Latest

These Images Show the Night Sky That Hides Behind Our City Lights

If you live in LA, or any major city for that matter, you’ll know there’s something very unusual in the image above. It’s called the Milky Way, and it’s about as exotic as a cougar sighting. For most of human history, people could look up at the night sky just about anywhere on Earth and…

Google Deploys Person Finder Tool to Aid Victims of Nepal Earthquake

As reports of the devastation from this morning’s earthquake in Nepal continue to roll in, Google has launched Person Finder, a crowdsourced, missing persons database to help victims of the quake track down their loved ones. Rescuers clear the debris at Durbar Sqaure after an earthquake in Kathmandu, Nepal, Saturday, April 25, 2015. (AP Photo/…

Get Your Tuxedo On, Because It’s World Penguin Day! 

Penguins are so rad, even elephant seals like to party with them! Exhibit A: this image from October 2014, depicting king penguins and a male elephant seal* beachin’ it on South Georgia Island, deep in the Southern Atlantic. For more penguin fun, here’s a video from the official World Penguin Day page: *There does not…

Very Rare And Adorable Pocket Shark Discovered

Only the second pocket shark ever seen by humans was discovered by scientists during a study conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The first pocket shark find was 36 years ago off the coast of Peru, and there hasn’t been another one seen until now. A young pocket shark was discovered during a…

Here’s How to Turn Your Apple Watch Gold

Wanna look like a Wall Street tycoon who just purchased a $10 thousand dollar Apple Watch, but only got, say, $400 to show for yourself? Take a cue from Casey Neistat, who released this video yesterday showing us how any commoner with a steady hand can turn an ordinary Apple Watch gold. Sure, it may…

Guns, Gowns, And Ewok Fur: Props And Costumes At Star Wars Celebration 

We’re still recovering from last week’s Star Wars Celebration 2015, and we’ve got another fun video for you: a tour of all the costumes, props, and vehicles. Keep your eyes peeled for a look at the new Imperial Stormtroopers, plus all kinds of amazing original props. (Is that … a Wookiee dreadlock?)

Officials Knew the Legal Basis for an NSA Spying Program Was Bullshit 

A formerly-secret report on the NSA’s warrantless surveillance was published yesterday evening. It’s a detailed look into the history of the Stellarwind surveillance program—one that makes it clear that government officials repeatedly questioned its legality and efficacy. Stellarwind was the code name for the President’s Surveillance Program, a wide-reaching information-gathering effort started by then-President George…

This Tiny Shark Has Only Been Seen Once Before

This very small (and adorable) shark is only the second of its kind ever discovered, and he’s showing scientists how much we still have to learn about life under the sea. The first pocket shark find was 36 years ago off the coast of Peru. This second specimen, a 5.5 inch long juvenile, was discovered…

Jared Leto’s New Joker Already Has An Epic Set Of Memes

By now, you’ve seen David Ayer’s Twitter reveal of Jared Leto’s Suicide Squad Joker. But have you seen all the memes inspired by his, uh, eye-catching take on the classic villain? Here are the best we’ve seen … so far … along with some other visually inventive reactions. H/t Meredith Woerner

This Is Not Actually A Photo Of A Tiny Monkey Bathing In A Teacup

Little cutie sure looks pocket-sized, though, right? This April 18 photo shows a (perfectly normal-sized, alas) monkey taking a dip at the Amazon Animal Orphanage in the rainforest near Iquitos, Peru, where it joined dozens of other animals recently rescued from animal traffickers and circuses. AP Photo by Rodrigo Abd

These Spring-Loaded Skate Trucks Make Me Wish I Knew How To Skateboard 

Skateboard suspension is an idea that sounds long overdue—modern skateboarding is a lot rougher than it was when my parents were young. Professional riders fly through the air, grind across metal rails and land on hard concrete after jumping down enormous flights of stairs. They do it all without suspension, forcing them to make hard,…

Photos from the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Nepal

Tragedy struck the world when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Kathmandu, Nepal earlier this morning. Over a 1000 people have died in the disaster that turned buildings into rubble and leveled the city’s 200-foot tall Dharahara Tower to the ground. The quake was so strong it caused an avalanche on Mount Everest and was felt…

io9 Newsstand: The Best Stories from the Week of April 19 – 25

This week’s stories are about rescue and saving, gaining freedom and feathers, and the lengths we will go to for the people who are dear to us. The Ways of Walls and Words by Sabrina Vourvoulias | Tor.com We are behind these walls because we sweep the house clean on Fridays. Because we light two…

Medical Robots Can Be Hacked During Surgery, Researchers Find

Researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle have just hijacked a teleoperated surgical robot, demonstrating major security weaknesses in the machines that may eventually replace a surgeon’s hands in hospitals worldwide. Yikes. When trained surgeons are a plane ride away, remotely operated surgical bots can save lives. Doctors have been performing telesurgical procedures since…

Dazzling Short Film About An Alchemist Whose Invention Feeds On Memories

John Hurt voices a dead alchemist in the gorgeously animated short film The Alchemist’s Letter. A young man arrives at his late father’s lab and learns all about his father’s invention, a device that can turn objects into gold, but at the price of his most precious memories. Director Carlos Andre Stevens tapped Hurt and…

Artist’s Trash Exhibitions Depict A Planet Colonized By Plastic

Landfills, E-waste piles, and ocean garbage patches are a part of our world we’d rather not see, but these eyesores aren’t going away. Rather than simply accept that our planet is being swallowed by garbage, one artist has started turning this discarded junk into something beautiful. The landscapes shown here are the work of Alejandro…

The Life of an Ex-Hacker Who Is Now Banned from Using the Internet 

When programmer Higinio Ochoa wants to share some a batch of new code with his boss, he has to mail it in on paper. Why the roundabout process? Ochoa is a convicted hacker, and his punishment is that he is not allowed to use the internet. Back in 2012, Ochoa was part of an Anonymous-affiliated…

“Western culture throughout its long and tangled history provides us with a rich array of images, a remarkable set of windows into both popular and latterly professional beliefs about insanity,” writes Andrew Scull in his extensive look at images of madness throughout history, including an oddly peppy Thorazine ad.

Sorry Trekkies, Tau Ceti Probably Doesn’t Harbor Alien Life

The number of exoplanets that might harbor alien life grows every year. But now, astronomers now think we can check one of science fiction’s most beloved staples off the list: Tau Ceti. Tau Ceti, a sun-like star system only 12 light years away, has long been considered one of the first places we might discover…

Here’s A Handy Introduction To The Concept Of Spacetime

The latest episode of the PBS YouTube series Space Time is a great little eight-minute primer on, well, spacetime. Really looking forward to future episodes, which will explore the concepts that this video introduces in greater detail. [PBS via Laughing Squid]