Esther Inglis-Arkell, Author at Gizmodo

There Is a Deadly Secret Hidden in This Fish’s Parenting Plan

This is the stickleback. The males of the species have a reputation for being wonderful fathers. They are so baby-crazy that if their nests are empty they will steal the eggs of other males, just to get a little something to watch over. But, wait! Just how did their nests become empty in the first…

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Watch What Happens Inside a Bubble When It Collapses

Watch a bubble annihilate itself by stabbing itself, splitting in two, and then dissolving into two tiny clouds of bubbles. It’s quick, it’s beautiful, and, with the accompanying explanation, it’s weirdly intuitive. My favorite moment in this video of a bubble collapsing is the moment when the bubble seems to turn in on itself and…

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Quails Can Make Themselves Poisonous

Quail is a common game bird. People eat it all the time. And sometimes when they eat it, their muscles disintegrate and their kidneys give out. Learn how these birds periodically turn themselves poisonous. The common quail lives all over Europe. Every year it migrates down to northern Africa. That’s an impressive feat, and a…

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This “Ghost Chicken” Story Is One of Science’s Strangest Urban Legends

Today, we remember Francis Bacon mostly for his political and scientific contributions, but the people of Highgate remember him for something else: a scientific urban legend about a food safety experiment that may (or, more likely, may not) have created a ghost chicken. This is the legend: Francis Bacon, renowned politician and early elucidator of…

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This Is How Bleached Flour Changes The Taste of Your Cakes

You’ve seen labels advertising “unbleached” flour. Few labels announce that their flour is “bleached,” but that’s exactly what happens to most white flour. It’s not just about the color, though—it’s an actual chemical change. Here’s how it works and why your cakes just wouldn’t taste the same without it. Chlorine bleach, when applied to your…

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This Absolutely Filthy Mitchell and Webb Sketch Has a Historical Basis

This comedy sketch is not safe for work. It is, however, very funny. And one art historian actually fact-checked it. Find out why Victoria didn’t think that linden trees smell of that, and which tree Victorians believed actually did smell of it. The point of this sketch is that a modern idea—linden trees smelled like…

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These Turtles Hunt in Vicious Packs.

Every horror movie maker in the world can stop trying—because we just found the best horror movie concept ever. African helmeted turtles hunt in packs. Death is coming for you very slowly…but in a big group. “That doesn’t look like the face of a ruthless pack hunter”—is the last thought a lot of animals probably…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

8 Things That Happened In History Way More Often Than Everybody Thinks

We learn in history class that certain events were a Big Deal, and we assume they were unique and unprecedented. But many of these things, from technological breakthroughs to political shake-ups, used to happen all the time. Here’s a list of eight not-quite-so-special things that occurred regularly throughout history. 8) Excommunications A major event in…

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This Is How “Sugarless” Sweeteners Trick Your Tongue

Take a sip of licorice tea and you’ll notice a strange lingering sweetness, as if someone secretly added sugar to your cup. This is due to glycyrrhizin, a sweetener which was used well before stevia entered the commercial market, but which works a similar way. People crave sweetness. Supposedly this is because we crave calories,…

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Cobalt Was So Murderous That it Was Named After Evil Spirits

Cobalt is named for the German word “kobold,” or goblin. The association wasn’t innocent. It got the name because cobalt was responsible for the horrible and mysterious deaths of miners. People have been intentionally using cobalt forsix hundred years. The element is a dirty silver color on its own, but when combined with other elements…

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There May Be Nowhere Near the Number of Galaxies We Thought There Were

It looks like we might have overestimated how many neighbors we have. New predictions show that the universe might be an emptier place than we imagined. Since the Hubble launched, we’ve been seeing stunning image of the crowded universe. Most of the images come accompanied by assurances that what we see in the images is…

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This Experiment Will Make You Believe in Spontaneous Generation of Life

This experiment involves two liquids and a machine that will jiggle them. That’s all. So how does it create a family of “worms” that branch out from and interact with each other? Check out this incredible video. If you want to see the razzle-dazzle in this one, skip to 1:55, and then prepare to be…

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No, a Nuclear Explosion Did Not Launch a Manhole Cover into Space

In 1957, the Nevada Test Site saw a series of nuclear explosions that, according to legend, launched a manhole cover into space. Except it probably didn’t. Here’s where the story came from—and why the inadvertent source of the story has been trying to stop its spread for years. Operation Plumbbob was a series of 29…

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The First Western Fatalities Due to Puffer Fish Poisoning Were Pigs

Puffer fish poisoning has claimed many victims. While the fish’s poison was well-known to the people who lived near its habitat, explorers ate it without a second thought. This proved bad for them, but much worse for their pigs. Tetrodotoxin is, in small doses, pretty nice. Not only is it known toget people high, it’s…

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The Demon Stingerfish Walks on Tiny Little Tentacles

This fish looks like a big mean blob with tiny tiny little tentacles that it uses to maneuver itself. Some call it the Indian walkman. Some call it the demon stingerfish. I call it the Krang-of-the-sea. If you see one of these, I suggest you not get too close. The demon stingerfish is related to…

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Why Hasn’t Game Of Thrones Featured This Bizarre Execution Method Yet?

