Annalee Newitz

What would you get an io9 reader for the holidays?

Our sister site Gawker wants to know what to get for their science-loving, geeky friends. Now you can tell them! http://gawker.com/gawker-gift-guide-io9-edition-1481430415

The Hobbit proves you can like a movie even if it’s not good

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is considerably better than the first movie in the trilogy. It has a more coherent structure, genuinely interesting character development, and fucking awesome dragon action. I liked it a lot — yet I was painfully aware of how bad the movie was. Here’s what you’ll enjoy in The Hobbit,…

Welcome to the new, green Arctic

This image is based on satellite observations of the Arctic region over a 30 year period, starting in 1982. What it reveals, according to NOAA, is that the icy area around the north pole is getting greener. In the future, plants will thrive in former ice fields. The image shows changes in surface vegetation over…

It’s surprisingly difficult to prove that you’re awake

You may know when you’re awake, but you can’t prove it scientifically. That’s because there’s no objective way to distinguish between a “conscious” and “unconscious” brain. But now, scientists may have discovered the telltale neurological signature of a mind that’s awake. Over at the New York Times, Maggie Koerth-Baker has a great essay on the…

“UFO Detector” for sale on Amazon — and it’s getting great reviews

Just in time for those holiday abductions, Amazon is selling a “UFO-O2 Detector.” It will help you spot UFOs coming, by beeping when it detects “magnetic anomalies.” But the best part is the product reviews. This gadget is from the fine people at Images SI, who will also sell you a Roswell UFO crash site…

We who spoke LOLcat now speak Doge

In the internet meme war between cats and dogs, the dogs are currently winning. The “doge” meme features an image (often of an adorable shiba dog), annotated with distinctive phrases representing the thoughts of the dog — or the dragon, or whatever is being depicted. What has the internet gained in its move from LOLcats…

A disturbing “care pamphlet” given to families of lobotomized soldiers

After World War II, many veterans suffered post-traumatic stress and other mental illnesses. Now, long-buried documents have come to light that reveal how nearly 2,000 of these soldiers who were given lobotomies in VA hospitals. They were sent home to their families with this “care” pamphlet. Photo of doctors examining a lobotomy patient via The…

Here’s Carl Sagan’s original essay on the dangers of climate change

Ballantine has issued a shiny new edition of Sagan’s book Cosmos, with a foreword from Cosmos reboot host Neil deGrasse Tyson. We’ve got an excerpt, which reveals how deeply Sagan was concerned about climate change in 1980 when the book was originally published. With an introduction by original Cosmos series writer and producer Ann Druyan,…

Gifts for Good Causes

If you’d like to get into the true spirit of the holidays, you can give donations to causes this year instead of shiny boxes full of electronic circuitry. Luckily, there are plenty of great organizations and crowdfunding opportunities that will help make the world a more futuristic place. Image via MakerBot Pipe up in comments…

The Dragon Was Plagued By Butterflies

Nothing could terrify the dragon whose scales were made of titanium, and whose mouth dripped with toxic smoke. Well, actually, there was one thing. He could not abide flocks of butterflies. You can see the whole illustration below. Frederick Richardson was an early twentieth century illustrator, perhaps best known for his work with L. Frank…

Did Neal Stephenson predict the NSA spying on World of Warcraft?

New leaked documents from Edward Snowden reveal that the NSA and British intelligence have been spying on people in World of Warcraft and other online games. And Neal Stephenson’s epic spy novel REAMDE predicted this whole mess back in 2011. https://kotaku.com/american-and-british-government-may-have-spied-on-wow-a-1479468945 https://gizmodo.com/neal-stephensons-reamde-is-a-high-tech-incarnation-of-t-5849371 Over at Ars Technica, Sean Gallager reports: “Al Qaida terrorist target selectors and…

Here is everything we know so far about a massive freshwater lake on Mars, which existed about 3.5 billion years ago. It was pretty damn muddy, and may have harbored life.

Author Charles Stross is here today, answering your questions!

In November, the io9 book club read Charles Stross’ novel Neptune’s Brood. Today from 12:00-1:00 PDT, Stross is here to answer your questions! Ask him about Neptune’s Brood, economic science fiction, or any of his other incredible series and books. Image via ChiCon Just jump into comments and ask questions, and Stross will get to…

Why are “black diamond” truffles worth $900 per pound?

The black Périgord truffle, revered among foodies for its unique scent, has become so rare that it sells for $900 per pound. But not for long. A team of chemists have begun to reverse engineer the secret of its rare scent, and could one day flood the gourmet market with cheap replacement proteins. Périgord is…

A mysterious law that predicts the size of the world’s biggest cities

For the past century, an obscure mathematical principle called Zipf’s law has predicted the size of mega-cities all over the world. And nobody knows why. Illustration by Algol via Shutterstock Back in 1949, the linguist George Zipf noticed something odd about how often people use words in a given language. He found that a small…

Is New York about to be invaded by ice-loving cockroaches?

Last year, workers in New York City’s High Line park found some unusual-looking cockroaches they’d never seen before. And now, two biologists have identified the bugs as a species from Japan, pictured here (male on the left, female on the right) which can survive in icy weather that kills typical American roaches. New York may…

A weird short film about the reality behind Space Invaders

What if the 8-bit creatures from Space Invaders actually invaded? That’s what French indie filmmaker Thomas Lesourd has done with “Invaders from Space.” The result is bizarre, and at times downright intense. It’s a strange combination of European art movie and crazy Space Invader action — with some effects that are completely eerie, and others…

Doctor fined $25,000 for claiming to cure cancer with green tea

The Australian Medical Board has fined a doctor $25,000 because he told patients he could cure their cancer with a special diet, along with supplements and green tea. This landmark case could help discourage other fake cancer treatments, and save lives. William Barnes, a doctor based in Perth, advertised online that he offered “non toxic…

OMG it’s the Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark trailer!

Possibly the greatest epic in Syfy Movie of the Week history is coming soon — and we’ve got the trailer! This time, there is a GIANT SHARK ROBOT. Also, it turns out that the real solution just may be love. All that mega shark really wants is a date.

We secret our vessels here, in the lee of the magnetic field

In the most remote crags of the ice-buried mountains of the southern ice cap, the pirate crew had a safe house. This icy scene was created by Jae Cheol Park, a concept artist in Korea who worked on the movie Snowpiercer among other things. You can see more of his work on his Facebook page.