Latest

Europeans Came Up With the “Theory of Degeneracy” to Explain Why America Was So Crappy

If you think America is unpopular in the world now, listen to some of the stuff they said about the country (and continent) in the late 1700s. European scientists came up with the “Theory of Degeneracy” to explain how terrible America was. Georges-Louis Leclerc was a naturalist, and quite a good one. He guided many…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Sep 25 '15

There Could Still Be Hope For A Third Tron Movie

Wolverine 3 will explore the relationship between Wolverine and Professor X. Incredibles 2 will explore ideas Brad Bird couldn’t use in the first movie. Legends of Tomorrow casts a character with huge links to Hawkman and Hawkgirl’s history. Plus, Game of Thrones heads to the Riverlands in new set pictures. Spoilers Get! Tron 3 Speaking…

io9 James Whitbrook Sep 25 '15

This is What Happens When the Earth is Chewed by Tectonic Forces

I love it when the dramatic and violent history of the Earth is laid bare for anyone to see. The fault, folds, and crenulations in this marble are the unmistakable evidence of a traumatic past for this tiny patch of the world. Located in the Jazida do Urubu marble quarry, this outcrop was exposed during…

Tech News Mika McKinnon Sep 25 '15

Take a Look Inside Samsung’s New U.S. R&D HQ

Yesterday, Samsung opened a brand-new 1.1 million-square-foot building in San Jose. Home to its American R&D teams, it will house 2,000 employees. Why not take a look around? The new 10-story building was designed by architecture firm NBBJ and began construction in 2013. It will house the South Korean company’s west-coast R&D teams, and Samsung…

Gadgets Jamie Condliffe Sep 25 '15

iPhone 6S Plus Teardown: Bigger, Heavier, Slightly Smaller Battery

We’ve already seen inside the iPhone 6, and now iFixit has torn apart its larger sibling, too. This is what lurks within the iPhone 6 Plus. The guys at iFixit have been busy with their screwdrivers and torn the new, larger iPhone apart. Here are some choice findings: The display assembly weighs 80g — 33…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Sep 25 '15

Report: FTC Investigating Google Over Anti-Competitive Android Practices

Earlier this year, EU authorities opened an anti-trust investigation into Google. Now, according to Bloomberg, the U.S. is doing the same thing. The news organization reports that two sources familiar with the matter tell it that “the Federal Trade Commission reached an agreement with the Justice Department to spearhead an investigation of Google’s Android business.”…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Sep 25 '15

This Is How Foster + Partners Wants to 3D-Print a Martian Settlement

The acclaimed architecture firm Foster + Partners has unveiled a series of images that depict plans for a 3D-printed settlement that could be built on Mars. The designs have been shortlisted as one of the finalists in the 3D Printed Habitat Challenge organised by America Makes and NASA. They describe a 93-square-meter base which would…

Space & Spaceflight Jamie Condliffe Sep 25 '15

How Hormones Make You Feel Hungry and Full

The need to find fuel to generate energy is a profound drive within the biology of all living organisms: we all need food to survive. So it’s not surprising that our bodies have such a complex system to control food intake, driven by hormones. Hormone levels also change when we lose weight. As much as…

Health Joseph Proietto Sep 25 '15

Google’s Voice Search Is Getting Way, Way Better

Google released its first neural network-powered voice recognition system in 2011 and it’s been slowly improving ever since. But now, it’s announced that the addition of recurrent neural networks will make far faster — and way more accurate. In a blog post, the Google Speech Team explains that it’s added what are known as Connectionist…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Sep 25 '15

iPhone 6S Teardown: Smaller Battery, Heavier Display, Kinda Repairable

With the arrival of the iPhone 6S in eager hands around the world today, iFixit has already torn the new phone apart. Here’s what’s inside. It’s not the first iPhone teardown, but it is certainly the prettiest and likely the most comprehensive. With glass and metal prised apart, the slightly thicker and marginally heavier phone…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Sep 25 '15

We’re Getting Closer to Brain-to-Brain Interfaces

Imagine being able to communicate with others through only your thoughts. No words, no signs are exchanged: only pure information travelling directly from one brain to another. Of course, that is the stuff of dreams and science-fiction flicks: in the real world, the closest that scientists have come to establishing direct communication between brains involves…

Tech News Pierre Mégevand - PLOS Blogs Sep 25 '15

The $100 Samsung Gear VR Is Going to Change Everything

Oculus announced a lot of cool stuff at its developer conference today, like a set of new streaming apps, including one for Netflix that’s available now. But there was a verifiable Oprah moment at the Dolby Theater in LA when it was announced that Samsung’s new Gear VR headset will be sold for $100 this…

Gadgets Alissa Walker Sep 25 '15

The Pentagon’s Research Arm is Putting Money Into DNA Manufacturing

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is the governmnet division that tries to take cutting-edge technology and turn it into something the military can use. The agency’s latest target? Genetic engineering. The Foundry is a facility which is part of the Broad Institute, a joint MIT-Harvard biomedical research institute. It started work on a…

Tech News Chris Mills Sep 25 '15

Lenovo LaVie Z 360 Review: The Ultimate Adventure Travel Computer?

