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Extracting your DNA with kitchen supplies

Sometimes you get a hankering to see some DNA. With a few household products, you now can do just that. It won’t be good for a CSI-style genetic match, but you can extract strands of DNA from yourself, a strawberry, or any other living thing. Whether you want to grab some visible DNA from a…

A map of state-by-state meth incidents in 2012 — what can we take away?

This is a map of “all meth clandestine laboratory incidents including labs, dumpsites, chem/glass/equipment” in the U.S. in 2012, by state. It was created by the DEA and is freely available on the website of the Department of Justice. Here, in no particular order, are some things we can take away from this map: Holy…

Watch as retired lab chimps see the sky for the very first time

In January we reported on the successful initiative by government scientists in the U.S. to end most research done on chimps. In all, about 450 chimps currently held in government research facilities will be retired from active duty and relocated to federal sanctuaries, including Chimp Haven in Louisiana. It’s going to take time — but…

Cartier Gifted the Apollo 11 Astronauts These Awesome Solid Gold Lunar Landers

It probably can’t quite compete with all the memories they have of landing on the moon, but the second best souvenir the Apollo 11 astronauts have of their adventure has to be this solid gold model of the Lunar Module given to them by Cartier on their return. According to Cool Hunting; Michael Collins, Buzz…

Photo Of The Day: Badass Italian Astronaut Is Badass

In this picture, ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano is seen preparing for a simulated spacewalk and is wearing a training version of his Extravehicular Mobility Unit spacesuit. And he looks extremely badass, although he is a real space rookie. Luca will perform two spacewalks during his Volare mission, which starts May on the International Space Station.…

7 Knives You Will Legally Be Able to Take on a Plane

Awwww yeah, those suckers at the TSA are going to let us take knives on planes again. Pocket knives are the best. Get one. Here are some suggestions—all plane-legal as of April 25th. Buck Chairman Series Companion The two-blade craft knife, aka pen knife, is a classic. A larger workhorse blade paired with a smaller…

Did George Lucas play a bigger role in developing the new Star Wars movies than we thought?

The head of Marvel Studios hints at the direction of The Avengers 2 and why a Doctor Strange movie might happen. Robert Kirkman reveals which character is crucial to The Walking Dead’s immediate future. Mark Ruffalo discusses his Hulk future. All that plus, the latest Catching Fire poster reveals Johanna Mason, Steven Moffat and Jenna-Louie…

Carry a Tiny Supernova In Your Pocket With the Ultra-Bright LED Lenser F1

You might think all flashlights are created equal, but don’t tell that to a flashaholic. There are large online communities of flashlight aficionados who take their illumination very seriously, and there’s a good chance even they’ll be impressed by LED Lenser’s new F1 which manages to squeeze a whopping 400 lumens from a single CR123…

The Whole of The Matrix in Just 60 Seconds

For the terminally impatient or those just short of time, here’s everything that happens in The Matrix crammed into just 60 seconds of animation. Produced by 1A4Studios, it skips out a lot of the chaff. Maybe the sequels would’ve benefited from this treatment on the big screen. [YouTube via Gizmodo Australia and Gizmodo UK]

This Sea of Swirling Ball Bearings Is Utterly Mesmerizing

The motion and gentle click-clacking that emanate from this art installation, put together by a pair of Finnish artists, is so soothing it could send you to sleep—in a good way. Tommi Grönlund and Petteri Nisunen’s Unstable Matter is built from a thin sheet of MDF, which supports several thousand bearings—but only enough to cover…

Data Stream From Space Can Be This Beautiful

This video introduces “Universe Masat”, the visualisation project of the nonstop telemetric data stream of the first Hungarian satellite called Masat-1. This artwork by Brigitta Zics and Pengfei Zhang creates an imaginary universe to render the invisible life of the satellite that was launched into low Earth orbit on 13 February 2012. Orbiting around the…

National Geographic Has an Amazing New Tumblr of Weird and Wonderful Photographs

National Geographic has launched a new Tumblr, called Found, which showcases some of the most weird and wonderful shots from the magazine’s archive—and it has some amazing photographs online already. The new Tumblr will be packed with obscure photographs, many of which have never been seen by the public. National Geographic explains: Found is a…

Dude Has 75 Percent of His Skull Replaced By 3D-Printed Replica

A man has had the first ever 3D-printed skull-replacement fitted, swapping out a whole 75 per cent of the bone in his head for a man-made replacement. The unnamed man, from the US, first had his skull scanned to create a digital replica, before the large replacement plate was printed out. It has specially designed…

The Science of Aging

If your face is wrinkling, joints are creaking and eyesight failing, it’s time to face facts: you’re getting old. But what causes ageing, anyway, and why is it so damn inevitable? This video gives a bright and breezy overview of why we all succumb to the ageging process. In a word, telomeres—but we’ll let the…

German Court “Inclined” to Ban Google Maps

A German trial, which is seeing Google and Motorola battle Microsoft, appears to be going badly for the search giant. So badly, in fact, that a German judge has stated that he’s “inclined” to ban Google Maps in the country. The judge believes that he ought hold Google responsible for the infringement of a European…

Bloomberg claims that BlackBerry’s Z10 should finally arrive in AT&T stores on March 22nd. That took a while.

Google to Axe 10 Percent More of Motorola’s Staff

Ever since Google acquired Motorola Mobility it’s been making cuts—but sadly it’s still having to lay people off. The Wall Street Journal reports that Google is getting rid of a further 10 percent of Moto’s staff. https://gizmodo.com/googles-acquisition-of-motorola-is-still-a-bust-and-wil-5978162 According to an email seen by a WSJ reporter, the company believes that “costs are too high, we’re…

The Wonderful World of Exotic McDonald’s Food

The golden arches holds a special place in most American’s hearts (or waistlines). The Big Mac, the Chicken Nuggets, the French Fries—they’re all in your face delicious and define McDonald’s better than Ronald ever could. But McDonald’s overseas get to enjoy more than just the ordinary greatness, they have wonderful menu items like poutine and…

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Pepto Bismuth

Pepto Bismol, that faintly bubblegum-flavored sludge from your medicine cabinet, was actually once considered something of a wonder drug. Bismuth subsalicylate (BSS), the active ingredient in Pepto, is derived from Bismuth salts. Even as a salt, people have used bismuth since the 18th century for its anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, and antacid properties. And when mixed with…

Burning Stuff with the Power of the Sun Never Ever Gets Old

You know as a kid when you used to use a magnifying glass and the Sun to burn ants? This is basically that but more awesome (and less gruesome!). Using the screen of an old big screen TV, Grant Thompson was able to create a 4 foot magnifying lens that could melt a stack of…