- EartherClimate Change
After 60 Years of Fighting, We Finally Found the Tallest Peak in the US Arctic
A debate over the tallest peak in the Alaskan arctic has finally been settled after almost six decades of fighting. Both Mount Chamberlin and Mount Isto claimed the title as their own. Now, one has emerged triumphant—and a third, entirely separate mountain peak has also entered the race. The roots of the debate date back … Continued
By Ria Misra - io9
New Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Featurette Finally Provides Some Beasts
So far, we’ve seen two trailers for the upcoming Harry Potter prequel Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and sure they’ve been pretty good. But there haven’t been many actual beasts in them, or a great explanation of what the adventure in the film will be. This video does both. In it, both writer/creator … Continued
- ScienceBiology
Watch This Freakishly Agile Dog-Bot Do the Dishes
Boston Dynamics, better known for the hulking robot brute known as ATLAS, has just revealed a considerably smaller creation that looks like a cross between a golden retriever and a baby giraffe. But forget about it just replacing your family pet: SpotMini looks like it can replace your housecleaner too. Weighing just 55 pounds on … Continued
- io9
Fall Out Boy’s New Ghostbusters Theme Song, Unlike Bustin’, Does Not Make Us Feel Good
It actually makes us feel bad for a couple reasons, first and foremost being that the song is just not very good. But even more unfortunately, we fully expect a legion of jackasses to flood the internet and blame this on the fact that the new Ghostbusters movie stars women. Honestly, I’m so ready for … Continued
By Rob Bricken - Tech News
Two Women Go ‘Blind’ After Checking Their Phones in Bed
Two poor souls suffered through MRIs, heart scans, and other medical tests to figure out what was causing them to go blind for up to 15 minutes at a time. After discovering that checking their phones in bed was to blame, one woman still couldn’t stop. Such is the power of technology. The women (ages … Continued
By Angela Chen - Tech NewsAmazon
Amazon Busted Illegally Shipping Dangerous Chemicals Again
Amazon just racked up two more fines—amounting to a total of $130,000—from the FAA for improperly shipping dangerous chemicals. Turns out putting acid and flammable gas into a box and putting it on an airplane is not okay. The fines Amazon picked up this week stem from two events in 2014. In one instance, Amazon … Continued
- io9
How Rebirth Is Changing the DC Universe: Week 4
The powers-that-be at DC Comics are terraforming their fictional landscape yet again. Let’s take a look at exactly what’s transforming. Released on May 25, DC Universe: Rebirth #1 is both an editorial mission statement and the pebble drop that’s creating ripples throughout the publisher’s multiverse. Some of the status quo changes coming to DC will … Continued
- Tech News
Hundreds of Genes Spring Back to Life in the Days After Death
We assume that all biological processes come to an end when we die, but new research shows that many genes remain active for up to four days following clinical death. These zombie genes can’t bring a person back to life, but this discovery has serious implications for forensics and organ donor recipients. A pair of … Continued
- Tech News
Fiat Chrysler Starts Scheduling Jeep Fixes As Probe Continues into Yelchin Death
Fiat Chrysler will begin sending final notices to customers affected by the recall of 1.1 million vehicles with confusing gear shifters tomorrow, the company said Wednesday. The news comes on the heels of the death of Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin, who was crushed by his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee, one of the models affected … Continued
- io9
The Kamen Rider TV Series Coming to America Does Not Skimp on the Graphic Violence
Amazon Japan recently announced a slate of new programming, including spinoffs of Kamen Rider and Ultraman for its video service—series that would, eventually, be making their way to U.S. Amazon users as well. Want to know more? Well, now you can get a sneak peak of the surprisingly gory Kamen Rider Amazons in action. A … Continued
- Tech NewsGoogle
Android Apps Turn Chromebooks Into Macbook Killers
When Chromebooks launched in the summer of 2011, they seemed destined to fail, much like the underpowered, internet-dependent netbooks that came before them. But in the five years since, Chromebooks have defied expectations, becoming the most used device in US classrooms and even outselling Macs for the first time this year. Still, people complain about … Continued
By Darren Orf - Tech NewsApple
You Can Wrap SanDisk’s New Flash Drives Around Your iPhone
It doesn’t matter how much storage Apple stuffs into the latest iPhone, your ever-growing music, photo, video, and app collections will max it out in no time. Instead of constantly having to delete files so you have room to keep adding new media, SanDisk’s new iXpand Memory Case will simply boost your iPhone’s storage capacity. … Continued
- ScienceSpace & Spaceflight
Scientists Confirm: Comets Smell Like Cat Piss
Rotten eggs, cat urine, bitter almonds—that’s the delightful elixir of aromas comprising the BO of one comet 67P, also known as Rosetta’s comet. In a heartwarmingly nerdy yet mildly alarming development, members of the Rosetta mission team have commissioned scent firm The Aroma Company to turn it into a perfume. Yes, you heard that correctly. … Continued
By Maddie Stone - io9
Viola Davis Wanted to Pepper Spray Jared Leto for His Suicide Squad Set BS
It seems like Viola Davis was the only sane person on the Suicide Squad set. Because after suffering through every weird and miserable thing that nightmare had to offer, she was in the mood to pepper spray Jared Leto right in his method-acting face. As would I. Talking to E!, Davis talked about everyone in … Continued
- Tech NewsSploid
Carving Milk on a Lathe Nearly Gives This Craftsman a Nervous Breakdown [Update]
No one thinks to use milk as a building material, but it’s possible. It’s also a huge pain in the ass. So much so that trying to carve the stuff nearly drove craftsman Peter Brown insane. Brown’s inspiration to build stuff out of milk came from a Household Hacker tutorial. In that video, it was … Continued
By Avery Ellis - io9
Why You Shouldn’t Believe That Ridiculous Agents of SHIELD Rumor
Dave Filoni discusses bringing a Clone Wars character to Rogue One. Michael Bay unveils a new Transformers character. Arrow reveals a tribute to its fallen vigilante. Plus, new pictures from the Game of Thrones season finale, even more Spider-Man casting, and a new Power Rangers poster. Spoilers Now! Spider-Man: Homecoming Even more casting! This time … Continued
- Tech News
Should Cops Be Allowed to Call 911 From a Locked Phone to Track Someone Down?
Here’s a conundrum: A kidnapper forgets his phone at the scene of a crime. Police find it, use it to call 911 and gather information to track him down. Now his lawyer argues that all evidence should be tossed because calling 911 from an abandoned phone is illegal. Matthew Muller is charged with the March … Continued
By Angela Chen - Tech NewsDesign
Penn Station Would Be So Much More Fun As a Roller Coaster
Many New Yorkers have schlepped to Penn Station to take a train out. We’ve sat in the waiting room, bored, and said to ourselves, I know what would improve my experience. If only I could go on a 1,200 foot amusement-park ride before my train arrived. One group—Brooklyn-based design studio AE Superlab—had the bravery to … Continued
By Angela Chen - Tech NewsSploid
5 Beyond Brilliant Action Scenes in Movies
Action movies are fun to watch but there’s a smart way to do action scenes and an epically dumb way to do it. The smart way focuses in on the details, tells a story within a story, and makes sure we know just what the hell is going on amidst all the crazy. The dumb … Continued
By Casey Chan - Tech NewsSploid
These Are the Tricks Political Campaign Ads Use to Brainwash Us
Vote for whoever the hell you want to vote for. But don’t make your decision after watching an emotionally prying, stupid-person-targeting, specifically edited campaign ad. Now You See It explains how all political ads, no matter which side they’re on, use the same methods to trick voters into believing the worst in the opposing candidates … Continued
By Casey Chan