Esther Inglis-Arkell, Author at Gizmodo

The Experiments That Tested Out Cleopatra’s Magic Aphrodisiac

Cleopatra, that famous ruler and seducer of all men, is famous for having won the heart and soul of Marc Antony — by melting down a pearl and drinking it, to entrance the Roman with the pearl’s aphrodisiac properties. But could this actually work? In the 1950s, scientists tested it out. So was Cleopatra’s aphrodisiac…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Aug 23

Futurama tries for a social message, and doesn’t quite make it

In last night’s Futurama episode, Viva Mars Vegas, the gang decides to pull off a casino heist. Everything about that’s fun. But the show also tries to hit a social message — and that’s not quite as successful. Also, there’s Zoidberg. We start the episode with a slam on Jar Jar Binks, as the Binks…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Aug 23

Why can’t we spell English words phonetically?

English, whatever its merits as a language, is a bitch to spell. There are so many rules, and so many exceptions, and yet in the end you have to learn a lot of words on a case-by-case basis. If future linguists discover our written texts, what on Earth will they think English sounded like? So…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Aug 22

The scientific quest behind a very old joke

It’s an old joke: How does the teflon stick to the pan? It turns out that the answer involves a relatively long scientific quest to find a smooth substance that can stand the test of time. When you run your fingers over nonstick pans, they have that ultra-smooth plasticky feel that lets you know why…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Aug 21

Why “shock diamonds” shoot out of jets and space shuttles

When you see what look like strobe lights shooting out behind a jet or a space shuttle, blame it on our old friend physics. Those lights called are shock diamonds, or mach disks. Sometimes they look like puffs of compressed smoke behind aircraft. At other times, they look more like glowing disks or diamonds popping…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Aug 20

How is a shark like a golf ball?

They both cause a lot of trouble in the ocean? It’s unhealthy to be hit on the head with either one? I’d do my best to whack either one away from me with a golf club? All true. But also, they both have surfaces designed to take advantage of physics. Oh, there are so many…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Aug 19

The strange quest for a universal, “Earth Standard” language

Throughout history, people have tried very hard to come up with “constructed languages” that would become Earth Standard languages, spoken universally. None have been as popular as natural languages are, and they mostly seem to be falling into obscurity. Before they go, we’ll do a survey of humanity’s greatest attempts to overcome the power of…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Aug 17

Why does this still image appear to move?

I think we’ve proven, through various optical illusions, that your eyes know precisely nothing about anything. And yet it’s still creepy when a still image is crawling across your screen. Check out a couple of reasons why people think this happens. There’s not much to be said, here. The image is moving. I see it.…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Aug 17

Use chemistry to make literal green eggs (the ham is up to you)

Are you up for some Seussian hijinks? You can do a simple chemisty experiment that allows you to make actual green eggs to have with your ham. We’ll review the procedure and once again give thanks that there are so many ways to simultaneously indulge a love of science and food. I do not like…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Aug 17

Why four is the nemesis of happy numbers

What are happy numbers? Primarily, happy numbers are proof that mathematicians take joy in strange things. It seems they have been playing with numbers the way that more normal (cough) people play with action figures, and have decided that there are a whole category of numbers that are happy. And then there is the endless,…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Aug 17

Futurama trades Star Wars for The Matrix

Futurama continues its call-backs to old episodes when Fry wants to find some new (old) relatives. The gang goes to the Near-Death Star to metaphorically unearth the parents of my favorite character on the show – the Professor. It’s time to add another piece to Hubert Farnsworth’s long and sordid history. Bender may be the…

Television Esther Inglis-Arkell Aug 16

The strictly non-medical history of laughing gas

People have always used laughing gas, or nitrous oxide, recreationally. Whether they’re casual whippet users or have access to a steady supply of the medical-grade stuff, people have enjoyed the drug since its discovery over 200 years ago. In fact, there was a time when doctors would have been horrified at the idea of using…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Aug 16

Spinning guinea pigs on a turntable for science!

Occasionally you hear of science experiments in which the experiment itself is much more interesting than the result. For example, there is a whole genre of experiments which involve putting animals on turntables and spinning them right round, baby, right round. And yes, it’s actually important. Have you heard that old saying that the journey…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Aug 16

Does your name influence the jobs you choose?

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but would Usain Bolt, by any other name, be as fast? How much do our names determine what we do in life? We’ve taken a look at why a disproportionate number of those of you named Baker are probably bakers. Contrary to what Juliet has…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Aug 15

Why Koalas Have Human Fingerprints

Some accuse evolution of being pretty directionless. After all, the whole process involves random genetic mutations. But if evolution is just a toss of a million-sided die, why do so many animals turn out eerily similar? Nope, it’s not intelligent design. We take a look at the creepy look-alikes brought on by what biologists call…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Aug 14

Tell us about your shark encounters!

We’ve heard the sensational stories about people beating away attacking sharks with a swim fin. And we’ve heard from scientists who have had encounters with these misunderstood, noble giants of the sea. But we haven’t heard from you! Tell us about your close encounters with sharks. Here’s mine. There was a girl in my school…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Aug 14

The existence of helium is evidence for the Big Bang

When people talk about evidence for the Big Bang, they’re most likely to point to the Cosmic Microwave Background. But there’s another major piece of evidence that the Big Bang happened, and it involves the element that makes your voice squeaky. This is the story of how helium can show that the universe had a…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Aug 13

What’s the right way for NASA to color in the universe?

We all know that some parts of the images that NASA, and any space agency shows us are “fake.” Not fake as in they were made in a facility in Arizona, but painted with colors other than the ones that were collected, omitting some bits of information and emphasizing others. We’ll take a quick look…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Aug 12

The terrifying history of herbal abortion medicines

As long as people have been getting pregnant, they’ve been looking for ways to end their pregnancies. Sometimes these ways have worked. Sometimes they haven’t. We’re going to take a quick look at the history of abortifacient herbs, and be very, very happy we live in the present. One of the best parts of modern…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Aug 10

What’s the minimum safe distance from a supernova?

So apparently there are big burning things in the sky called stars. They are unstable, and I don’t want to scare you, but they occasionally explode. When they explode, you don’t want to be near them. But how far are you supposed to get away? It doesn’t really matter, since if we’re too close to…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Aug 10

Esther Inglis-Arkell

The Experiments That Tested Out Cleopatra’s Magic Aphrodisiac

Futurama tries for a social message, and doesn’t quite make it

Why can’t we spell English words phonetically?

The scientific quest behind a very old joke

Why “shock diamonds” shoot out of jets and space shuttles

How is a shark like a golf ball?

The strange quest for a universal, “Earth Standard” language

Why does this still image appear to move?

Use chemistry to make literal green eggs (the ham is up to you)

Why four is the nemesis of happy numbers

Futurama trades Star Wars for The Matrix

The strictly non-medical history of laughing gas

Spinning guinea pigs on a turntable for science!

Does your name influence the jobs you choose?

Why Koalas Have Human Fingerprints

Tell us about your shark encounters!

The existence of helium is evidence for the Big Bang

What’s the right way for NASA to color in the universe?

The terrifying history of herbal abortion medicines

What’s the minimum safe distance from a supernova?

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