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Where is the Astrodome’s Missing Time Capsule?

When the Astrodome was built in 1963, Houstonians did what all sensible, red-blooded Americans do whenever they break ground on a new building: They buried a time capsule. Unfortunately for those of us here in the 2015, nobody can find it. According to the Houston Chronicle, even the bomb squad has been enlisted to help…

Jay Z Dumps Tidal’s CEO, Now Has 98 Problems 

…or is it actually 100? In any case, Tidal, the music streaming site slash charity for millionaire musicians owned by Jay Z, is out of a CEO. About twenty-five employees, including CEO Andy Chen, have reportedly left the company this week. Jay Z bought the streaming service in March and gathered some of the richest…

I’m Not Putting My Arm Anywhere Near This Blood-Thirsty Needle Robot

It promises to make having blood drawn or getting injections far more comfortable and stress-free, but outside of a few testers (who are probably being well-compensated) who among us is willing to give a robot like the VenousPro a taste for human blood—specifically your blood? Using infrared and ultrasound imaging the VenousPro is able to…

Which Summer Movie Will Be This Year’s Biggest Flop?

It’s almost summer movie season — which means it’s time, once again, for our annual poll. Which of this summer’s big tentpole movies will lose the most money? Make your predictions now! Note: This year, we’re simplifying this poll somewhat. In previous years, we asked you which movie would be the biggest “surprise” flop —…

Grim Discovery Confirms Cannibalism Among Early Britons

A recent analysis of human-chewed remains has provided some of the most compelling evidence to date that ice age Britons engaged in cannibalistic practices. Scientists from the Natural History Museum, University College London, with the help of specialists from several Spanish universities, have discovered the presence of human tooth-marks on human bones recovered from Gough’s…

Ben and Jerry’s new ice cream burrito is happiness in a waffle wrap

I’d actually consider Ben And Jerry’s BRRR-ito more of a wrap but what’s truly important is that this cross between an ice cream sandwich and your normal waffle coned ice cream exists in the first place. Think of it like a giant cannoli with ice cream. Or a Choco Taco in burrito form. And then…

You Can Now Fix Pretty Much Anything Using Star Wars-Branded Duct Tape

Star Wars Celebration has officially opened the flood gates for a tidal wave of new Star Wars merchandise. And if you thought for one second that Lucasfilm had lost its marketing magic after being bought by Disney, you can now buy officially-branded Star Wars duct tape—perfect for fixing the power converters you weren’t able to…

The Best Buildings of the Year, According to the Internet 

The people who get to dole out awards to architects each year are normally critics and panels of experts who know exactly what goes into designing a building. But what would normal people—or even the internet at large—choose? Just like most awards programs, Architizer’s annual A+ Awards (which my colleague Alissa Walker covered earlier this…

io9 Newsstand: The Best Stories from the Week of April 12 – 18

This week’s best stories are about what it means to be human, about balancing the universe’s harmonies, and about using one’s voice as a weapon or a balm — depending on the situation. The New Mother by Eugene Fischer | Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine (excerpt) Trigger Warning: abuse, child abuse, forced medical procedures The girls…

This Baffling 1936 Murder Was Solved With A Hair And A Piece Of String

On April 10, 1936, the body of aspiring novelist Nancy Titterton was found raped and strangled to death (by her own pajamas) in the bathtub of the New York City apartment she shared with her husband, an executive at NBC. The only clues: a short length of cord and a single horsehair. Incredibly, however, these…

Iron Man’s Dad Is Officially Jesse Custer In The Preacher TV Series

As it was rumored, so it has come to pass! Dominic Cooper, a.k.a. Howard Stark in the early days of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has been cast as the lead in Seth Rogen’s TV adaptation of Garth Ennis’ hit Vertigo comic Preacher. Cooper joins Ruth Negga as Tulip, Joseph Gilgun as the Irish vampire Cassidy,…

Good News! The DOJ Might Kill the Comcast-Time Warner Merger 

The Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger has been in the works for so long, it’s starting to feel like the impending monopolistic telecom Frankenbaby was inevitable. But the Justice Department may kibosh the deal for violating antitrust laws, according to a report from Bloomberg. Attorneys who are investigating Comcast’s $45.2 billion proposal to create a nationwide…

The Terrifying True Story Of America’s Youngest Serial Killer

In 1872, 12-year-old Jesse Pomeroy was briefly sent to reform school after brutally attacking several children. After his release, “the Boy Fiend” progressed to murder. A new book takes a look at this unusual case, one of the first to bring the insanity defense — and all its complications — into the public eye. We…

There’s A Brand New Section Of A Wrinkle In Time That You Can Read

A newly-unearthed section of A Wrinkle In Time has been released by Madeline L’Engle’s granddaughter — and it has some strong words about the dangers faced by democracies, as they try to balance security and freedom. L’Engle’s granddaughter, Charlotte Jones Voiklis, gave the whole previously cut section to the Wall Street Journal, who just published…

Does Preserving the Past Keep Cities From Moving Into the Future?

In the last 50 years, the preservationist movement has become powerful—maybe too powerful in a place like New York City, where a third of the buildings are now protected. But the buildings we think of today as landmarks inevitably replaced older structures, ones we tend to forget were demolished in the path towards progress. This…

Short film of NYC is so stunning that it looks like photos coming alive

This stunning short, Moments by Tim Sessler and Cameron Michael, is so beautifully shot in slow motion that the footage almost look more like still photographs with a few moving parts. Each scene is like a photo that lives on its own. It’s so much more stunning than a normal video that it can appear…

Contributors at the excellent marine science blog Deep-Sea News have published an article in PLOS on how to conduct effective online science outreach. It is (appropriately? ironically? self-consciously?) presented in list format. Here are Ten Simple Rules for Effective Online Outreach.

Quirky and Mattel Want You To Design Your Own Barbie and Hot Wheels Toys

Quirky is a lot like Kickstarter when it comes to turning an amateur inventor’s idea into an actual product—except there’s no disappointment and no broken promises. The company actually knows what it’s doing, which is why other companies like Mattel are teaming up with it so that anyone can now submit an idea for a…

10 Ways To Create A Near-Future World That Won’t Look Too Dated

Writing about the world to come is a scary proposition, because nothing becomes obsolete faster than futuristic visions. Especially if you’re writing about a decade or two from now, your story risks looking ridiculous within a few years. So here are 10 tips to keep your near-future setting from looking too dated. All artwork by…

One Small Espresso Machine For the ISS, One Giant Leap For Humankind

In the early hours of what would be this morning for many of us, astronauts on the ISS reached out into space with a robotic arm and plucked the Dragon re-supply capsule from orbit. It contains plenty of important SCIENCE, but also the most important supply of all: coffee. Lead image: 100 percent realistic depiction…