Reconstruction of Ötzi the Iceman. Image: South Tyrol Archaeological Museum/Thilo Parg Ötzi the Iceman is the gift that keeps on giving. Found embedded in a glacier in 1991, the 5,300-year-old mummy has offered unprecedented insights into Copper Age Europe. A new analysis of Ötzi’s equipment shows what he was up to in the hours before…

Screenshot: Instagram Speaking on stage today at the service’s launch event, Instagram cofounder Kevin Systrom reminisced about the days when Instagram wasn’t so goddamn complicated. “It started with square photos and videos—those were the good old days right guys,” said Systrom. “Since then video has exploded, we’ve continued to build video experiences, and in 2016…

Image: Facebook As Facebook continues to look for ways to wring every last dollar out of its platform, the company announced today that it is rolling out a pilot program that allows Facebook group administrators the ability to offer paid monthly subscriptions. To start, subs will cost anywhere between $5 and $30; however, Facebook says…

Diagram of the e-dermis system. Illustration: Osborn et al., 2018/Science Robotics To make it work, the researchers created a neuromorphic system—a device that mimics the behavior of the nervous system with circuits. In this case, their neuromorphic model took the output of the e-dermis (i.e. the tactile information produced when touching an object) and transformed…

Master Replicas, makers of some of the finest lightsaber replicas in any galaxy, sadly closed its doors back in 2008. Last year, however, part of its original team opened Master Replicas Group, a new company that’s relaunching with a series of 2001: A Space Odyssey collectibles to start, including a flash drive based on one…

Photo: AP The effort to pass a strong open internet law in California was killed off Wednesday morning by a handful of state legislators in a process described by many net neutrality advocates as corrupt and undemocratic. Members of California’s Communications and Conveyance Committee, led by Democratic Chairman Miguel Santiago, eviscerated the text of SB…

Image: Getty/Gizmodo At a time when we’re seeing more and more companies attempting to avoid soiling themselves with the stench of the belching Trump machine, Disney is actively trying to give Fox News founder Rupert Murdoch more billions. It’s a gutsy move in the age of boycotts, and it shows how shallow Disney’s carefully crafted…

A June 1 protest in New York against the Trump administration’s policy to separate undocumented children from their parents at the border. Photo: Spencer Platt (Getty Images) A series of heartbreaking investigative stories published Wednesday by Reveal and The Texas Tribune highlight the disturbing conditions many undocumented children have been allegedly forced to endure in privately…