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io9MoviesThe Mystery of Star Wars Legend Willrow Hood Has Finally Been Solved
He only appeared for one second in The Empire Strikes Back, but Willrow Hood became a Star Wars icon. Not for any reason in particular, however. Just because he looked kind of funny running across Cloud City with what Star Wars fans have long since settled on is an “ice cream maker.” Well, io9 can … Continued
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ScienceHealthPeople Inhaled Cannabis to Get High at Funerals 2,500 Years Ago, New Evidence Suggests
Humans have been smoking, eating, and wearing cannabis for millennia, and a new study out Wednesday presents some pretty strong evidence of people using it explicitly to get high back during the first century BCE in Central Asia. The paper suggests that the plant could have been cultivated to be more mind-altering and used for … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHuman HistoryCannonballs Likely Used by Vlad the Impaler Found in Bulgarian Fortress
Archaeologists in Bulgaria are claiming to have uncovered stone cannonballs used during Vlad III Dracula’s assault on the historic Zishtova Fortress. The unusually cruel military commander—famously known as Vlad the Impaler—wrested the stronghold from the Ottoman Turks in 1461. Zishtova Fortress, which dates back to the 13th and 14th century AD, sits atop a hill … Continued
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Tech NewsThe U.S. Army Once Kept $1 Billion Worth of LSD in a Maryland Office for Some Reason
James Ketchum, an Army psychiatrist who conducted controversial drug experiments on members of the U.S. military, died last month, on May 27, at the age of 87. And while Ketchum’s legacy is filled with plenty of weird and horrifying tales, there’s one story that should get more attention in the wake of his death. Specifically, … Continued
By Matt Novak -
ScienceHealthScientists Sequenced the Genes of Ancient Plague Bacteria That Spread the ‘First Pandemic’
Scientists have gained some insight into one of the first known calamities to visit mankind: a two century-long pandemic caused by the bacterial disease plague. Studying the remains of plague victims, the researchers say they were able to sequence the genomes of plague strains that devastated the Roman Empire starting in the 6th century. They … Continued
By Ed Cara -
Tech NewsHow People Talked About iTunes When It First Launched
It’s official. Apple announced yesterday that it would begin killing off iTunes, one of the company’s most important software products ever. And, to be honest, there isn’t much love lost, since iTunes has become widely reviled by most users in recent years. But that wasn’t always the case. What did people think of iTunes when … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsThink HBO’s Chernobyl Is Brutal? Check Out This Haunting Animation That Aired on TV in the 1950s
HBO’s new miniseries Chernobyl has gotten a lot of attention for its gory realism. Radiation from a nuclear power plant disaster is brutal for the human body, to say the least. But the explicit nature of Chernobyl almost pales in comparison to some of the things that were shown in the 1950s. Like this British … Continued
By Matt Novak -
ScienceHealthMedicinal Plants Used During the U.S. Civil War Are Surprisingly Good at Fighting Bacteria
With conventional medicines in short supply during the Civil War, the Confederacy turned to plant-based alternatives in desperation. New research suggests some of these remedies were actually quite good at fighting off infections—a finding that could lead to effective new drugs. Three plant-based topical remedies listed in a Confederate Civil War field guide have antiseptic … Continued
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Tech NewsBatwoman, Failed Airlines, and Height Enhancement Scams: Best Gizmodo Stories of the Week
It’s been a busy week for our friends at Facebook: Amid showing a bunch of loser far-right trolls and also Louis Farrakhan the door, kicking off an unhinged Twitter spree by the president, the company announced a confusing pivot towards being a privacy-first platform while also announcing other features designed to lure users into telling … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsWhat If the Asteroid Never Killed the Dinosaurs?
