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Nietzsche said: if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back into you. If we look deep into these man made holes we might face our own monstrosity we fight ever since, or witness humankind’s majesty. The following collection of mining pits, atomic craters, scientific achievements show some of the largest scale direct impact…
While the West African Ebola Outbreak largely came to an end back in January, isolated cases are still appearing, including two cases which emerged this week in Guinea. Earlier this week, the World Health Organization announced that a flareup of the disease in Sierra Leone has been contained: after 42 days, no new cases from…
The bacteria Elizabethkingia anopheles has claimed 17 lives over the last five months in 12 Wisconsin counties, and caused 54 people to become seriously ill. As yet, no one has been able to trace the source of the infection. Elizabethkingia anopheles is named for a famous researcher who worked with the CDC in the mid-1900s.…
What do NBA basketball players do when they have some down time in New York City? The Philadelphia 76ers dropped in on the American Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium to hobnob with director and famed astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson. It just so happens that head coach Brett Brown is a long-time fan of Tyson’s,…
Asha Rani is known as “The Iron Queen” because of the amazing feats of strength she’s attempted using her teeth, ears, and eye sockets. Four Guinness records wasn’t enough to slake her thirst for outlandish showmanship. In this live attempt on Guinness’s Italian TV show, Rani decided to pull a London double decker bus with…
Their new gigs might not pay any better, but the robots powering Domino’s pizza delivery bots must be happy about their recent promotions. Because in a past life, they served as moving practice targets for military smart-shooters using live ammunition. To help make deliveries, the robots, developed by a company called Marathon Targets, have been…
We depend on our tap water for almost everything, but what do you do when the taste of it doesn’t quite suit you? We talked to a water sommelier about the taste of tap water—and also got a recipe for a water cocktail. Welcome to Gizmodo’s Happy Hour. Substance abuse for nerds. The first thing…
On a press call this afternoon, NASA and its research partners discussed several science experiments headed to orbit with the next ISS resupply mission. The space agency covered a host of interesting topics, including 3D printing, micrometeorite studies, and robotic grippers for hoisting objects onto walls. And then, the bombshell: NASA would like to light…
South Korea appears to be taking a “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” approach to the forthcoming machine revolution. On Thursday, president Park Geun-hye announced plans to invest roughly $860 million in the country’s artificial intelligence industry by 2020, largely as a response to the recent shellacking of countryman Lee Sedol at the hands…
After Flint, it’s been disheartening to discover that lead contamination is far more widespread than originally thought. A new investigative report by USA Today claims that 350 schools and day cares across the country have tested above the EPA’s “action level” for lead content in water. But the problem is much bigger than that report…
When was the last time you rode a bus? Maybe you took the bus to save money, or for environmental reasons. In a few instances here in the US, you might have taken the bus because it’s more convenient than driving. But the important thing to recognize is that you probably had a choice. And…
Thrasher Magazine recently posted this incredible compilation of New Zealand skateboarder Richie Jackson performing tricks you’ve probably never seen anyone do before. Jackson is just as skilled on four wheels as he is at turning random everyday objects into makeshift decks, and random places into potential skateparks. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us on…
If you’re looking for an easy way to troll your neighbors (besides leaving your Christmas lights up until June) you’re not going to do much better than an 11-feet tall inflatable neon pink flamingo perched in the middle of your front lawn. Everyone knows the best way to deal with an annoying neighbor is to…
Uber’s just plunked down a load of cash on the future of self-driving car tech. The company just ordered 100,000 Mercedes S-Class vehicles, according to German business magazine Manager Magazin. Update: Reuters reports that other anonymous sources are refuting the claim yet the original report cites sources within both companies. Either way, it seems Uber…
@jack to @MLauer: Ignore rumors, tweets will always be ≤140 chars to allow ‘of-the-moment brevity.’ #doeskanyeknowthat #deepdrumpf4prez [Today]
Archaeologists working at the Pocklington burial site in Yorkshire have discovered the 2,500-year-old skeletal remains of a high ranking warrior who was buried alongside his sword—and who had a half-dozen spears thrust into him in ritualistic fashion. The “speared burial” figure was discovered among 75 burial chambers, also known as barrows, containing over 160 iron…
Childbirth is an enormous responsibility that nearly always falls on females—but a few brave males shoulder the burden too. And as a female who has vaguely contemplated the possibility of having children, I don’t envy them for a second. Seahorses are one of two groups of animals (along with pipefish) where the male carries babies…
Comcast is notorious for being a bunch of raging dickholes that we’d like cleave from our lives. But the company is also, you know, the largest internet service provider in the United States, one that has strong stranglehold on a big chunk of us and that loves to cap the crap out of the one…
“I like the new iPhone, but it’s just too big!” is something I’ve heard regularly since Apple bumped up its iPhone’s screen size from 4 inches to 4.7 inches in 2014. And as time passed on, iPhone 5s has unexpectedly become the last great, truly small smartphone. [Note: This story originally published on March 7.…
For the first time ever, a majority of Americans say they’re opposed to nuclear energy. Revealingly, the declining attitudes towards nuclear has less to do with the perceived risks, and more to do with falling gas prices. According to a new Gallup poll, 54 percent of Americans now oppose nuclear energy. This is up a…
