Annalee Newitz

Ready to Move Animals Around the Planet for “Aggressive Conservation”?

This week a new paper revealed that humans have caused 322 animal extinctions over the past few centuries, and these numbers are alarming. But we can prevent more, using a tactic that some are calling “aggressive conservation.” https://gizmodo.com/humans-have-caused-322-animal-extinctions-in-the-past-5-1610770918 In the photo above, the National Parks Service uses a helicopter to move a tranquilized grizzly bear.…

Here Are the Winners of the 2014 Eisner Awards

Winners were announced at last night’s annual Eisner Award ceremony at Comic-Con, where the best comic book creators and critics are honored for their work. Here they are, thanks to Behind the Panels: Best Short Story “Untitled,” by Gilbert Hernandez, in Love and Rockets: New Stories #6 (Fantagraphics) Best Single Issue (or One-Shot) Hawkeye #11:…

Anti-GMO activist Mike Adams, who last week called for his followers to kill journalists who cover biotech, claims the “hit list” site attributed to him is actually a false flag created by pro-Monsanto forces. But this investigation reveals that there’s a lot of evidence connecting Adams to the hit list site.

How the Rise of Refrigeration is Transforming China

In many parts of the world, having a refrigerator is part of everyday life. But in China, only 7% of people in cities had refrigerators in 1995. Now that number is over 95%. Writer Nicola Twilley has an article in the New York Times about how this simple technology has changed everything. Photo by Massimo…

High Levels of Insecticide Found in Iowa Streams

A study released today offers evidence that neonicotinoids, the same pesticides associated with honeybee deaths, are now flowing into our water supplies. Neonicotinoids are a kind of insecticide that some scientists say could be causing colony collapse disorder, which endangers bees and agricultural plants alike. https://gizmodo.com/we-may-have-solved-the-mystery-of-the-dying-bees-1576014549 The new study reveals that in regions throughout Iowa,…

Lucy Tells the Greatest Superhero Origin Story Ever

Set five minutes into the future, Lucy is about the birth of a new kind of superhero. With Scarlett Johansson playing our eponymous ninja with mental superpowers, there’s a lot of fantastic action here. But sadly, the movie makes some major mistakes, too. Let’s start with the good stuff. Director Luc Besson is a genius…

A woman who tested positive for the deadly Ebola virus has escaped quarantine and is wandering in Freetown, Sierra Leone, a city of 1 million people. Over the past several weeks, deadly outbreaks of Ebola have killed many people in Sierra Leone and elsewhere in western Africa.

Is This One of the Most Innovative Buildings of the Year?

You’re looking at a building that’s been shortlisted for a prize awarded to a building in the UK that has contributed most to the evolution of architecture. This is the Saw Swee Hock Student Center at the London School of Economics, designed by O’Donnell + Tuomey Architects. It’s been shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize…

Coolest Comic-Con Cosplay: The First 24 Hours

It wouldn’t be Comic-Con if there weren’t a ton of beautiful, mind-boggling, and asskicking cosplay. Here is the first 24 hours of the con’s cosplay madness. We’re just getting started. Photo by Pamela Shigeoka We always love Ashley “Her Universe” Eckstein’s geek designs — and this Star Wars themed, vintage-style dress is no exception. Photo…

Your Sperm Velocity Has Been Measured and Found Wanting

Human sperm can swim pretty fast, most of the time, but they’ve got nothing on the sperm of deer mice. What is the deer mouse’s secret? Recently, a Harvard professor created a mathematical model of sperm behaviors to figure it out. Deer mouse sperm image via Heidi Fisher Over at Not Exactly Rocket Science, Ed…

Anti-GMO activist Mike Adams, featured recently on Dr. Oz, has issued a call for his followers to kill journalists he calls “Monsanto collaborators” because they have written about the possible benefits of GMOs. His homicidal logic is based on the myth that GMOs are causing mass suicides in India, which he’s dubbed “genocide.”

Teaser Poster for Jurassic World Has Dystopian Flair

I’m liking the look of this Jurassic World poster, released today at Comic-Con, despite my extreme prejudice against scientifically inaccurate dinosaurs that have no feathers. Nice to see the dinosaur hanging out in the garbage near a city construction site. Urban raptors are the next logical step. An early rumor about the plot to Jurassic…

At Last, an Official Ant-Man Movie Poster!

It’s weird to see Paul Rudd looking all noble like that, but the suit is great. And the ant steed is perfect. This is Marvel’s teaser poster for the long-awaited Ant-Man movie, released today at Comic-Con, and featured on Entertainment Weekly.

The View of the Space Elevator Is Beautiful From Here

If you want to get a good look at the long tether linking the space elevator platform planetside to the orbital station they built inside a hollow asteroid, you really need to be in orbit. I come to the forward viewing deck to see it whenever I can. This lovely image is from Joao Silva,…

“The Time to Call for Diversity Is Now” for Arabian Nights Movies

Warner Bros. is set to make a 7-film series based on the Arabian Nights. And screenwriter Zack Stentz (Thor, X-Men: First Class) says the time is now for people to call for the cast to be diverse and not whitewashed. Image via Mobion

io9 Book Club Reminder: Meet 8/5 to Discuss The Girl with All the Gifts

This month, the io9 Book Club is reading The Girl with All the Gifts, by M.R. Carey (we reviewed it here ). We’ll meet on August 5 to discuss it. Join us! We’re hoping Carey will join us later that week to talk about the book. What is this io9 Book Club all about? We…

Welcome to Comic-Con 2014!

io9 has arrived at Comic-Con, and of course the zombie apocalypse has already begun. One of the hotels has been wrapped to look like Terminus, the iconic Walking Dead location. We’ll be here for the next five days, bringing you the latest news and insanity from pop culture central. Photo via @ashleyelizabeth Get ready for…

TV Shows That Are Guaranteed to Freak You Out

For some reason, I love to watch insanely scary and weird shit in the summer — and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one. But just one movie isn’t enough. I want a TV series that will routinely make the hair walk off my head. What do you recommend? Post pictures, video, and links!…

No, It’s Not Your Imagination — Your Dog Is Actually Feeling Jealous

Humans share basic emotions like anger, sadness, and joy with other animals. But for a long time, scientists argued that complex cognition is necessary for secondary emotions like jealousy and guilt. Owners see those emotions in their dogs all the time, however — and now it turns out they may be right. Photo by MaraZe…

Congress Basically Admits They Are Reptilians

Congress Edits is a Twitter bot that tweets every time a person in US government anonymously edits Wikipedia. This is our favorite edit so far, in which an anonymous person in the House of Representatives added a denial to an article on U.S. politicians being secret alien lizards. https://gizmodo.com/congress-is-still-editing-wikipedia-a-lot-heres-how-1605295946 Here’s the passage in question, with…