Esther Inglis-Arkell, Author at Gizmodo

This Medical Condition Turns Your Life Into An Out-of-Sync Video

Ever had trouble getting the audio synced up with the video on your computer? Get the right kink in your brain, and you could live your whole life that way. One man began a new phase in his life when he looked at his daughter’s television and noticed that the audio and the video were…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

What’s the Historical Reality Behind the Trojan Horse?

For hundreds of years, people have been trying to “decode” the legend of the Trojan War. Archaeologists have found the historical Troy, and they think that they’ve uncovered some of the major players. But what was the famous Trojan Horse? Homer’s epic poem The Iliad is one of our main sources of information about the…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

The Bitterest Scientific Duel in History Was Over “Geoheliocentrism”

Most people know Tycho Brahe as the silver-nose-wearing, elk-owning astronomer that they’d love to drink with. He was also an implacable grudge-holder. His bitterest fight involved three famous astronomers of the 16th century, and their battle over the best theory about how Earth was at the center of the universe. Tycho Brahe and Nicolaus Reimarus…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Parents, Does This Psychological Trick Work With Your Kids?

If you really, really want a child to stay away from something, what kind of punishment should you set? It’s possible a light punishment would be a better idea than a heavy one. It’s called the “insufficient punishment effect,” and it works by combining deceitfulness and reverse psychology. Two psychologists ran an experiment during which…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

The First Theory of Evolution Involved Fish People

Anaximander lost out to Aristotle in the running for Most Famous Ancient Greek Philosopher. That’s a shame, as he may have been the first person to come up with the idea of “animals evolving from other animals.” The only problem is, the spin on it he came up with involved post-puberty humans hatching from fish…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Now We Know Some Creepy Things About How Penicillin Destroys Bacteria

We know how penicillin works. It kills bacteria. But a new study shows that it’s not nearly that simple. Even when it can’t kill a bacterium, penicillin forces the cell to kill itself. Here’s how penicillin is supposed to work. It invades a cell, usually a bacterial cell. A cell is constantly engaged in maintaining…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

The Shadow Blister Effect Makes This Guy’s Head Change Shape

When two shadows get close to each other, they seem to take on a life of their own. Suddenly they “blister,” or bend towards each other and merge. Here’s why. Shadows include a penumbra. That’s the half-shaded portion of a shadow where the object casting the shadow blocks some of the incoming light, but not…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Why Buttermilk Was One of Chemistry’s Greatest Innovations

Every day, we eat scientific innovations, and not just when snarf powdered cheese flavor. Our food is the result of remarkable discoveries by long-forgotten scientists. And one of their most important innovations resulted in the chemical wonder known as buttermilk. What is Buttermilk Anyway? Arguably, the stuff most people buy in the store isn’t buttermilk.…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Simplify Gift Giving By Not Giving People What They Wanted

Here’s a little practical evil for the holidays. Does someone want something expensive? Get them the cheap version, and then use choice blindness to convince them that they like it. Choice blindness has been featured before on io9, but usually in the context of how little human beings really care about each other. A group…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Why Are These Wormy Amphibians Attacking Their Mother?

Caecilians look like worms, but they’re actually amphibians. Like most other animals, they’re born hungry. And they have quite possibly the grossest feeding system in the entire world. Caecilians are popular pets for people with a high tolerance for things that look like worms roaming around their house. The limbless amphibians are, some biologists believe,…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Arrow’s Flash Crossover Was a Catastrophic Misfire

“The Brave and the Bold” was bad. It was bad in almost every way that it could be bad. Let’s talk about the ways that it was bad, and the occasional sparks of brilliance that illuminated the darkness. Someone Shoot Captain Boomerang. Into the Sun. Captain Boomerang barely works in the comics. Someone, well before…

Television Esther Inglis-Arkell

If You Stopped Sweating, You Would Die

Congenital insensitivity to pain is a rare but well-known condition. It also has an obscure variation that seems minor, but is incredibly deadly. It prevents people from sweating. People with congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP) are not as lucky as you might think. They can burn or cut themselves badly before they notice anything’s wrong.…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Scientists Prove That Even Dead Geckos Stick To Walls

