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Okay, Which MacBook Should You Actually Buy

You are in the market for a laptop. You are aware that Windows and Chrome OS laptops are cheaper and are now just as well crafted and designed as Apple ones. You do not care. You want an Apple laptop. As an avowed user of the platform for 20-plus years, I support this decision to…

Tech News Alex Cranz

The Trump Administration’s Hyped Plan to Reduce Childhood Lead Exposure Includes No Actual Plans

The Environmental Protection Agency has finally released its long-anticipated childhood lead action plan—and it’s underwhelming, to say the least. Former Administrator Scott Pruitt pledged to eradicate the toxic metal while leading the agency, but it looks like the EPA is falling short on that promise. The agency published its Federal Action Plan to Reduce Childhood…

Environmental Justice Yessenia Funes

Uber Driverless Cars Back on Roads Less Than a Year After Deadly Crash

Uber’s driverless cars are cruising around Pittsburg again, returning from their hiatus following a fatal crash in Tempe, Arizona. That self-driving test car struck and killed a cyclist on March 13—little more than nine months ago. A backup driver was behind the wheel, but police reports show they were streaming The Voice at the time…

Transportation Jennings Brown

This Look Back at Unbreakable Proves Times Sure Have Changed When It Comes to Comic Book Movies

Comic book films are so prevalent these days it’s easy to forget how different things were only a few years ago. The year was 2000, and director M. Night Shyamalan was about to release his highly anticipated follow-up to the mega hit The Sixth Sense. The movie, called Unbreakable, reunited the director with star Bruce…

Movies Germain Lussier

A Cancer Expert Who Hid Ties to the Drug Industry Resigns From Scientific Journal

A once renowned cancer expert has lost another title following revelations that he reportedly received millions of dollars in industry money that he never disclosed. On Tuesday, the New York Times reported, the 59-year-old José Baselga was pushed out and resigned as one of the editors-in-chief of the scientific journal Cancer Discovery. It’s only the…

Health Ed Cara

These Were the Flying Hospitals of the Future in 1960

Do you need urgent medical care but are far away from a hospital? We’ll bring the hospital to you! At least, that was the futuristic idea behind this edition of the newspaper comic, Closer Than We Think. And while it still feels a long way off, there are signs that we’re slowly but surely moving…

Tech News Matt Novak

Harry Mudd Faces the Long Arm of Intergalactic Law in the Latest Short Treks Trailer

The final entry in Discovery’s quartet of minisodes is upon us, and instead of checking in on the U.S.S. Discovery itself, we’re checking in on the show’s interpretation of a classic Trek legend: Harcourt Fenton Mudd. As expected, Mudd is up to no good. CBS has just dropped the trailer for “The Escape Artist,” which…

io9 James Whitbrook

Scientists Find Red Wolf DNA in a Unique Group of Wild Dogs in Texas

One of America’s native wild canines, the red wolf, has teetered on the brink of extinction for decades. And despite the efforts of a captive breeding program started in the 1970s, only about 40 such wolves are known to be still living in the wild today, all in North Carolina. But researchers at Princeton University…

Biology Ed Cara

U.S. Charges Chinese Nationals in Hacks of NASA, Navy as January Trade Talks Loom

The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday unsealed charges against two Chinese intelligence officers for their alleged involvement in extensive hacking campaigns that targeted more than 45 businesses in attempts to steal intellectual property and other confidential business information. The list of alleged victims includes a wide range of commercial and defense technology companies and several…

Privacy & Security Dell Cameron

You Should Return the Amazon Echo You Bought and Get a Better Gift

So you bought a loved one an Amazon Echo. Maybe it was on sale, or maybe it was on someone’s list. But inevitably, an Echo is a bad gift. It’s also a lazy gift. But don’t worry. It’s not too late to return it and get a better gift. The Echo is still the problematic,…

Commerce Adam Clark Estes

The Stranger Things Kids Wrapping Christmas Gifts Are All of Us Wrapping Christmas Gifts, Honestly

