A Stunning, Multi-Wavelength Image Of The Solar Atmosphere

This fantastical image comes courtesy of NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. It depicts a brilliant array of “coronal loops,” magnetic fluxes which form around sunspots and extend into the solar atmosphere. More from NASA: The Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) instrument aboard NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) images the solar atmosphere in multiple wavelengths to link changes…

Matt Fraction Discusses Hawkeye On Late Night With Seth Meyers

“To me, he’s like the human heart and soul of the Avengers,” comics author Matt Fraction told Seth Meyers of Hawkeye on a recent Late Night appearance. The Sex Criminals co-creator also shares some sex tips, to be followed at one’s own peril. Enjoy! https://gizmodo.com/sex-criminals-comic-to-bring-orgasm-based-bank-heists-t-1688062667 [H/t Comics Beat]

“The newest incarnation of Superman isn’t so much a betrayal of the character’s origins as it is a perhaps unwitting return to them,” The Atlantic’s Charles Moss writes in an essay that brings some historical perspective to the backlash against the character’s “brooding” depiction in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Camera Triggered By Heartbeats Reveals A Dog’s Eye View Of Photography?

When Grizzler the Border Collie was outfitted with a special camera that snapped a photo every time his heart rate increased, his top subjects were, well, not that surprising: cats, birds, other dogs, and food, as well as random spots that were no doubt emitting some mighty exciting smells. UPDATED: Thanks to the commentors below…

Sunday Puzzle Hiatus: Try Some Lateral Thinking Puzzles On For Size

We’re on the road this week, sans computer. In place of the Sunday Puzzle column, I thought I’d turn you on to Futility Closet, and some lateral thinking puzzles recently featured on its podcast. What is Futility Closet? A lot of things, really—but if you like io9, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy much of…

What Are Extrasolar Planets?

For generations, humans have looked out at the night sky and wondered if they were alone in the universe. With the discovery of other planets in our Solar System, the true extent of the Milky Way galaxy, and other galaxies beyond our own, this question has only deepened and become more profound. Artist’s illustration of…

Whoa, Orphan Black Now Has A Bona Fide Supervillain Plot

What exactly is Dr. Coady, scientist and surrogate mother to the Castor clones, up to? This week’s Orphan Black finally reveals Coady’s endgame, and it’s a scheme worthy of a costumed comic supervillain. This episode of Orphan Black, “Certain Agony of the Battlefield,” has left me thinking a great deal about power and abuse. Hell,…

Ride Along on a Four-Mile-Long Roller Coaster for Library Books

A few weeks ago we showed you images of incredible robotic library logistics, including the Telelift system of the National Széchényi Library in Budapest, Hungary. Last week I had a special opportunity to visit that library and take a look at its automated book transportation system—basically a roller coaster for books. The Telelift conveyor system…

Your Armpit Hair Will (Probably) Never Grow To The Floor. Here’s Why.

A few weeks back, we examined why fingernails grow so much faster than toenails. Now comes the explanation for another bodily-function quirk you’ve always kinda wondered about, courtesy of the SciShow’s Hank Green: How does hair (including, like, eyebrow and armpit hair) know when to stop growing? https://gizmodo.com/why-do-fingernails-grow-so-much-faster-than-toenails-1695886809

Sad news: John Nash, the Nobel Prize-winning mathematician, has died at age 86 in a New Jersey car crash. Also killed was his wife, Alicia. The Nashes were portrayed by Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly in the 2001 film A Beautiful Mind, which delved into Nash’s struggles with mental illness.

Louisiana Black Bear May Soon Be Removed From Endangered Species List

The Louisiana black bear inspired the teddy bear and is its home state’s official mammal, and its once-low population has been elevated thanks to decades of conservation efforts. This week, the US Department of the Interior announced the bear may soon be removed from its list of threatened species. According to the official press release:…

Walking On All Fours: The World Of Animal Prostheses

Replacing one lost leg is challenging, but what about two, three or four? Martin Kaufmann trained as a prosthetist and began his ‘human career’ working at clinics in the American Midwest. But when his cousin’s dog had a stroke and lost function in one leg, he was struck by the lack of options for an…

Christopher Lloyd’s LEGO Ad Makes Us Want A New Back To The Future Movie

Doc Brown returns in this fun trailer for WB Games’ Lego Dimensions, in which the zany scientist helps construct the device that enables the toys (including his own tiny doppleganger, and lots of other familiar faces that have nothing to do with Back to the Future) to virtually “come to life.” [Via Mashable]

This Is What Happens When Two Galaxies Collide

Four hundred million light years away, NGC 6240 appears in this image from Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 and Advanced Camera for Surveys. One NASA source terms the galaxy’s shape the result of a “galactic merger,” another goes for the more colorful “titanic galaxy-galaxy collision.” Here’s a more detailed explanation of what you’re seeing: This…

A Thought-Provoking Video That Examines Worldbuilding In Fantasy Fiction

Author Evan Puschak, aka blogger the Nerd Writer, breaks down what he calls “the perils of worldbuilding” in this video, using the works of Tolkien and Game of Thrones, among others, as examples. On his blog, he writes: The key point is that worldbuilding fiction, or the worldbuilding acts of authors and fans, imply a…

The Play’s The Thing (That Gets You Killed) In Trailer For The Gallows

On the heels of its jarring teaser from April, the full trailer for The Gallows — about a cursed high-school play — offers a lotta night vision and shaky-cam, a haunted VCR (?), a slowed-down version of “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” and a spirited prayer that found-footage horror still has one last breath in it.

Newborn Baby Gorilla Enjoys A Nap While Its Mother Keeps Watch

Just six or seven days old, a baby Western lowland gorilla has a snooze in the arms of its proud mother, Frala, at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo. So far, mom and newborn have been hanging so tight that keepers haven’t been able to determine whether their newest charge is a male or a female. AP Photo…

These Videos of Nuclear Weapon Tests Are Terrifying But Spectacular

It’s impossible to forget just how immense the destructive power of a nuclear weapon is, but there is nothing quite like watching an explosion to hit that point home. These videos capture the test detonations of various nuclear weapons, letting us witness the immediate effects safely behind our computer screens. Three takes of Trinity explosion,…

Why Is The Vinegar On Your Salt And Vinegar Potato Chips A Powder?

If vinegar is a liquid, why are most salt and vinegar potato chips covered in a powder? Here’s a little food science to help you understand your weekend snacks. When you fry potato chips at home (and who doesn’t?), you make salt and vinegar potato chips by soaking the raw potatoes in a mixture of…

Tour A Real, Abandoned Insane Asylum In This Creepy Short Video

Ghosts are implied but not actually filmed in this spectacularly eerie tour of a massive asylum, closed for 20 years. Elegant editing and camerawork, including some graceful aerial footage, capture graffiti-covered abandonment as well as what the narrator terms “a presence, as if something was still there.” The video also recognizes the explorers and artists…