Why Are Lego Washing Up on the Beaches of Cornwall?

The beaches at Cornwall in England are beautiful, majestic … and the repository for some seriously weird plastic garbage. For years, Lego pieces with nautical themes have been washing up on these shores. But why? Image of a beached Lego octopus via BBC Basically, the answer is that the deep currents in the Atlantic ocean…

Why Do We Have Blood Types?

More than a century after their discovery, we still don’t really know what blood types are for. Do they really matter? Reporter Carl Zimmer investigates. Illustration © Elena Boils When my parents informed me that my blood type was A+, I felt a strange sense of pride. If A+ was the top grade in school,…

The Leftovers Celebrates An Unmerry Post-Rapture Christmas

It’s the holiday season on The Leftovers, but no one is very happy. While Kevin Garvey deals with a missing Baby Jesus and the Guilty Remnant’s latest stunt, young Tom Garvey is dealing with something very freaky on the road with his fellow cultist. The Leftovers finally feels like it’s settling in. After the palette…

Simpsons World: Every Simpsons Episode Ever, Online For Free (Sort Of)

Until now, Simpsons fans have been relegated to rewatching old episodes on grubby DVDs or downloading them one-by-one on iTunes. A new portal called Simpsons World will launch in October that will allow anyone to browse episodes and share clips—however, to actually watch all the episodes, your cable plan will have to include FXX. As…

This Lovely Music Video Is Also a Lesson in How Cells Grow

British digital artist Andy Lomas has created a virtual model of cellular growth, allowing us to watch as intricate bio-inspired sculptures slowly take shape. Recently, he collaborated with techno-producer Max Cooper to create a music video titled Seething, named for the unstoppable and unrelenting propagation of life. As Lomas explains: Structures are created out of…

Good Chocolate, Like Good Steel, Must Be Tempered

The process of tempering, in both steel and chocolate, is the same. The material is heated and cooled until its internal structure is such that it can be carried by a warrior with honor. Here’s how to make chocolate, or a sword, or a chocolate sword. You can buy, or prepare, all the ingredients for…

What Did Doctors Learn By Scaring Toddlers in the “Risk Room”?

Remember the twisted experiment to see what happens when kids think they’ve broken a treasured toy? The doctor in charge of that study also studied children’s responses to a creepy “Risk Room.” Their behavior in the room revealed surprising things about the child’s future behavior. https://gizmodo.com/the-messed-up-experiment-meant-to-induce-crippling-guil-1606447630 Toddler Personality Types What do you learn about a…

Sixth Grader’s Science Fair Project Rattles Ecologists

By showing that lionfish can live in fresh water, 12 year-old Lauren Arrington has alerted ecologists to the potential for these fish to migrate upstream in rivers where they would pose a threat to the ecosystem. The invasive species, which can be found along the Florida coast, has only been studied in saline, ocean-like conditions.…

Good Lord, The Intruders Trailer Is So Weird

We have absolutely no idea what is going on in BBC America’s new TV series Intruders. It’s not American Horror Story weird; it’s Twin Peaks/X-Files weird (which makes sense as the executive producer worked on the X-Files series). But seriously, who is this little girl and why is she so evil? Is she evil? What’s…

Author Mary Rickert Is Here To Talk To You About The Memory Garden!

In June, the io9 book club read Mary Rickert’s The Memory Garden. Today, from 12 – 1 P.M. Pacific Time, she will be here to answer your questions about The Memory Garden, writing about magic, and anything else! Start asking Rickert your questions in the comments section right now and she’ll answer as many as…

It’s Time to Destroy Corporate Personhood

The United States is one of only a few countries in the world that recognizes corporations as persons. It’s a so-called “legal fiction” that’s meant to uphold the rights of groups and to smooth business processes. But it’s a dangerous concept that’s gone too far — and could endanger social freedoms in the future. Illustration…

The Rock Has Pretty Much Admitted He’s Playing Shazam

In a recent interview with Total Film, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson confirms he’s playing a DC superhero that will be announced shortly — a character that “has the power of Superman.” Unless there’s some major disinformation going on here, it sounds like the Rock is almost certainly Shazam. In terms of DC heroes who are…

Geologists finally understand how sandstone arches get their shape. By studying cubes of sand, researchers showed that areas squeezed by vertical stress are strengthened and protected from erosion. This means that it’s gravity — and not erosion — that gives rise to elegant sandstone arches, pillars, and alcoves. Image: Doug Meek/Shutterstock.

New ‘Quantum Bounce’ Theory Explains How Black Holes Become White

Some cosmologists speculate that black holes end their lives by transforming into their exact opposite — so-called ‘white holes‘ that pour all the material they gobbled up back into space. A new theory based on quantum gravity could explain how this is possible. https://gizmodo.com/what-are-white-holes-5545135 Black holes form when a dying star collapses under its own…

The Little-Known Story of El Niño And the Mutiny on the Bounty

The “Great El Niño” lasted from 1789 to 1793, profoundly impacting weather and causing massive droughts. A lesser-known consequence of this climatic event is that it saved the lives of Captain William Bligh and his crew when the mutineers on the HMS Bounty set them adrift in the South Pacific. El Niño is associated with…

12 Guardians Of the Galaxy Facts The Movie Won’t Tell You

Everybody’s super-excited about Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, and justifiably so, but there’s one problem: if you’re only watching the film, you’re not getting the truth. The Guardians — the group and the members — have a far weirder history than the movie will acknowledge, and here’s the proof. 1) None of the Guardians in…

Watch A Whole Episode Of Sailor Moon Re-Animated By More Than 250 Fans

Sailor Moon and her friends get a couple hundred makeovers thanks to the Moon Animate Make-Up! project, in which more than 250 animators pooled their talents to completely re-do the animation for Sailor Moon’s 38th episode. It’s sometimes pretty, sometimes silly, and often flat-out ridiculous. Seriously, great job to the organizers and all the animators.…

Benedict Cumberbatch Is Alan Turing In The First Imitation Game Trailer

Get a first look at Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing, computer scientist, mathematician, father of artificial intelligence and the person who cracked the German Enigma code. The Imitation Game appears to focus on the latter of Turing’s accomplishments, which makes sense as solving the Germans’ “uncrackable” code helped the Allies defeat the Axis Powers. Turing’s…

How A Biochemical Invention Of The Mongols Gave Us Sour Cream

When you’re enjoying your burrito, you should briefly think of the biochemical ingenuity of the horse-riding culture that nearly overran Europe. The Mongols had to process their food in a special way, and they liked getting drunk — this led to a culinary treasure. The Mongols tended to eat what they brought with them, and…

Deals: Superhero Blu-rays Assemble, BOGO 3DS Games, Adventure Time

It’s superhero blu-ray mania today, starting with the X-Men Adamantium Limited Edition Collection, which packs in six X-Men films, one for each claw. [X-Men Adamantium Limited Edition] Next up is the Dark Knight Ultimate Trilogy Collector’s Edition, which as you might imagine contains all three movies, along with three figures of Batman’s vehicles and a…