Gizmodo

Scientists in Denmark have squeaked out an entire human genome from a prehistoric piece of “chewing gum.” Made from birch tar, the 5,700-year-old gum also contained evidence of diet and disease and is providing a remarkable snapshot of life during the early Neolithic.

The previous iteration of HP’s premium convertibles did nearly everything right. They had an eye-catching design, a wide range of components, solid build, you name it. But sadly, those highlights were often drowned out by a clunky touchpad experience that left people feeling frustrated. But now, HP has returned to fix…Read more...

A cable is a cable is a cable, right? Not quite. While there shouldn’t be any difference from one USB cable over another—it’s mostly the protective covering around the cable and a bunch of marketing—some have found that their Pixel 4 smartphones get fussy depending on which USB cable you’re using to charge them. Pick…Read more...

Kevin Feige is already hyping up Marvel’s next Avengers-level crossover. There’s potentially good news for Picard on the way. Taika Waititi pitches a bigger, bolder and brighter Thor movie for Love and Thunder. Plus, a few more snippets of The Rise of Skywalker footage, Rick and Morty’s New Year return, and Damian…Read more...

At 19, Kathryn Spiers was hired on as one of the youngest Google security engineers in the company. Less than two years later, she’s been abruptly terminated for what she believes is her involvement in internal activism.Read more...

Lifewit Bathroom XL Bath Mat | $23 | Amazon | Clip coupon and use promo code GV89ZC6GRead more...

TV journalists for Australia’s ABC News went outside to deliver the 7pm broadcast in the capital city of Canberra today, but it wasn’t because the weather was pleasant. Bushfires near the city set off indoor smoke alarms at the TV studio and interrupted the evening broadcast.

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It’s almost here: The end of the Skywalker saga that began its stealthy takeover of pop culture all the way back in 1977, and has since changed both sci-fi and blockbuster movies forever. The Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker world premiere has just ended, and critics are sharing their (spoiler-free) reactions now!

Today in extremely bad decisions: The Department of Defense as well as the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division and XVIII Airborne Corps uploaded the same glossy, artificially colorized headshot of reviled war criminal and Waffen-SS officer Joachim Peiper to Facebook on Wednesday, the Daily Beast reported.

Amazon has barred third-party stores on its Marketplace platform from using FedEx ground or home shipping for Prime deliveries, the Wall Street Journal reported, saying that the company has performed poorly in getting packages to customers. In an email to sellers, the Journal wrote, Amazon said that the ban will…Read more...

The Rick and Morty faithful know what it means to wait for new episodes—and are on familiar turf again, now that the first half of season four is over. This might be why the first five episodes leaned so hard into fan service. But they also elevated the show’s signature blend of juvenile humor and flat-out brilliance.Read more...

The idea of a Quentin Tarantino Star Trek movie has had fans salivating for years, but it might be time to finally put the idea behind us.Read more...

Boeing will halt production on its infamous 737 MAX plane nine months after authorities grounded the passenger airliner following crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia that took 346 lives.Read more...

It’s hard not to look at the news every day and wonder if your life has somehow forked into an alternate reality or dimension than the one you were familiar with. Not helping the matter are the recently revealed best illusions of the year, including Frank Force’s winning Dual Axis Illusion which can look like it’s…Read more...

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (PS4 and Xbox One) | $40 | WalmartRead more...

What the hell is going on over at American Gods?Read more...

Australia just can’t seem to catch a break. Bushfires have been ravaging the country for more than a month. Australia ended 2018 with a record-breaking heat wave, and it appears this year will end the same. And in the process, the country could see its hottest day ever recorded.

This week, Netflix finally launches its highly anticipated fantasy series The Witcher. If you’re not familiar with either the source material or just why people have gotten so excited about a white-haired Henry Cavill in a bathtub, you’re probably not sure what all the fuss is about or why this is so exciting. Allow…Read more...

The potential dangers of long-term vaping have largely been hypothetical, but a new study out Monday provides the first real evidence that it can increase the risk of chronic lung disease in humans. And while the risk may be much higher for those who smoke traditional tobacco cigarettes, it’s amplified in people who…Read more...

Money talks, and that’s why environmental activists—and, more specifically, indigenous peoples—have been pressuring banks for years to stop throwing their money toward fossil fuel extraction projects. Finally, major banks are starting to listen. Goldman Sachs announced Sunday that it’s finally listening and won’t fund…Read more...