An asteroid slammed down and did away with all the dinosaurs, paving the way for such developments as the human race, capitalism, and posting on the internet: it’s the story we all know and love. Yet if things had shaken out differently—if the asteroid had stayed in its place, and the dinosaurs allowed to proceed … Continued
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ScienceHuman HistoryDeclassified U2 Spy Plane Photos Expose Hidden Archaeological Sites
During the Cold War, the United States flew U2 spy planes over Europe, the Middle East, and central eastern Asia in search of potential military targets. These missions inadvertently gathered historical information, which archaeologists are now using for scientific purposes. New research published last month in the science journal Advances in Archaeological Practice describes the … Continued
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io9MoviesAn Argument for an Intermission During Avengers: Endgame
Avengers: Endgame is the rare kind of film whose three-hour, intermission-less runtime is a price audiences are willing to pay without batting an eye because, as Marvel Studios keeps reminding everyone, this is the end of an era. A narrative climax of Endgame’s proportions rightfully deserves to take its time. But people also deserve to … Continued
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ScienceHuman HistoryStunning 10-Foot Statue of Roman Emperor Found Under Ancient Fountain in Turkey
Archaeologists working in the ancient Turkish city of Laodicea have discovered a monumental statue of Trajan, a famed Roman emperor who led the empire to its greatest geographical extent. The extravagant, imposing statue of Trajan was discovered by researchers from the Excavation Committee of the Ancient City of Laodicea, a project led by Pamukkale University … Continued
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Tech NewsHumans Built Complex Societies Before They Invented Moral Gods
The appearance of moralizing gods in religion occurred after—and not before—the emergence of large, complex societies, according to new research. This finding upturns conventional thinking on the matter, in which moralizing gods are typically cited as a prerequisite for social complexity. Gods who punish people for their anti-social indiscretions appeared in religions after the emergence … Continued
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ScienceHuman History
Hundreds of Artifacts from Notorious Nazi Massacre Uncovered in German Forest
Archaeologists in Germany have unearthed some 400 artifacts dating back to a Nazi massacre in which hundreds of forced laborers were executed during the closing phases of World War II. The final stages of the Second World War in Europe encompassed some of the worst atrocities seen during the entire conflict, including a grim episode … Continued
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io9
HBO’s Lovecraft Country Could Be Everything Green Book Wasn’t
There are as many valid criticisms of Peter Farrelly’s Best Picture Oscar-winner Green Book as there are listings in Victor Hugo Green’s The Negro Motorist Green Book. But an upcoming adaptation has a lot more potential to tell the real story, even if there are Lovecraftian monsters involved. The Negro Motorist Green Book (published from … Continued
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io9
Dave Smith, the Founder and First Head of the Walt Disney Archives, Has Passed Away
Archiving is one of the most important jobs in the entertainment industry. Without the work of archivists, generations’ worth of entertainment artifacts can be easily lost amidst the fervor of the market and its incessant drive to the future. Among archivists in entertainment, Dave Smith, who passed away on Friday, was one of the most … Continued
By Julie Muncy -
Tech NewsThis 1920s Concept for a Drive-Through Grocery Store Completely Failed
Today, the grocery delivery battle is being waged between companies like Amazon, Walmart, Target, FreshDirect, and Instacart. But there once was a time when the most futuristic thing in food shopping was the car. Specifically, drive-in shopping like these stores from the 1920s. The car was invented in the 1890s, but it wasn’t until the … Continued
By Matt Novak -
ScienceHuman History
Famed WW2 Aircraft Carrier Torpedoed in 1942 Found Miles Deep in Pacific Ocean
After 77 years, the wreck of the USS Hornet has finally been found, lying more than three miles deep in South Pacific waters. The storied aircraft carrier—sunk by Japanese torpedoes in 1942 with the loss of 140 men— played a critical role during the Second World War, most famously in the Doolittle Raid and the … Continued
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ScienceHuman History
Danish Workers Unearth ‘Still-Sharp’ Medieval Sword While Digging Out Sewer
When plumbing planner Jannick Vestergaard and engineer Henning Nøh woke up on the morning of February 5th, it likely never occurred to them that their day’s work would result in the discovery of an extraordinary double-edged sword dating back to the 14th century. Vestergaard and Nøh were conducting sewer work on Algade, a street in … Continued