Geckos, being master of the van der Waals force, climb up glass walls like it’s no big thing. But can they do it when they’re dead? Scientists have found out that they can, and that has important implications for technology. Geckos can climb pretty much anything, no matter how smooth the surface. Scientists at first…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Dumping Oil In the Ocean Lets You Literally Master the Waves

Oil in the ocean is a sensitive subject these days, but in the late 1800s, steam ships had stocks of oil specifically set aside to dump in the ocean. This may have saved people’s lives. We’ll tell you why. Emergency Oil on Steam Ships Late 19th-century steam ships carried oil aboard. They didn’t limit themselves…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Experiments Show That A Jury Cannot “Disregard” Testimony

A psychology experiment recruited mock jurors to read through a transcript of a murder trial. After a key piece of evidence came up in court, the jury was told to “disregard” it, just the way they might in a real trial. That’s where the problems started. I’ve been a juror on a trial. I don’t…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

The Secret History of Hermits

In nearly every civilization with historical records, we find stories of people who went off by themselves to live in the wilderness. But not all hermits were the same: some were outcasts, some were holy, and others were extremely fashionable. All their stories are extraordinary. To the Mountains All hermits seem attracted to heights. This…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

The Killer Chemists of Prohibition

In 1930, Prohibition had been the law of the land for ten years, and nearly everyone agreed it was a bad idea. Then people started collapsing. Some new chemical in seemingly legal liquor was to blame — but what? Back then, alcohol wasn’t only sold as a recreational substance. It formed the basis for a…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

This Cute Little Creature Can Kill You With A Cat Allergen

The slow loris is one of the few venomous mammals on earth, and the only venomous primate. It has one of the oddest venom-creation methods in the world. And it kills you much the same way your cat would (if he could). When the slow loris is frightened (or vengeful) it will raise its arms…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Now We’ve Got an Excuse to Organize Quail Fights for Science

The Japanese quail has an interesting mating strategy: the females prefer to mate with the losers of fights. Or do they? A new scientific paper on the topic makes me want to set up a quail fighting ring to find out for sure. Generally, when two males fight in order to mate, it’s the winner…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

The Intellectual Dandy Who Brought Newton’s Theories to France

Newton wasn’t the only person with ideas about gravity. People from all over had their pet theories, including René Descartes, who had the home town advantage in France. That is, until an intellectual lush decided to change that. Émilie Du Châtelet did everything with gusto and style, including adultery. At twenty-seven, she met famed author…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Esther Inglis-Arkell

​This Medical Condition Turns Your Life Into An Out-of-Sync Video

What’s the Historical Reality Behind the Trojan Horse?

The Bitterest Scientific Duel in History Was Over “Geoheliocentrism”

Parents, Does This Psychological Trick Work With Your Kids?

​The First Theory of Evolution Involved Fish People

Now We Know Some Creepy Things About How Penicillin Destroys Bacteria

The Shadow Blister Effect Makes This Guy’s Head Change Shape

Why Buttermilk Was One of Chemistry’s Greatest Innovations

Simplify Gift Giving By Not Giving People What They Wanted

Why Are These Wormy Amphibians Attacking Their Mother?

Arrow’s Flash Crossover Was a Catastrophic Misfire

If You Stopped Sweating, You Would Die

Scientists Prove That Even Dead Geckos Stick To Walls

Dumping Oil In the Ocean Lets You Literally Master the Waves

Experiments Show That A Jury Cannot “Disregard” Testimony

The Secret History of Hermits

The Killer Chemists of Prohibition

This Cute Little Creature Can Kill You With A Cat Allergen

Now We’ve Got an Excuse to Organize Quail Fights for Science

The Intellectual Dandy Who Brought Newton’s Theories to France

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

Why the PS6 Handheld Will Matter More Than the PS6

DNA Study Casts Even More Doubt on Shroud of Turin’s True Origin

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?

This Medical Condition Turns Your Life Into An Out-of-Sync Video

The First Theory of Evolution Involved Fish People