io9 | Page 3921 of 5931 | We Come From the Future

A gorgeous, trippy animated short about machines on an alien world

This is the fourth in a series of beautifully-animated short films called “Bendito Machine,” or blessed machine. Created in Spain, but packed with imagery that appears to be drawn from native Mexican traditions, this is a world that’s as weird as anything in classic SF mind-twister Fantastic Planet. Plus, it’s a whimsical satire of humanity’s…

Movies Annalee Newitz

Brazil was once a mythical island, just off the coast of Ireland

Europeans first reached Brazil in 1500, but for centuries before that any decent mapmaker knew where Brazil was. It was an island a hundred or so miles west of Ireland… and this cartographic phantom endured as late as the 1800s. When Argentina invaded Britain’s Falkland Islands in 1982, one of the most common reactions back…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

How artificial intelligences will see us

Right now, there is a neural network of 1,000 computers at Google’s X lab that has taught itself to recognize humans and cats on the internet. But the network has also learned to recognize some weirder things, too. What can this machine’s unprecedented new capability teach us about what future artificial intelligences might actually be…

io9 Annalee Newitz

And Now, The Most Ludicrously Over-the-Top Launch Sequence Porn Ever

In 1966, the British puppet show Thunderbirds was poised to conquer the big screen and the American TV market. Then, out of nowhere, it all fizzled. This, the opening of the show’s would-be blockbuster movie, might have had something to do with it. For the uninitiated, Thunderbirds, which followed the Tracy family as they secretly…

Television Alasdair Wilkins

Are China’s human missions to space a waste of time?

The Wall Street Journal’s Bob Davis has penned a controversial and highly provocative article about China’s recent push to get humans in space — what he largely considers to be a colossal waste of time and money. His contention is that China is trying to play catch-up to an outdated 1960s vision of space exploration…

io9 George Dvorsky

Children’s author crowdsources the editing of her new time-travel novel

Most authors nowadays try to get as many pairs of eyes as possible to look at their books before they’re published. Look at the acknowledgements of any science fiction or fantasy novel, and you’ll see a list of beta readers and people who gave feedback on early drafts. But author Andrea White is taking this…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

What Today’s Higgs Boson Discovery Really Means

Earlier today, scientists from the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider announced the discovery of a subatomic particle that’s consistent with the Higgs Boson. So, have physicists finally found the elusive particle? Short answer? Yes. Longer answer? Well… If you were to say July 4, 2012 was the day the Higgs boson…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

This is what Washington’s massive power outages look like from space

It’s difficult to comprehend the scope of the current power-outs affecting a sizeable portion of the Washington D.C. area, but recent space-based photographs provided by NASA are offering a startling glimpse into the scale of the outages. These before-and-after images were taken by NASA’s Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite, showing the geographic distribution of the…

io9 George Dvorsky

Amazon’s helpful algorithm reveals that customers like to make explosives

This is definitely the perfect screenshot for today, as Canadians recover from the weekend’s fiery festivities and people in the US celebrate Independence Day by going online and ordering the ingredients for explosives. In this screenshot, you can take joy in the friendly way Amazon informs us that people who buy one ingredient for thermite…

io9 Annalee Newitz

Can you identify the fictional origins of these non-fiction books?

Designer Daniel Gray writes in to tell us about his new publishing venture, Vulture Books, which is bringing out lovely, high-quality versions of all your favorite non-fiction works that exist only in fiction. Can you identify where all these books are from? Gray explains the publishing house: Vulture Books: classic non-fiction texts* illuminating the darker…

io9 Annalee Newitz

10 of the Weirdest Futurist Scenarios for the Evolution of Humanity

When science fiction writers and futurists imagine humans of the far future, they never think our descendants are going to look exactly the same as we do now. After all, we’ll have access to powerful tools to turn us into cyborgs and hack our DNA, so there’s no limit to how we could reinvent ourselves.…

io9 George Dvorsky

Parkour reveals the secrets of orangutan movement

Orangutans spend their lives swinging in trees and eating fruit. Neither of those things is all that surprising for small animals that don’t need tons of energy — but it’s distinctly weird for such large primates to live that way. It’s all a question of energy balance — a fruit-based diet like the one orangutans…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

A Totally Demented Alternate History of a 21st Century Soviet Holdout

The fall of the Soviet Union feels like a ridiculously long time ago — so it’s a weird thought experiment to imagine one last vestige of the U.S.S.R. holding on in the middle of Austria somewhere. But this little venture into alternate history sounds like it’s just the beginning of the science-fictional weirdness in Sierra…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders

