Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
If you’re a detective who needs to find a corpse, there are lots of ways to look: you can comb the woods in a line search or hunt for hidden graves with ground-penetrating radar. In most cases, though, the most versatile and reliable method has four legs and a wet nose. No machine can reliably…
The universe is very big and some parts are very old and if we somehow exist on a planet that’s relatively young, aliens must also exist somewhere. But where the hell are they? Kurz Gesagt tries to figure that out in this lovely animation explainer that touches on The Fermi Paradox and different types of…
CRISPR, a new genome editing tool, could transform the field of biology—and a recent study on genetically-engineered human embryos has converted this promise into media hype. But scientists have been tinkering with genomes for decades. Why is CRISPR suddenly such a big deal? The short answer is that CRISPR allows scientists to edit genomes with…
In your recent internet wanderings you might have spotted a few residents of BusinessTown, the industrious anthropomorphic animals who look strikingly similar to the ones from your favorite childhood picture book—except these creatures are digital strategy “intrapreneurs” who give TED Talks on how nanobots will end poverty. The characters are by illustrator Tony Ruth, who…
As one of the most popular characters in the Star Wars universe, R2-D2 owes at least some of his fame to a forgotten droid named R5-D4. If you remember, after being sold to Uncle Owen by the Jawas it broke down with a bad motivator, allowing Artoo to steal the spotlight. It’s a tragic tale…
Kaiyodo’s Revoltech line isn’t just for turning characters into awesome looking action figures — sometimes the vehicles get the treatment too. The latest entries in the Revoltech line are totally badass versions of the X-Wing and the Delorean! Revealed in a NicoNico stream recently, the two models come complete with display stands to show them…
When it’s time for sex, many plants literally tap into animal appetites, attracting them with the promise of sugar and smearing them with pollen while they eat. But if you’re going to rely on a third party for sex, you need some really good advertising. One recent study has identified a plant that makes a…
Think you’ve got a good party trick? British designer Seb Lester can draw pixel-perfect logos with a few sweeps of his calligraphy pen. I watched in disbelief as he reproduced some fairly complex type using only his steady hand. We’ve posted a few of Lester’s pieces before but this new video is like his greatest…
Lego fans should be pretty excited for the upcoming Lego Dimensions video game, if only because it’s an easy way to justify buying more and more Lego sets. Used to unlock additional content like levels, characters, and figures, these are some of the first expansion packs you’ll be able to buy come September and import…
A couple years ago, NASA and DHS unveiled aportable radar unitbased on technology used to monitor spacecraft. This radar unit, though, would be used closer to home—to find people burried under rubble. In the first real-world demonstration of its use, the device helped save 4 men trapped under earthquake rubble in Nepal. After the earthquake…
A woman in Florida escaped from being held hostage on Monday thanks to Pizza Hut’s smartphone app, and employees who recognized her order. Ethan Nickerson and his girlfriend had been arguing throughout the day when he started to threaten her with a large knife. Nickerson then took her phone, but later gave it back to…
Let’s say you’re bored. Let’s say you’ve always dreamed of firing a cannon. Let’s say you like blowing things up. Let’s say you spend a free night building this kick ass vortex cannon that can blast the air silly. Let’s say it’d be totally worth it just to see these giant smoke ring explosions in…
Ditching Spotify for Rdio? Giving Tidal a try alongside Deezer? If you’ve got carefully curated playlists in one streaming service then you might be reluctant to start again from scratch with a new one, but Soundiiz lets you transfer your song lists between apps with the minimum of fuss. Head to the Soundiiz Beta website…
Years ago, wannabe engineers might’ve sat in a basement tearing up VCRs to concoct homemade electronics, pounding can after can of Tab to fuel their DiY compulsions. That’s still happening today—except with DVD burners, cans of Red Bull, and with millions of people watching the mad scientists on YouTube. Functioning light sabers. Mini rocket launchers.…
Just a few months after it was announced, Entertainment Earth will officially let you pre-order Beast Kingdom Toys’ life-size Iron Man Hulkbuster statue. And while we first reported a price tag of $21,500, it can actually be yours for a mere $18,000 now, leaving you $3,500 to pay rent, buy food, and other less fun…
Technology is filled with all kinds of rumors, real and fabricated. It gives us a look at might be and will be. BitStream gathers these rumors all in one place to divine what the future has in store. Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference is only a month away, and rumors surrounding how Apple plans to update…
The most effective tool an animal shelter has it when it comes to getting pets adopted is the animals themselves. So the Battersea Dogs & Cat Home, a shelter in the UK, created a brilliant ad campaign that had dogs following potential owners from billboard to billboard as they walked through a shopping mall. The…
What we’re seeing is Lichtenberg Figures form from an electron beam getting zapped into an acrylic prism. The electric trail of the lightning strike is so badass. It’s like trapping a lightning bolt in a glass box forever, a force of nature on display. Lichtenberg Figures can be created within solid insulating materials, such as…
Last month we got a sneaky first look at Ashley Wood’s latest Marvel toy: A pretty fabulous looking Ultron. But now ThreeA have unveiled a bunch of pictures of the figure, and not only does it come in a variety of Ultronny metallic colours, it also looks pretty damn amazing. Wood’s 13” tall take on…
Virtual reality is coming—and now, we finally know when. You will actually be able to buy a real, consumer version of the Oculus Rift in the first quarter of next year. You’re looking at it right now. Let me repeat: this is not another prototype. Shit is getting real. What do we know about the…