The LaVie Z is the newest ultrabook from Lenovo. At just 2 lbs, it’s the lightest in its class. Does that make it the perfect adventure-travel companion? We’ve been carrying it everywhere to find out. Update: As multiple readers have pointed out, Lenovo has a huge problem with spyware right now. Consider that before you…

Reviews Chris Brinlee Jr Sep 25 '15

There’s Already an iPhone 6s Teardown

We’re still some hours away from the new iPhone launch here in the States, but over in Australia, the iFestivities are already underway. Thanks to iExperts, we also have our first peek at the new iPhone’s guts. According to them, there’s not a whole mountain of differences: the screen is now glued differently to the…

Tech News Chris Mills Sep 24 '15

Verizon Becomes The Final Carrier to Offer an iPhone Upgrade Program

Contracts that get you a shiny new iPhone every year are the trendy thing in the world of smartphone financing. Just in time for the latest iPhone launch, Verizon has a new financing plan that will get you the latest iDevice every 12 months. The new plans start at $27/$31 a month, for the 16GB…

Tech News Chris Mills Sep 24 '15

How Did This Long-Buried Dragon Skeleton Roar Back to Life … And What Will Happen Next?

Hidden for centuries, an ancient dragon bursts forth, with only the tree roots that’ve grown around its skeleton keeping it from taking flight. What brought this mighty mythical creature back to life? What will happen next? And what, exactly, are the reactions of those two human figures at the left? Artwork: “Entombed” by Jonas De…

io9 Cheryl Eddy Sep 24 '15

Why Do So Many Penguins Sound Just Like Donkeys? At Last We Know

African penguins have another name: “beach donkeys.” Early European explorers were said to have named them that after they followed the sound of donkey calls, only to find a coast full of birds. Now we know what these donkey calls mean. African penguins aren’t the only penguins that sound like donkeys. Several species from South…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Sep 24 '15

A Simple Map Shows Just How Shitty the NYC Subway System Is For People Using Wheelchairs

It’s hard enough for most of us to get to work on time using the subway—but imagine if you only had access to 25 percent of stations. That’s the reality for wheelchair users in New York, for whom getting around the city is sometimes a near-impossible task. [CORRECTION] The passage of the Americans With Disabilities…

Tech News Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan Sep 24 '15

Kim Stanley Robinson Tells Us An Alien Contact Scenario That You’ve Probably Never Thought About

We’re excited to colonize space—but are we really prepared for what we may found out there? Author Kim Stanley Robinson talked with us about some of the things that may come up as we move out into the cosmos—and the big hurdle we still have yet to clear to get to that point in the…

Books & Comics Ria Misra Sep 24 '15

Europeans Came Up With the “Theory of Degeneracy” to Explain Why America Was So Crappy

There Could Still Be Hope For A Third Tron Movie

This is What Happens When the Earth is Chewed by Tectonic Forces

Take a Look Inside Samsung’s New U.S. R&D HQ

iPhone 6S Plus Teardown: Bigger, Heavier, Slightly Smaller Battery

Report: FTC Investigating Google Over Anti-Competitive Android Practices

This Is How Foster + Partners Wants to 3D-Print a Martian Settlement

How Hormones Make You Feel Hungry and Full

Google’s Voice Search Is Getting Way, Way Better

iPhone 6S Teardown: Smaller Battery, Heavier Display, Kinda Repairable

We’re Getting Closer to Brain-to-Brain Interfaces

The $100 Samsung Gear VR Is Going to Change Everything

The Pentagon’s Research Arm is Putting Money Into DNA Manufacturing

Lenovo LaVie Z 360 Review: The Ultimate Adventure Travel Computer?

There’s Already an iPhone 6s Teardown

Verizon Becomes The Final Carrier to Offer an iPhone Upgrade Program

How Did This Long-Buried Dragon Skeleton Roar Back to Life … And What Will Happen Next?

Why Do So Many Penguins Sound Just Like Donkeys? At Last We Know

A Simple Map Shows Just How Shitty the NYC Subway System Is For People Using Wheelchairs

Kim Stanley Robinson Tells Us An Alien Contact Scenario That You’ve Probably Never Thought About

Latest news

If You’re Scared of Spiders, You’re Going to Want to Avoid This Trailer

‘Threads’ Hits Just as Hard Today as It Did During the Cold War

Trump Kids Back Venture That Sidesteps Trump Administration’s AI Firewall

A NASA-Funded Project Could Send Swarms of Aerobots to Explore the Underground Caves of Titan

Razer Is Back With Another Insufferably Cute Gaming Headset

Granola Is the Latest Recall in America’s Salmonella-Drenched Food System

I Love This Red Analogue Pocket, but Hate the Supreme Logo

‘Lanterns’ Is Here and Sets the Stage Masterfully

Latest Reviews

Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) Review: Still More Quiet and Comfortable Than Most

Schlage Sense Pro Review: Who Needs a Key Anyway?

Viture Pro 2 Review: A Dark Horse in the Entry-Level AR Glasses Race

Insta360 X6 Review: The King of 360 Cameras Reclaims Its Crown

Samsung Odyssey G80HS Monitor Review: 6K Isn’t the Future of Gaming

Roborock RockNeo Q110H Review: A Quiet and Capable Robot Lawn Mower

Lenovo Pro 9i 16 G11 Aura Edition Review: A Pretty Screen Stuffed Into an Ugly Laptop

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Review: The Most Fun Phone in Ages

Let us help you find what you’re looking for...