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Congress Wants To Explore Europa To Seek Out New Life —And New Jobs

Earlier this week, the Planetary Society held a pep rally for Europa, where Bill Nye and climate change-denier House Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) set aside their differences to promote planetary science. And, of course, it doesn’t hurt that a Europa expedition could pump millions of dollars into Congressional districts. With its subsurface ocean and active…

Genetic analysis shows that Ötzi the Iceman suffered from periodontitis. The discovery of non-human DNA in samples taken from the 5,300 year old mummy’s hipbone revealed the presence of a bacterium responsible for the gum disease. We can now add this to his many other ailments, including lactose intolerance and an intestinal parasite.

The Mathematician Who Showed How the US Could Be Made A Dictatorship

You might remember Kurt Gödel. He was last seen on io9 proving the existence of God, at least in theory. Legend has it he also found an odd clause in the Constitution which proves that the United States could be legally made a dictatorship. And he told it to immigration officers. Kurt Gödel was born…

It’s Alarmingly Easy for Hackers to Control Your Hotel Room

Next time you’re in Shenzhen, “the Silicon Valley of mainland China,” don’t stay at the St. Regis hotel. Sure, it looks nice and everything. And those iPad-powered “digital butlers” sound neat. But really, the system is so littered with security vulnerabilities that a hacker on the other side of the planet can easily break in…

Put On Your Party Hats, GIFs! It’s Time To Celebrate.

It’s Friday, you know what to do! Put on your party hats and tell us about whatever is new and exciting with you this week, because this GIF party is ready to go.

The Best Camera Bag Is One You Put Together Yourself

Out of all the camera bags I have either used or considered- none were comfortable and functional together. To hope for a the one bag you find to be stylish as well would be flat out impossible. Most companies try and sell a camera bag as a box with shoulder straps on it. Camera bags…

Sculpting With Magnetic Clay Looks Fantastically Weird

When we last checked in with Jolan Van der Wiel, the Dutch designer was mixing iron filings and plastic to cast gravity-shaped furniture. This spring Van der Wiel returned, with an exhibition showing the process of sculpting with clay mixed with iron filings. And it’s bizarre. The project is called Dragonstone—yes, just like the Game…

You’ll Never Guess Which Cult Marvel Character Could Be In Guardians!

We knew there would be some easter eggs and cameos in Marvel’s new film Guardians of the Galaxy — but if a new report is to be believed, they include a character we never thought we’d see on the big screen again. Possible spoilers ahead… So take this with all the grains of salt, but…

Use Google Now’s Location Reminders To Power Through Your To Dos

One way to deal with tasks that you never get around to or are always forgetting is to attach a location to them. Google Now has had the ability to display reminders based on a place for a while now, and they only take a few seconds to set up. Launch the Google Search app…

Dozens Of AIDS Researchers Killed In Malaysian Flight MH17 Crash

It’s being reported today that nearly 100 of the 298 people killed in the Malaysia Airlines crash were headed to Australia for a major AIDS conference. Among them was Joep Lange, a leading researcher and the former International AIDS Society president. It’s going to very somber at this year’s International AIDS Conference which is scheduled…

In Peru, archaeologists excavating the tomb of a nobleman from a pre-Inca civilization have found ornamental metal pieces fashioned to look like feline paws with claws. The paws may have been part of a ritual costume used in ceremonial combat. The loser would be sacrificed, while the winner would get the costume.

101 Years of Tour de France Bikes Map the Evolution of Cycling

This year marks the 101st riding of the Tour de France, one of the most brutal sporting events ever created by man. In fact, plenty of us are so focused on the madness that we overlook how incredible the technology that powers it has become—and how it’s evolved over more than a century. We ran…

Do We Finally Know the Name of a New Star Wars Character?

Joss Whedon says Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are “Team Ultron.” Get the first look at Jack Black playing R.L. Stine in Goosebumps. And what under-the-radar projects do Guillermo del Toro and Duncan Jones have in the pipeline? Plus, all the details of Once Upon a Time’s take on Frozen and new Doctor Who set photos.…

Pangolins Walk Just Like T. Rex

Pangolins, or Scaly Anteaters, are fascinating creatures. The eight pangolin species are found in Africa and parts of Asia, and they’re the only mammals whose skin is covered in scales. The scales, which harden as a pangolin ages, are made of keratin. The substance is found in human skin as well, but is best known…

Lunatic leaps on top of moving metro train as it emerges from tunnel

Watch a madman leap on to a moving train as it emerges from a tunnel in France. The idiot then tells the camera that he will try again soon because it didn’t work out how he had planned—as if it’s not easy enough to get yourself killed these days. SPLOID is a new blog about…

Kindle Unlimited Is Here: Read As Much As You Like For $10 a Month

Following rumors earlier this week, Amazon has just announced its new Kindle Unlimited subscription service. Pay $10 a month, and you can read as much as you want (from a pool of 600,000 books, at least). https://gizmodo.com/amazon-is-prepping-a-kindle-unlimited-book-rental-ser-1605911418 The service isn’t just limited to e-books, either: you can also take your pick from over 8,000 of…

New pictures and video show interior detail of the Siberian hole

Scientist are already working hard to figure out how the mysterious Siberian hole appeared. Meanwhile, The Siberian Times went to the site they call the crater at the end of the world and captured images and video that reveal in more detail how the interior looks. https://gizmodo.com/new-footage-of-mysterious-giant-siberian-hole-as-scient-1606452428 Andrey Plekhanov, Senior Researcher at the State Scientific…

We Were Unprepared When the New Cyclops Arrived

All seemed peaceful on the day they appeared, but the large aperture in the middle of their faces are so menacing. No one builds things like this for peace, do they? This is called “Nice to meet you!” and is by artist Facundo Diaz. His art’s available on deviantART and his website.

MIT Has a Free Photojournalism Course You Should Take

Lots of schools now offer free, online courses, but here’s a doozy from MIT: an introductory course about documentary photography and photojournalism that won’t cost you a cent to work through. Published through MIT’s Open Courseware project, the course—Documentary Photography and Photojournalism: Still Images of a World in Motion—was originally taught by Prof. B. D.…

Ed Snowden: Sharing Porn Selfies Is All in a Day’s Work at the NSA

Notorious security campaigner Edward Snowden has given an interview about his times working for the NSA, claiming that employees enjoy poking through people’s private files—and sharing their best finds with their colleagues. Snowden explained that jock culture is alive and well in the macho ranks of the security world, pointing out that: “During the course…