday, and as usual, the fine folks at iFixit have taken up their multifarious tools of gadget disassembly and seized upon the unsuspecting device. Here’s what this baby looks like under the hood. There are slight design changes and tweaks under the hood,…

Ask Us Anything About the PS4

We have a PS4! We gave our first impressions here, but we’re still poking and prodding at it as more features become available. So tell us: What do you want to know about Sony’s next generation console? https://gizmodo.com/ps4-review-the-future-is-finally-here-1463432248 Put your questions in the discussion below, and we’ll do our best to answer every single one.…

PS4 Review: The Future Is Finally Here

The next gen is here! Or half of it, anyway. Sony’s PS4 has come in first the haphazard sprint to the new-console finish line. And yeah, it’s pretty awesome. What Is It? It’s the PlayStation Freakin’ 4. The first new Sony console since 2006. A gaming station for gamers who like to game. A beautiful…

Will Doctor Who‘s 50th anniversary have more Doctors than we thought?

Is an action figure our first look at Batman vs. Superman’s Batsuit? Plus our first image of Angelina Jolie as Maleficent! Also, J.H. Wyman and J.J. Abrams explain Almost Human’s roots, Person of Interest is getting a visit from a Warehouse 13 star, and there are sneak peeks for Arrow and the Vampire Diaries. Spoilers…

The Smithsonian Is Uploading Its Lost Treasures to the Internet

With over 137 million artifacts, works of art, and specimens in its collections, the Smithsonian can’t display even one percent of that at any given time. Many historically significant pieces won’t go on display in our lifetimes and other likely won’t ever see the light of day again. But their replicants will. Thanks to the…

Jawbone’s New UP24 Finally Brings Bluetooth to the Party

It’s kind of hard to believe, but Jawbone—a company that was built on Bluetooth—didn’t have a wireless radio in the first two iterations of its fitness tracker, the Jawbone UP. That finally changes today with the introduction of the Jawbone UP24. https://gizmodo.com/jawbone-up-2012-review-still-not-fit-to-buy-5965750 Physically, the UP24 is essentially identical to the last version of the UP.…

AirBnB’s Redesigned App Makes On-The-Go Hosting Simple And Social

Guests usually get all the glory in the hospitality industry—everything is catered to making their experience absolutely freaking perfect. In AirBnB’s booming hospitality empire, however, it’s hosts who make the world go ’round. Now, the company’s founders have rolled out a handful of new features geared directly toward the folks who put their places up…

Nokia’s Lytro-like Refocus app is now available for all its PureView Lumia smartphones.