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The Scientists Who Confirmed That Drugs Make Movies Better

Ever been dragged to some horrible film and wondered what it would take to make it bearable? All the way back in the ’60s, scientists had the answer for you: It’s drugs! (And possibly a better screenwriter.) The two-factor theory of emotion states that our emotions are dependent not just on our minds, but on…

What Have You Been Working On?

It’s time to clear out the secret projects you’ve been working on in your labs, basements, studios, garages, and offices, and bring them out into the light! That’s right — it’s io9 show-and-tell time. Tell us what projects you’ve been working on lately — whether you’re working on understanding the inner workings of a particularly…

Saturn’s two largest moon—Rhea and Titan—line up for the Cassini orbiter. Rhea’s pock-marked surface provides a beautiful contrast to the golden glow of Titan—though they’re both actually made up of largely similar material. [ESA]

More U.S. measles cases have been reported in 2014 than any year in the past two decades. Indigenous circulation of the virus was declared eliminated in 2000, but travelers abroad can bring it into the U.S. A false sense that there is little or no threat is one key reason for declining U.S. vaccination rates.

What Cameo Will Connect Ant-Man to the Rest of the Marvel Movies?

See for yourself just how much wear and tear R2-D2 has had in Star Wars: Episode VII. Michelle Gomez explains Missy’s role in the Doctor Who finale. Steven DeKnight talks which classic movies will inspire Daredevil. And Tom Cruise is doing his craziest Mission Impossible stunt yet. Spoilers now! Top image: Ant-Man Star Wars Anthony…

Chris Hadfield’s Space Oddity Is Back on YouTube at Bowie’s Say-So

Back in 2014, Canadian Chris Hadfield posted a wonderful rendition of David Bowie’s Space Oddity to YouTube—though it was later removed because of a lack of permissions. Now, David Bowie has given the go ahead for itto be online once more. A new two-year agreement has been forged between David Bowie’s publishers and the Canadian…

It’s Up to Us to Fix Our Own Cities

By 2050, 70 percent of the world’s population will live in cities. But with infrastructures already stretched and political engagement at a low, it may be time for us to take the problems into our own hands. In this video, Alessandra Orofino explains how a mixture of new technology and social engagement could help make…

The People Who Took “Feel At Home in a Book” Literally

It’s hard to know if this is the natural result of a culture that elevates books to the ultimate art form or a distressing use of books by a people who don’t know what they’re really for. “Insomniac’s Nest” is by Marcela Bolivar, whose work is on deviantART.

Acer’s 12-Inch Switch Turns Into a Very Small Desktop PC

Acer’s new tablet, the Aspire Switch 12, claims to be five devices in one—though you may find some of them rather more useful than others. Like most convertibles, the Switch 12—the bigger brother to Acer’s previous Switch 10—works as a tablet and a laptop. It also flexes a little more, folding into a display (with…

Apple Is Opening an Office in Seattle, a Town Full of Rivals

Apple is opening its first engineering office in the North West, and it’s chosen Seattle—which just happens to be home to Microsoft and Amazon, too. The Seattle Times reports—and and Apple spokesman confirms—that the company has recently opened an office which is working on network infrastructure. The report speculates that this “may be just what…

Terry Nation’s Recurring Nightmare That Helped Inspire The Daleks

The Daleks have been Doctor Who’s most unstoppable villains for pretty much the show’s entire run — but what drives them? What are they a metaphor for? On one level, they’re clearly a version of the Nazis, created by people who lived through World War II. But their creator had another metaphor in mind. Talking…

Time-Lapse Video Shows Hundreds of Hot Air Balloons Taking Flight

Knate Myers made a time-lapse of the 2014 Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, currently the largest hot air balloon festival of its kind.This past October’s was the 43rd annual and saw 500 balloons over the skies of Albuquerque in a nine day period. The time-lapse below is by Knate Myers, a local self-taught photographer who has some…

You Can Now Stream All the Disney Movies You Own on Android

At the start of the year, Disney launched an app for iOS which allows you to stream all the Disney, Pixar, and Marvel movies you own. Now, it’s arrived on Android, too. The Android version of the app promises to deliver a very similar experience to that on iOS: access to around 400 Disney, Pixar…

Nest Just Made Your Thermostat Smarter With a New Algorithm

It’s been a while since we heard anything new about Nest’s flagship product, the quiet elder brother to the attention-hogging Protect. But today the company is pushing a new software update to all existing devices this week, and it’s using a clever new bit of software to make them far more efficient. The update includes…

Video: F-35 lands on an aircraft carrier for the first time ever

The US Navy variant of the F -35 Lightning II has landed aboard an aircraft carrier for the first time ever. This arrested landing by Navy test pilot Cmdr. Tony Wilson on the USS Nimitz marks a new two-week period of testing at sea. Watch it from multiple angles: According to Wilson: “Today is a…

Funny monster animations get inserted into everyday situations

Our favorite augmented reality artist, Marty Cooper, is back with more hilarious doodle fun in Aug(De)Mented Reality 2. You know the drill, he takes seemingly normal situations and inserts his adorable monsters into them. Those creatures can take eating pizza and watching cars drive by look absurd. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us on…

Did Lego Club Magazine give a sneak peak of the Series 13 Minifigures?

Fiona tweeted the above image with hopes that this would be one of the Series 13 minifigures. One translation of a German Toy website later by Robert8 on Eurobricks and I think we might just have a conformation of at least 2 of the 16 figs in the 13th Series of Collectible Minifigures. Galaxy Trooper…

Graphic: Frequency of usual and unusual sexual fantasies by gender

Reddit user IronyAndWhine made this graphic showing the frequency of 55 sexual fantasies by gender according to the study What Exactly Is an Unusual Sexual Fantasy? published on October 30, 2014, on the Journal of Sexual Medicine. It’s an interesting look at human sexuality. Note: I modified the graphic for readability. According to the authors—Christian…

The Space Station At Night Just Keeps Getting Creepier

The International Space Station would make the greatest set for a horror movie. This photo set taken by Gerst sneaking around the station late one night is just begging you to write a thrilling short story. Ok, these suits are a lot less jovial than the previous air guitar musician. Previous photographs of the space…

Movie filmed to look like a first person shooter game looks incredible

Here’s an action scene from a movie called Hardcore that’s filmed completely from one character’s point of view so it looks exactly like a first person shooter video game. In fact, it’s so good, it’s as if those FPS video games like Call of Duty all of a sudden came to life. Watch it. It’s…