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Modern humans may have evolved 200,000 years earlier than we thought

For early hominid hunters, there was no greater prize than an elephant. Kill just one of those, and a tribe could eat well for days. But when the elephants suddenly disappeared, something remarkable happened: Our hominid ancestors became more intelligent. Homo erectus was particularly fond of eating elephants, and it isn’t hard to see why.…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

This ultra-low-budget concept trailer for Goliath is better any action movie from 2011

Aspiring filmmaker Alex Popov took $150 of his cash* and shot this gorgeous and deliciously fun concept trailer for Goliath, a movie about an alien invasion, mecha suits, future cold wars and the apocalypse. Using bits of movie scores and pieces of footage from here and there, along with plenty of original footage, Popov created…

Movies Meredith Woerner

This mind-blowing image of last week’s lunar eclipse is so deserving of Desktop wallpaper status, it hurts

When I first saw this composite image of last week’s lunar eclipse my jaw literally fell open. And then I clicked through to the hi-res version. Is this what a religious experience feels like? This incredible sequence of photographs (hi-res version here) was captured from Beijing China, where — unlike here in the continental US…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

A Guide to Tom Cruise’s Genre Movie Acting: The Next Best Thing to Nic Cage

Tom Cruise is coming back! He’s starring in a fourth Mission Impossible movie this weekend, and he’s also set to star in two upcoming science fiction films: Joseph Kosinski’s Horizons and the movie version of the Japanese alien-fighting novel All You Need Is Kill. Many people are cringing at the thought of a Cruise comeback…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders

“Bath Salts” act like Ecstasy in our brains

The last few years have seen the appearance of a number of drugs sold under the false flag of “bath salts” or “plant food”. Generally mephedrone and methylone, their abuse has lead to a number of hospitalizations in the last year. And that’s led to increased pressure to understand how they work, and just how…

io9 Tim Barribeau

This alien-looking fish just rewrote the book on developmental genetics

If you were to suggest that members of Elasmobranchii — the subclass of cartilaginous fishes that includes sharks, rays, and skates — look incredibly different from us humans, I doubt that many people would argue the point. In fact, one look at the alien-like skeleton of Leucoraja erinacea, the species of skate pictured up top,…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Can the latest Ghost Rider 2 trailer overcome the film’s bad buzz?

According to a few online reports a special screening of Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance at the BNAT was met with a resounding “meh.” Mostly due to the muddled script, and the seen-it-before characters. However the Crank directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor did get a lot of praise for their daredevil camera angles and…

Trailers Meredith Woerner

R.I.P. Joe Simon, Co-Creator of Captain America and Countless Other Heroes

Joe Simon is a comics legend, for his role in creating the iconic superhero Captain America alone. But in recent years, many of us have gained a new appreciation for all his other great work with seminal artist Jack Kirby. He also co-created the 1940s version of the Sandman, plus some other great Golden Age…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

A Pill That Stops Stress In Your Brain Before You Feel It

Stress makes many of us miserable — but it can also kill you. Besides just causing horrible anxiety and depression, the physiological basis for stress has also been linked to diseases as varied as obesity, postpartum depression, Cushing’s syndrome, epilepsy, and osteoporosis. But what if we could just turn your brain’s stress response off? Now,…

io9 Tim Barribeau

In Utah, thousands of birds are mistaking pavement for water and plunging to their deaths

This is so awful. For the last several days, thousands of migrating grebes — a freshwater diving bird — have been hurtling to their doom in parking lots, football fields, and other flat, snow-covered regions throughout southern Utah; apparently, the birds have been mistaking the surfaces for ponds. “The storm clouds over the top of…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

A Snow Angel Spread Across the Stars 2,000 Light-Years Away

We humans are wired to see shapes and patterns in randomness, which makes us see faces on Mars and everything from butterflies to California in faraway nebulae. Well, this is the holiday edition of that phenomenon… and it’s pretty wonderfully ridiculous. With all due respect to kids in the Midwest, I’m going to go ahead…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

10 Extraordinary Exoplanets Discovered in 2011: A Gallery

2011 will be remembered as the year that put exoplanets on everybody’s starmaps. Though we’d discovered planets beyond our solar system before, this year astronomers offered more evidence than ever that our universe is packed with exoplanets – some of which might be very like our own rocky, waterlogged world. Here are ten images I…

io9 Ron Miller

New Spider-Man website reveals Peter Parker’s surprising backstory — plus awesome wallpapers!