This event probably never happened—but it’s such a cool visual that it has already been immortalized in art. A symbol of the thoughtlessness, the cruelty, and the profligacy of the Romans, this singular execution method was attributed to two different emperors. Romans loved smelling good. They spent a lot of their wealth on perfumes, sometimes…

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There’s Lead in Your Farm, But Here’s How to Get It Out

Urban farmers who have their soil tested for heavy metals and other contaminants can get a nasty shock when they realize what would be coursing through the food they grow on their land. Establish an innocent little vegetable patch and you’ll be serving your family a salad full of fresh lead. Happily, contaminated soil doesn’t…

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A Confused True Blood Fan’s Guide To Magic Mike XXL

I was super-excited to find out that Alcide, the werewolf from True Blood was getting his own movie. It was classic. Alcide and a pack of hot shirtless men tour the South meeting eccentric characters with seemingly supernatural powers. There were some confusing bits, though. Let me take you through them. To be honest, this…

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See a Plane’s Eye View of a Red Sprite Forming Above the Clouds

Red sprites are poorly-understood atmospheric phenomena. They are bright glowing shapes that temporarily appear above the clouds. The Florida Institute of Technology has captured high-speed video of a sprite in action. Above is a picture of a red sprite taken from the International Space Station. The sprite is the faint smudge of red directly above…

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Sports Medicine Journal Reveals Our Childhood Coaches Tried To Kill Us

Remember when you were a kid and all your coaches and camp counselors and those vaguely hippie-ish guys who took your youth group hiking would tell you to drink, even when you weren’t thirsty? Turns out they were trying to murder you. The Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine published new guidelines on hydration that essentially…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Esther Inglis-Arkell

There Is a Deadly Secret Hidden in This Fish’s Parenting Plan

Watch What Happens Inside a Bubble When It Collapses

Quails Can Make Themselves Poisonous

This “Ghost Chicken” Story Is One of Science’s Strangest Urban Legends

This Is How Bleached Flour Changes The Taste of Your Cakes

This Absolutely Filthy Mitchell and Webb Sketch Has a Historical Basis

These Turtles Hunt in Vicious Packs.

8 Things That Happened In History Way More Often Than Everybody Thinks

This Is How “Sugarless” Sweeteners Trick Your Tongue

Cobalt Was So Murderous That it Was Named After Evil Spirits

There May Be Nowhere Near the Number of Galaxies We Thought There Were

This Experiment Will Make You Believe in Spontaneous Generation of Life

No, a Nuclear Explosion Did Not Launch a Manhole Cover into Space

The First Western Fatalities Due to Puffer Fish Poisoning Were Pigs

The Demon Stingerfish Walks on Tiny Little Tentacles

Why Hasn’t Game Of Thrones Featured This Bizarre Execution Method Yet?

There’s Lead in Your Farm, But Here’s How to Get It Out

A Confused True Blood Fan’s Guide To Magic Mike XXL

See a Plane’s Eye View of a Red Sprite Forming Above the Clouds

Sports Medicine Journal Reveals Our Childhood Coaches Tried To Kill Us

New Getaway Means Subaru Has an Electric SUV in Every Size

pCloud Easter Special: One Payment, Lifetime Storage for Entire Family (68% Off)

Getting Stuck Inside a Glitching Robotaxi Is a Whole New Thing to Be Scared of

Artemis 2 Live Updates: Humanity’s Epic Return to the Moon 🔴

NASA’s Artemis 2 Mission Blasts Off

Disney’s Robot Olaf Dying Is the Funniest Thing to Happen in 2026

Kia’s EV3 Is Headed to the US This Year With Up to 320 Miles of Range

This Is the Way to Lego’s April Releases

Group Pushing Age Verification Requirements for AI Turns Out to Be Sneakily Backed by OpenAI

Amazon Facilities in Bahrain Hit Again as Iran Follows Through on Threat, Report Says

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?