Esther Inglis-Arkell, Author at Gizmodo

This is a real photo of a fake sunrise

Here’s a reason to turn around when looking at the sunrise or sunset. At the far side of the sky might be another fake sunrise (or sunset), made from anticrepuscular rays. Ever stood on a long, straight stretch of highway? Turn one way, and the sides of the road seem to flare out from a…

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When you can see the Earth reflected in the clouds

In icy climates, it’s possible to see “cloud maps.” These are literally maps of the landscape reflected on the sky, in phenomena known as ice blink and water sky. There isn’t too much to block one’s view in the frozen stretches of the arctic. Unfortunately, there isn’t too much to guide one, either. When navigating…

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The man who tried to make human-ape hybrids

Ilya Ivanovich Ivanov was a gifted scientist, a dedicated conservationist, and a practical, grounded man who expanded everyone’s understanding of animal husbandry. He also, for years, tried to make human-ape hybrids. The post-revolution USSR was a nation that wanted to wholly embrace new technology and progressive science while reinforcing traditional nationalistic pride. It’s no wonder…

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The Science Delusion argues that science wrecks truth and beauty

Curtis White’s book, The Science Delusion, makes two broad points: that science is based upon ‘assumptions that are deluded,’ and that scientists can be real jerks. He provides ample proof for one of those claims. The title of the The Science Delusion, published on May 28th, is an obvious reference Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion.…

Books & Comics Esther Inglis-Arkell

Fill an egg with crystals this weekend

Have you ever dyed Easter eggs and thought that a slightly-different-colored egg wasn’t worth the trouble? How about an egg filled with crystals? Try out a chemistry experiment that lets you turn eggs into geodes. Geodes, as anyone who has ever wandered through an ‘educational’ toy store knows, are minerals that have air pockets in…

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These insects are touring a sunken flower city

This amazing image of a daisy shows the blossom, and a group of dry insects, below the water level. It’s a striking image of the power of surface tension. This photograph, which looks like a daisy going to warp drive, is actually a flower caught in a rising puddle. The water level rose around the…

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This medical condition turns muscle to bone

One of the scariest medical conditions in the world, fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, changes muscle and connective tissue into bone. Over the course of a few decades, it turns the entire body into one huge skeleton. There are a lot of frightening medical conditions out there, but one of the most terrifying has to be fibrodysplasia…

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These two psychological tricks will get people to do you favors

There are two well-established methods get what you want through roundabout ways. Both actually work in practical situations. What’s the best way to get what you want? It depends on what you’re asking for. There are two famous psychology techniques that were recognized before they had names, and were elaborated on in countless studies after…

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You can be allergic to water

Think you have it tough? At least when you’re feeling miserable you can cry. Some people break out in hives when they cry, because they’re allergic to the water in their own tears. On stressful days, I enjoy going for walks in the rain. Either they cheer me up, or I can tuck away my…

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Rat poison strychnine was an early performance-enhancing drug

Today’s performance-enhancing drugs take years to severely damage an athlete’s health. Back in 1904, they didn’t have time for such things. A couple of strychnine injections during the marathon at the 1904 Olympics helped Thomas Hicks nearly kill himself by the end of the race. It also helped him win a gold medal. Today, you’re…

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How stereotypes really do cloud your mind

We think that getting more information about a situation helps us make more accurate predictions. There are times, though, when some well-chosen information can wreck our rationality. All we need is a good stereotype. This phenomenon was first explored in Judgment Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases. Heuristics are mental rules of thumb, little tricks and…

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How many people really went through with the Milgram Experiment?

We’ve all heard of the infamous Milgram Experiment, in which subjects, with a little pressure from an authority figure, participated in a process that they believed shocked someone to death. But did far fewer people than reported actually go through with it? The Milgram Experiment is arguably the most famous psychology experiment in the world…

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The legend of Isaac Newton’s most foolish (and cat-friendly) invention

Isaac Newton accomplished some very important things in his life. He came up with a modern version of calculus (although not the modern notation). He described and explained a little thing called gravity. But he also is said to have invented a very useful thing for cats, in a very stupid way. Most contemporary and…

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Want to see a train crash into a nuclear containment pod?

I do. How fortunate for us both that there are videos of it. A nuclear containment “flask” is subjected to all kinds of impact tests, and then submerged in a pool of burning jet fuel in this informative video. It’s tempting to say that, after watching the strenuous testing done to make sure that this…

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Using quantum mechanics to detect bombs

How do you harmlessly reveal bombs that can be triggered by a single photon? With the Elitzur-Vaidman bomb tester. It’s a hypothetical tester meant to test some highly hypothetical bombs. In theory, it makes a point about quantum mechanics. In practice, it actually works. Imagine a group of bombs that blow up with the detection…

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The experiment that first hinted at the existence of DNA

In the early 1900s, scientists were puzzled by the behavior of bacteria. They seemed to pick up the traits of their fallen comrades, but that wasn’t possible, right? In a simple experiment, Frederick Griffith showed that it was, through something he dubbed the “transforming principle.” To prove that bacteria could change themselves if exposed to…

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The “Rapunzel Syndrome” Is a Little-Known Medical Horror

Another day, another medical horror with a cute name. If you have long hair, this is something for you to fear. If you don’t, it’s just something to make you shudder. I knew that having long hair put me at high risk: it could get caught in machinery, yanked by people behind me in line…

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Finally, something to do with those nasty modern pennies

There are plenty of ways that pennies made before 1982 are superior to ones made afterwards: The pennies themselves are worth more, as they’re made with solid copper. When flicked or dropped, they have a pleasing ring to them, while modern pennies thud. Finally, early pennies can be used in a bunch of fun science…

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The psychology experiment that involved real beheadings

There have been several psychology experiments in history that were unethical enough to precipitate new rules governing experimentation. This, without doubt, should have been one of them. Learn exactly how horribly wrong one man went when he wanted to study facial expressions. It must have been wonderful to be a psychologist in the first half…

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Why the sky doesn’t turn green at sunset

When the sun is low in the sky, and especially at twilight, the sky grows more and more blue towards its zenith. Why is the color blue so vivid at the apex of the sky? And what color would it be if it weren’t blue? When you look up into the sky, often you’ll notice…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Esther Inglis-Arkell

This is a real photo of a fake sunrise

When you can see the Earth reflected in the clouds

The man who tried to make human-ape hybrids

The Science Delusion argues that science wrecks truth and beauty

Fill an egg with crystals this weekend

These insects are touring a sunken flower city

This medical condition turns muscle to bone

These two psychological tricks will get people to do you favors

You can be allergic to water

Rat poison strychnine was an early performance-enhancing drug

How stereotypes really do cloud your mind

How many people really went through with the Milgram Experiment?

The legend of Isaac Newton’s most foolish (and cat-friendly) invention

Want to see a train crash into a nuclear containment pod?

Using quantum mechanics to detect bombs

The experiment that first hinted at the existence of DNA

The “Rapunzel Syndrome” Is a Little-Known Medical Horror

Finally, something to do with those nasty modern pennies

The psychology experiment that involved real beheadings

Why the sky doesn’t turn green at sunset

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