If you’re like me and still have a weekend ahead of you trying to furiously wrap family gifts up as quickly and as neatly as you can without growing an extra pair of arms (or six), this Stranger Things video is probably going to be more stressful than it is adorable. We might still have…

Television James Whitbrook

Report: Juul Employees Are About to Get Rich From Big Tobacco Sellout Money

When Altria—formerly known as Philip Morris Companies and parent company of Marlboro—invested $12.8 billion for a 35 percent stake in Juul, it put a huge $38 billion valuation on the biggest e-cigarette maker in the game. That’s a ton of money. However, as a part of the deal, a special $2 billion dividend was also…

Tech News Sam Rutherford

Democrats Are Trying to Kneecap Ocasio-Cortez’s Climate Change Committee Before It’s Even a Thing

The biggest impediment to Democrats pushing bigger climate action could be…Democrats? Incoming House majority leader Steny Hoyer told reporters on Wednesday that while there’s a plan to reinstate a select committee on climate change, his expectation is that it would lack subpoena power that the former iteration of the committee had. Representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has…

Climate Change Brian Kahn

This Was the Year the Robot Takeover of Service Jobs Began

Out of the three major sectors of the economy—agriculture, manufacturing, and service—two are already largely automated. Farm labor, which about half the American workforce used to do, now comprises around 2 percent of American jobs. And we all know the rust belt song and dance, beat out to outsourcing and mechanization. Which is largely why…

Artificial Intelligence Brian Merchant

Secret Online Influence Campaigns Are the Future of American Politics

With all the talk about Russians using social media to amplify divisive political messaging and influence voter turnout, little attention has been paid to the inevitable use of those tactics by Americans. According to the New York Times, it’s already happening: A group of researchers actually mirrored Russian methods in the 2017 Alabama Senate race…

Politics Rhett Jones

The Highlights and Lowlights of 2018

If we could describe 2018 in one word, it would be complicated. There have been some amazing shows and films, and fandom has faced a lot of growth and change. But we’ve also seen a lot of pain. We here at io9 have come together to celebrate the greatest pop culture moments of the year,…

io9 io9 Staff

Who Wants to Go Ice Skating Across This Wintry Martian Crater?

Korolev crater on Mars boasts an ice rink measuring over 50 miles wide—and it’s one of the most spectacular surface features on the Red Planet, as the latest image from the Mars Express spacecraft reveals. Named after Russian rocket scientist Sergey Korolev, this incredible crater is located in the northern lowlands of Mars and just…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

The New MacBook Air Is Boring and Too Expensive

The MacBook Air is an icon: A wedge-shaped computer fashioned from a block of aluminum into a device so thin it can fit in a paper envelope. But other laptop makers have riffed on Apple’s idea in the last ten years. Instead of aluminum (or in the case of the new Air: recycled aluminum), some…

Laptops Alex Cranz

The Amazon Alexa Eavesdropping Nightmare Came True

An Amazon user in Germany recently requested data about his personal activities and inadvertently gained access to 1,700 audio recordings of someone he didn’t know. Germany’s c’t magazine reports that in August the Amazon user—exercising his rights under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation—requested his own data that Amazon has stored. Two months later, Amazon…

Commerce Jennings Brown

The First Haunting, Mysterious Images From Jordan Peele’s Us Are Here

We still barely know anything about Us, Peele’s hotly anticipated horror follow up to the remarkable Get Out. But at least now we have a little look at some of the terror facing Lupita Nyong’o in the film. Entertainment Weekly has officially unveiled the first cryptic look at the movie ahead of its trailer debut…

Movies James Whitbrook

Okay, Which MacBook Should You Actually Buy

The Trump Administration’s Hyped Plan to Reduce Childhood Lead Exposure Includes No Actual Plans

Uber Driverless Cars Back on Roads Less Than a Year After Deadly Crash

This Look Back at Unbreakable Proves Times Sure Have Changed When It Comes to Comic Book Movies