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Tom Cruise is supposed to be an ally. This megawealthy superstar is supposed to, at the very least, understand how movies and television are viewed and support us nerds who want everything in widescreen with a perfectly calibrated rec.709 picture and zero motion smoothing. Why has he forsaken us?Read more...

We don’t know exactly what’s going on with Julian Assange’s health, but a growing band of doctors has called on the Australian government to negotiate his transfer out of a maximum-security British jail to a hospital in Australia.Read more...

To my surprise, this year from hell has actually gifted the climate movement with some celebratory strides.

Researchers in Turkey have uncovered modified Neolithic human teeth that were worn as pendants, perhaps in a necklace or bracelet, in a rare and perplexing archaeological find.

Software updates are supposed to improve security or make things run a bit smoother or faster. However, a recent change to Chrome on Android is causing some serious problems for both users and app developers.Read more...

Say bye to SMS. As of last week, Google finished rolling out RCS messaging on Android phones in the U.S.—meaning, it’s available regardless of your carrier.Read more...

In Instagram’s latest push to be one of the least toxic of the major social media services, the platform is launching a feature that warns users before they post something that could be offensive.Read more...

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A KitchenAid Artisan Gold Box, an Oral B, Crest, and Gilette Gold Box, and a $25 Blu-ray copy of Jurassic World 5-Movie Collection lead off Monday’s best deals from around the web.Read more...

Every autumn as temperatures drop and insect populations decline, billions of birds migrate across the U.S. in search of warmer nesting temperatures and more food availability—both extremely good answers to seasonal depression. In the spring, the birds fly back to mate.Read more...

The California Current is home to one of the most productive ecosystems on Earth. It would stand to reason we wouldn’t want to mess it up. And yet.Read more...

Folks, you’re running out of time.Read more...

Hayden Panettiere’s newest ‘do sparks speculation about a potential new Scream. A Sarah Jane Adventures star is coming to Doctor Who, but with a twist. Stephen King discusses HBO’s adaptation of The Outsider. Plus, a tiny snippet of new Birds of Prey footage, and teases for what’s to come on His Dark Materials’…Read more...

Netflix has changed the way we think about watching movies and shows, but that monthly subscription isn’t as essential as you might think it is—a growing number of alternatives are appearing on the scene, and some of them are free to use. Here are the best Netflix-esque services that you don’t have to pay to use.Read more...

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For years you’ve flown without issue—no breathing exercises, no pills—but suddenly you can’t board without picturing catastrophe. No one you know has recently died in a crash; you have not, to your knowledge, dwelled excessively on those Boeing catastrophes; and yet suddenly, out of nowhere, you’ve become the kind of…Read more...

SimpliSafe 8 Piece Wireless Home Security System | $200 | Amazon

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to close down two U.S. military bases in Turkey if sanctions against the country are approved by President Donald Trump. One of the U.S. bases, known as Incirlik, is believed to house roughly 50 nuclear bombs.

December always goes by too fast in my opinion. One moment, it’s the first and I have all the time in the world to scope out Christmas presents, and the next moment I’m in a mad dash to slap a bow and some wrapping paper on whatever last-minute gift I managed to grab that morning as I rush out the door to…Read more...

The longest global climate conference in its 25-year history came to an end Sunday after negotiations ran nearly two days over its initial deadline. Unfortunately, talks in Madrid went about as well as they do every year at the United Nation’s (UN) historically ineffective summit: There was a lot of finger-pointing,…Read more...

Okay, yeah, we’re talking about the Snyder Cut. Buckle up, this is going to be a ride.Read more...

Thirty-three pairs of AirPods.

Okay, The Rise of Skywalker is almost out. But: what’s next? That’s the big question looming over the Star Wars franchise as it reaches forward into uncharted territory, unmoored from stories about Anakin Skywalker and his big multi-generational fuck up. It’s also the subject Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm,…Read more...

This week, we learned the EPA rated the new 2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo’s range at just 201 miles on a charge. That’s worse than almost every other electric car on sale today, and far worse than the 300 miles Porsche teased a couple of years ago, so what made the EPA figure so low?

J.J? Please, don’t tease me on this. It’s important.Read more...

The German automotive industry, including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volkswagen, and their subsidiaries, may soon be facing more problems in the declining Chinese car market over a dispute about 5G phone networks, of all things.Read more...

Victoria Mahoney made Hollywood history when she became the second unit director on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, making her so far the first (and only) woman to direct anything on a Star Wars movie, placing her alongside a handful of directors on The Mandalorian as the only women to direct Star Wars media in…Read more...

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