Details and new images are starting to trickle out for the Amazing Spider-Man movie. Including a brand new synopsis, a collection of character bios, and some character-based wallpapers that give us new insight into Peter Parker’s backstory. Spoilers ahead… Above is the first new Spider-Man image (we love the defaced Bugle billboard.) And here’s the…

Movies Meredith Woerner

Why do humans stand upright? It’s not for the reason many people believe

There are a number of theories as to why our ancestors evolved to walk on two legs. Some of them are patently ludicrous (see: aquatic ape hypothesis), but among the more sensible, the idea that we did it for cooling purposes is beautiful in its simplicity. This theory claims that we evolved to stand upright,…

io9 Tim Barribeau

A Formula That Explains Why Humans Don’t Care About Future Disasters

There’s a slim (but not insignificant) chance that an asteroid will hit the Earth some time in the next 100 years, causing an extinction-level event. But we’re not willing to invest the relatively modest sums needed for a detection and deflection system. It’s not just that we humans are shortsighted and in denial. Rather, it’s…

io9 Keith Veronese

That Smartphone that Kid is Watching Stuff On Is the One You’re Going to Want

Entertainment-wise, you can’t get any better than the new Samsung Galaxy S II. It has a giant, Super AMOLED Plus screen (all the better to watch movies and TV shows on), a thin silhouette, and a dual-core processor that shrinks your download time. It basically renders all other smart phones obsolete, old school, and ossified.…

io9 Sponsored post

What do colorblind people see?

Science fiction is often used to show us the world through impossibly alien eyes. But there are fully human people who see the world in an alien way (to the rest of us) via current biological means. One of the most everyday versions of this is basic colorblindness. But what do people really see, when…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Coming Soon? Nanoparticle-Coated Clothing That Cleans and Deodorizes Itself

What if washing your favorite T-shirt didn’t require any washing whatsoever? Well, guess what. Science says it’s possible. Chemical engineers in China say they’ve developed a cotton fabric that cleans itself — all it needs is a little sunlight. According to researchers Mingce Long and Deyong Wu, who developed the material, exposing their fabric to…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

American Horror Story‘s Murder House Is For Sale!

That’s right. For an easy $4.5 million, the famous house stuffed with over-sexed spirits can be yours. But wait a minute: Doesn’t American Horror Story need this house for its second season? According to People the six-bedroom, five-bath L.A. mansion is on the selling block. And get this: the original house has a grand ballroom…

Television Meredith Woerner

The Risks (and Benefits) of Donating Your Eggs

Smart? Good genes? Need Money? You’ve probably seen the advertisements in campus magazines, and fliers nailed to trees, offering thousands of dollars to women who are willing to donate their eggs. But is it worth doing? For example, is egg donation painful? What are the long term effects? And just how much money can you…

io9 Keith Veronese

Modern humans may have evolved 200,000 years earlier than we thought

This ultra-low-budget concept trailer for Goliath is better any action movie from 2011

This mind-blowing image of last week’s lunar eclipse is so deserving of Desktop wallpaper status, it hurts

A Guide to Tom Cruise’s Genre Movie Acting: The Next Best Thing to Nic Cage

“Bath Salts” act like Ecstasy in our brains

This alien-looking fish just rewrote the book on developmental genetics

Can the latest Ghost Rider 2 trailer overcome the film’s bad buzz?

R.I.P. Joe Simon, Co-Creator of Captain America and Countless Other Heroes

A Pill That Stops Stress In Your Brain Before You Feel It

In Utah, thousands of birds are mistaking pavement for water and plunging to their deaths

A Snow Angel Spread Across the Stars 2,000 Light-Years Away

10 Extraordinary Exoplanets Discovered in 2011: A Gallery

New Spider-Man website reveals Peter Parker’s surprising backstory — plus awesome wallpapers!

Why do humans stand upright? It’s not for the reason many people believe

A Formula That Explains Why Humans Don’t Care About Future Disasters

That Smartphone that Kid is Watching Stuff On Is the One You’re Going to Want

What do colorblind people see?

Coming Soon? Nanoparticle-Coated Clothing That Cleans and Deodorizes Itself

American Horror Story‘s Murder House Is For Sale!

The Risks (and Benefits) of Donating Your Eggs

National Film and Sound Archive of Australia Adds ‘Succulent Chinese Meal’ Guy

Feds Sniffing Around Polymarket After Suspicious Bets

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Don’t Get Too Attached to Any AI App

‘Paradise’ Writer Teases What’s Coming in Season 3 After That Huge Twist

Trump’s New White House App Is Mildly Concerning and Weird for a Lot of Reasons

Bloodsucking Ticks Can Survive Inside Your Home Longer Than You Might Think

The Best New Toys of March 2026

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?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

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