A Cancer Expert Who Hid Ties to the Drug Industry Resigns From Scientific Journal

These Were the Flying Hospitals of the Future in 1960

Harry Mudd Faces the Long Arm of Intergalactic Law in the Latest Short Treks Trailer

Scientists Find Red Wolf DNA in a Unique Group of Wild Dogs in Texas

U.S. Charges Chinese Nationals in Hacks of NASA, Navy as January Trade Talks Loom

You Should Return the Amazon Echo You Bought and Get a Better Gift

The Stranger Things Kids Wrapping Christmas Gifts Are All of Us Wrapping Christmas Gifts, Honestly

Report: Juul Employees Are About to Get Rich From Big Tobacco Sellout Money

Democrats Are Trying to Kneecap Ocasio-Cortez’s Climate Change Committee Before It’s Even a Thing

This Was the Year the Robot Takeover of Service Jobs Began

Secret Online Influence Campaigns Are the Future of American Politics

The Highlights and Lowlights of 2018

Who Wants to Go Ice Skating Across This Wintry Martian Crater?

The New MacBook Air Is Boring and Too Expensive

The Amazon Alexa Eavesdropping Nightmare Came True

The First Haunting, Mysterious Images From Jordan Peele’s Us Are Here

Latest news

Even the ‘Avatar’ Fighting Game Is Disrespecting ‘Legend of Korra’

Bluesky Has a New App, and It’s All About AI

Dammit, Jim, He’s a Doctor And an Action Figure!

Whatever Just Happened with ‘Fruit Love Island,’ Nobody Won

AMC Puts a Stake in ‘Talamasca’ After One Season

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

2027 Is Shaping Up to Be a Great Year for Big Sci-Fi RPGs

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Latest Reviews

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

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets

Let us help find what you are looking for...

Latest

Okay, Which MacBook Should You Actually Buy

The Trump Administration’s Hyped Plan to Reduce Childhood Lead Exposure Includes No Actual Plans

Uber Driverless Cars Back on Roads Less Than a Year After Deadly Crash

This Look Back at Unbreakable Proves Times Sure Have Changed When It Comes to Comic Book Movies

A Cancer Expert Who Hid Ties to the Drug Industry Resigns From Scientific Journal

These Were the Flying Hospitals of the Future in 1960

Harry Mudd Faces the Long Arm of Intergalactic Law in the Latest Short Treks Trailer

Scientists Find Red Wolf DNA in a Unique Group of Wild Dogs in Texas

U.S. Charges Chinese Nationals in Hacks of NASA, Navy as January Trade Talks Loom

You Should Return the Amazon Echo You Bought and Get a Better Gift

The Stranger Things Kids Wrapping Christmas Gifts Are All of Us Wrapping Christmas Gifts, Honestly

Report: Juul Employees Are About to Get Rich From Big Tobacco Sellout Money

Democrats Are Trying to Kneecap Ocasio-Cortez’s Climate Change Committee Before It’s Even a Thing

This Was the Year the Robot Takeover of Service Jobs Began

Secret Online Influence Campaigns Are the Future of American Politics

The Highlights and Lowlights of 2018

Who Wants to Go Ice Skating Across This Wintry Martian Crater?

The New MacBook Air Is Boring and Too Expensive

The Amazon Alexa Eavesdropping Nightmare Came True

The First Haunting, Mysterious Images From Jordan Peele’s Us Are Here

Even the ‘Avatar’ Fighting Game Is Disrespecting ‘Legend of Korra’

Bluesky Has a New App, and It’s All About AI

Dammit, Jim, He’s a Doctor *And* an Action Figure!

Whatever Just Happened with ‘Fruit Love Island,’ Nobody Won

AMC Puts a Stake in ‘Talamasca’ After One Season

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

2027 Is Shaping Up to Be a Great Year for Big Sci-Fi RPGs

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

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets

Let us help find what you are looking for...

Dammit, Jim, He’s a Doctor And an Action Figure!