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Ancient humans may not have interbred with Neanderthals, after all

If you hail from outside of Africa, there’s a decent chance that you share as much as 4% of your DNA with a long-extinct lineage of Neanderthals. Many scientists agree that this small percentage of shared genetic information is evidence that humans and Neanderthals interbred with one another in Europe tens of thousands of years…

Mutant Butterflies Link Fukushima Meltdown to Human Disease

The nuclear meltdown at Fukushima in March 2011 released huge amounts of radiation into the surrounding environment. Here’s the first evidence that people exposed to the radiation could suffer serious health problems like the survivors of other intense nuclear catastrophes. Japanese researchers say they’ve conclusively proven that butterfly specimens collected in Fukushima shortly after the…

This Photo Really Shows How Impossibly Huge the Airbus A380 Is

I know that the Airbus A380 is a titan, a winged colossus, the biggest passenger airliner in the world and all that. But this pictured taken at LAX—showing an Air France A380 taxiing by a Boeing 737-900—really shows its flabbergasting dimensions. The 737-900 is a medium range plane that can hold 215 passengers. The long-range…

Behold Star Wars, re-envisioned as a 1980s teen movie

Italian comic artist Denis Medri has regaled us with some smashing alternate history superheroes before — we mean you, greaser Batman. And Medri’s latest series of sketches is a charming addition to that familiar “Star Wars reimagined as a Western/samurai epic/QVC toaster advertisement” fan art tradition. https://gizmodo.com/meet-the-entire-cast-of-1950s-greaser-batmans-gotham-ci-5911595 https://gizmodo.com/star-wars-rebooted-as-a-western-with-humanized-droids-5767277 https://gizmodo.com/samurai-star-wars-characters-out-of-a-movie-too-awesom-5883772 Medri has recast the characters from…

Never-Before Seen 1983 Mac Commercial Discovered

Software wizard Andy Hertzfeld— one of the geniuses behind the original Apple Macintosh—found these rare interviews from an original Macintosh commercial that was never aired. It reminds me of the now-classic product intro infomercials made popular during the Second Coming of Steve Jobs. https://gizmodo.com/apple-design-vs-apple-engineering-5575412 The interviews—recorded in October 1983—feature some of the all-star team of…

Accessorize your human sacrifice dress with this cute Cthulhu purse

Nothing says “chic mind-flaying alien power” better than a Cthulhu plushie purse, complete with a soft lining the color of the blackest seas. Whether you’re looking forward to an exciting night sacrificing a virgin to the Deep Ones, or you’re just trying to raise Yog Sothoth at work, this Cthulhu purse is the perfect accent…

The Cheapest Roomba Just Got Way Better

The Roomba 500 Series is dead. Long live the 600 Series! iRobot is giving some products a very nice upgrade today, starting with its entry-level robotic floor vacuums. The Looj, its rain gutter cleaning bot, is getting the treatment, too. Roomba 600 Series The 600 Series is going to pick up where the 500 Series…

Has Fox officially given up on Daredevil? Plus Keanu Reeves reveals secrets of Bill & Ted 3!

The Borg Queen joins Thor: The Dark World. Hugh Jackman promises The Wolverine won’t be anything like Wolverine. Has a description of the first Iron Man 3 trailer leaked? Plus the latest encouraging reactions from Cloud Atlas test screenings! Spoilers from here on out! Top image from Cloud Atlas. The Wolverine Hugh Jackman confirms once…

Google+ Gets Custom URLS (For Companies and Famous People)

Google+ is now letting some users pick their own vanity URLs. But it’s not for you. Because your name doesn’t happen to be Britney Spears. Unlike Facebook, it’s only for verified accounts, which means it’s only for famous people and brands. In you haven’t been to your Google+ page in a while, the address is…

Is This the New iPhone Screen Technology?

There are plenty of rumors circulating about a super-thin screen for the new iPhone which could boost battery life. Now, an Apple patent has appeared which describes exactly the kind of screen technology the rumors have been speculating about. https://gizmodo.com/wsj-iphone-5-will-use-super-thin-screen-technology-5926565 Apple Insider points out a new Apple patent which describes different ways in which the…

Scientists Invent Healthy Chocolate Made With… Fruit Juice?

While there’s some evidence that chocolate is good for you, the fact remains that it’s so full of fat and sugar that binging on it will make you fat. Now, though, scientists have developed a healthier version of chocolate using fruit juice—but how the hell does it work? https://gizmodo.com/chocolate-keeps-you-slim-5896690 In fact what they’ve done is…

A Movable Field Kitchen For Nomadic Cooks

For a lot of folks, the kitchen is the heart of the home. But if meals tend to be more of a moveable feast for you, take a look at Critter: it’s a moveable field kitchen that packs all the kitchen basics into a single bench which can be moved from indoors to the backyard—or…

What’s More Important: Phone or Provider?

As part of the Apple-Samsung legal dispute, Apple has revealed a survey which it undertook in January 2011 before the iPhone appeared on Verizon. It revealed that 48 percent of people would choose Android over iPhone if it allowed them to stay with their carrier. Now, that number may or may not be accurate, but…

Samsung Challenges Apple Pinch-to-Zoom Patent With 2001 Tech

As the courtroom battles continue, Samsung yesterday went for Apple by arguing that several iOS-wide UI features were actually developed well before the iPhone came into existence. The Verge is reporting that, in particular, Samsung pointed to the DiamondTouch device—developed in 2001 at the Mitsubishi Electronic Research Laboratory—which included predecessors of both pinch-to-zoom and Apple’s…

You can now add “Expecting a Baby” to your Facebook timeline. Worried? Then banish babies from your feed. [Facebook]

Terry Gilliam will finally reveal the meaning of existence

For the past five years, Terry Gilliam has been trying to make a mysterious film called The Zero Theorem, about a cubicle-dwelling man who’s trying to solve an equation that holds the purpose of existence. (Or lack thereof.) We’d thought Zero Theorem was dead in the water back in 2009, when Billy Bob Thornton was…

Foursquare-Type Check-In Service Facedeals Uses Your Facebook “Like” History to Sweeten the Deal

Facedeals may still only be in its trial period, but the Foursquare-like deals program that uses facial-recognition software to check you in on Facebook when you enter participating businessed is sure to incite all manner of responses when it’s rolled out for the general user. Relying on the preauthorization of its proprietary app via your…

Visit Mars and Take a Tour of the Gale Crater, Right Now, With This Interactive Panorama

If you’ve suffering from a touch of the Mars Fever, fear not: you can now take a 360-degree panorama tour of the Red Planet over at 360cities.net. The current panorama up for Earthling exploration is of Curiosity Rover’s Martian solar day 2. [BI]

How Is It Possible That Olympic Athletes Keep Breaking World Records?

The Olympics are over. Athletes have been crowned. GIFs have been made. And World records have been broken. In four years, we’ll do the same thing all over again. And world records will continue to be broken. How is that possible? How do Olympic athletes keep getting better and keep breaking records? Will it ever…

How Rumors Spread Online

We at Gizmodo do our very best to weed out the fakes and hoaxes from the real deal. Most of the time, we’re right, and we can pat ourselves on the shoulder and move onward. But what about the story of the hoax itself? Last week, an image was floated around of what someone on…