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Today, a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics tied male homosexuality to chemical markers on DNA that affect how genes are expressed. Geneticist and lead author Tuck Ngun examined the genomes of brothers in 37 sets of identical twins where one twin was gay, and 10 pairs where…
The future of drones isn’t in the skies. It’s in the ocean. That’s what the OpenROV team proved in 2012 with their wildly successful remote-controlled ocean-going drone (complete with underwater camera). And now they’re back with the Trident, a sleeker, faster model–which I took for a test swim last week at San Francisco’s Aquarium of…
Krystyna Skarbek was said to be “Winston Churchill’s favorite spy;” she led an extraordinary life that peaked with clandestine acts of heroism during World War II—and ended tragically just a few years later. Six decades after her death, a biopic is said to be in the works. It’s about time. Skarbek, who was said to…
If you’re racing a late afternoon deadline, or hope to get any more work done today, you’ll want to close this tab immediately. The rest of us, however, will spend the next few hours watching our favorite YouTube videos with the Benny Hill chase music as the soundtrack. If you’ve ever seen a TV show…
The Subway, the El, the Tube, the Métro: Trains have been transporting humans around cities since 1863. But too many public transit systems still run like they’re stuck in the 19th century. That needs to change. With more people are living in urban areas than ever before, metro systems around the world will need to…
This is the second installment of the Living With Data series, exploring encounters with data in our everyday lives. Do my clicks count? Molly, a 23-year-old high school science teacher in Brooklyn, writes: In recent years I have clicked with care due to awareness of how personal data is used. But I have also begun…
Ready to geek out on outdoors gear? Combining climbing, high altitudes, camping and extreme winter weather, mountaineering is probably the most gear-intensive sport there is. And here’s your ultimate guide to the best gear for it. Over the last year or so, I’ve climbed mountains in the Sierra, Cascades, Canadian Rockies, Iceland, Norway and Nepal.…
Your Minifigs have been drinking coffee and tea from these Lego mugs for decades now, but have you ever wondered what it’s like to sip from them using those giant handles? Now’s your chance to find out. The Lego Store is officially selling these upscaled and stackable Minifig mugs—$13 each in red, blue, or transparent…
Being a Muggle is boring. That’s why we reread Goblet of Fire for the seventeenth time in hand-knit Slytherin scarves–to flee banal adulthood. Well, the Harry Potter books are cranking up the magic even more, with special editions for Apple devices, beautifully animated and full of little notes from JK Rowling herself. Starting today, the…
Heterosexual couples trying to start a family have tools to tell them when it’s time for baby-making sex: apps can track a woman’s cycle; over-the-counter tests can pinpoint ovulation. But it turns out the sex they’re having the rest of the month could be just as important for starting that bundle of joy. That’s because…
Play features were all the rage with the Transformers toys when they first released—anything and everything to gets kids begging to buy the new mini-Transformer that transforms into something for an even bigger Transformer. Now one of those beloved action features is making a comeback in the next wave of Transfomers! Following the announcement of…
This fantastic short by Terri Timely and Park Pictures completely bends your mind because everyday tasks—like, putting toothpaste on your tooth brush—become something completely different and weird and almost abstract—like, the toothpaste becoming a flame thrower. Think you know what happens when you turn on a TV or spin a lazy susan? Think again! Called…
From amateur to professional, insane amounts of time and effort are spent trying to achieve smooth and steady video footage. DJI’s new Osmo handheld gimbal and 4K camera is meant to be the easiest and quickest path to gorgeous, silky-smooth shots. The Osmo, first teased at CES, resembles a cyclops eye mounted above a joystick.…
Call me naive, but I was filled with consternation and glee when I saw this job ad plastered on a fence around a construction site on the MIT campus. Is this actually a thing that is happening? The author of the ad, J. Holden Gibbons, seems legit. He’s a military vet, and claims on LinkedIn…
If you and your partner prefer playing video games to long walks on the beach, this set of life meter pins is a far more appropriate way to show how much you care about each other. Because the closer you and the pins get, the more of the life-giving health hearts light up. Anyone who’s…
It’s always been a little comforting that no matter how clever our smartphones get, the autocorrect will still be a hot mess of dumb suggestions. Well, Swiftkey’s new keyboard uses a neural network to think more like a human—and it’s almost too good at it. Up until now, most prediction models for keyboards have used…
Some days it feels like everything on the internet is fake. And I’m here to tell you to trust that instinct. Would you believe that some of the internet’s fakery even comes from some of the world’s best news channels? You would? Then you’re way ahead of me. Today we have nine images you may…
Have no fear, the best apps of the week are here. That was corny. Sorry. But really, there are some interesting apps out this week–and these are the best of the bunch. A few of this week’s crop seem reminiscent of other popular apps, but they can still stand on their own—and that’s key. Borrowing…
You can spend an entire lifetime learning how to do something and I’m pretty sure you still won’t be as good as or as confident as this butcher chopping down chickens with a bandsaw. He moves at such incredible speeds and comes so close to the blade multiple times without hesitating that I’m fairly certain…
Paleontologists in Germany have identified the fossilized remains of a horse-like animal that dates back 48 million years. Remarkably, the fossil still contains its unborn foal and traces of soft tissue—leading scientists to call it the earliest and best-preserved specimen of its kind. The Darmstadt region in Germany is renowned for its complete animal skeletons,…