Watch a 1963 video of British soldiers conducting a military exercise after dropping acid

Back during the Cold War, the military wanted to find out if LSD could be used to incapacitate enemy forces. So they administered the drug to unsuspecting British soldiers, and sent the squaddies off to perform their duties. This short video, which is as hilarious as it is disturbing, chronicles the British soldiers’ hapless attempt…

io9 George Dvorsky

Secrets of the half-male, half-female cuttlefish revealed at last

Cuttlefish always seem to be among the most fascinating marine life forms — whether it’s on account of their flashy battles for mating rights, or their ability to see the world through polarized light. And now, researchers have discovered yet another extraordinary thing they can do: Male cuttlefish can alter their physical appearance straight down…

io9 George Dvorsky

How a Parrot Talks Like a Human

It’s best not to ask why parrots talk — which is a mystery involving parrot emotional needs, and not really our business. The real question is, how do they manage it? How exactly are parrots able to mimic the way a human sounds, while other birds cannot? And why can’t humans make bird sounds? I’ve…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Famous Pictures Recreated With Star Wars Figures

Clone Troopers aren’t just the shock troops of the Republic, and some of our favorite characters in Clone Wars — they’re also pop icons. And Canadian photographer and art teacher David Eger has proved, once and for all, that any piece of art is made better once you put Clone Troopers, and other Star Wars…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Will the Amazing Spider-Man someday face off against the Sinister Six? Plus a new Pacific Rim photo!

Hugo Weaving reveals secrets of Cloud Atlas. The Dark Knight Rises has an official running time — and it’s epic. Chris Pine and Alex Kurtzman reveal what to expect from the Star Trek sequel. Plus a Catching Fire casting update! Spoilers from here on out! Top image from Pacific Rim. The Amazing Spider-Man Producers Matt…

Television Alasdair Wilkins

Ryan Reynolds’ Most Ridiculous Superhero Performance of All Time

Ryan Reynolds brought a certain wounded goofiness to his performance in Green Lantern. He was vaguely snarky as Deadpool in Wolverine. But you’ve never really seen him go all the way over-the-top with the superhero thing — unless you’ve rented the otherwise forgettable indie movie Paper Man. Here, Reynolds is actually trying to be kind…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Fungal infection could wipe out some species of bats completely

Nearly six years after the discovery of a catastrophic fungal infection that’s decimating bat populations in the U.S. and Canada, scientists have concluded that the disease is primarily transmitted by highly social bats. But just because scientists have a better handle on how bats spread the disease doesn’t mean there’s good news. If anything, the…

io9 George Dvorsky

A gorgeous, trippy animated short about machines on an alien world

Brazil was once a mythical island, just off the coast of Ireland

How artificial intelligences will see us

And Now, The Most Ludicrously Over-the-Top Launch Sequence Porn Ever

Are China’s human missions to space a waste of time?

Children’s author crowdsources the editing of her new time-travel novel

What Today’s Higgs Boson Discovery Really Means

This is what Washington’s massive power outages look like from space

Amazon’s helpful algorithm reveals that customers like to make explosives

Can you identify the fictional origins of these non-fiction books?

10 of the Weirdest Futurist Scenarios for the Evolution of Humanity

Parkour reveals the secrets of orangutan movement

A Totally Demented Alternate History of a 21st Century Soviet Holdout

Watch a 1963 video of British soldiers conducting a military exercise after dropping acid

Secrets of the half-male, half-female cuttlefish revealed at last

How a Parrot Talks Like a Human

Famous Pictures Recreated With Star Wars Figures

Will the Amazing Spider-Man someday face off against the Sinister Six? Plus a new Pacific Rim photo!

Ryan Reynolds’ Most Ridiculous Superhero Performance of All Time

Fungal infection could wipe out some species of bats completely

Logitech Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo Falls Under $25, a Budget Bundle Deal in the Final Hours of Spring Sale

Liquids Crack With an Audible Snap, Study Finds

Dyson V15 Detect Plus Cordless Vacuum Is a Late Spring Sale Deal at a Record Low on Amazon

The New ‘Supergirl’ Trailer Is Filled With Krypto, Lobo, and ’60s Soul

Vaping Comes With a Cancer Risk, Review Finds

ASUS Eye Care Monitor Hits an All-Time Low, Only Hours Left to Grab a 27″ Screen at a 15.6″ Budget Price on Amazon

How to Watch Artemis 2, NASA’s First Crewed Mission to the Moon in 54 Years

KitchenAid 4.5-Quart Stand Mixer Is Back at Its Lowest Price, a Last-Minute Spring Sale Deal Outside Amazon Prime Day

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

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