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After 150 Years, Scientists Finally Know How Barnacle Glue Works

Over a century and a half ago, Charles Darwin first described the remarkable adhesive capabilities of barnacles. He couldn’t figure out how their natural superglue worked, though. And it took until now to finally unlock the barnacle glue’s mysteries. It’s actually surprisingly simple. The key to the super sticky cement barnacles create is actually the…

Russia’s World Cup Is Already Outrageously Expensive

Maybe you’re still mourning Brazil’s catastrophic loss to Germany, but the rest of the world has moved on—to discussing the impact of the next series, which will take place in 11 Russian cities in 2018. And according to their reports, it’s going to be very, very expensive. Like $11,500 per seat expensive. The next World…

Why You Should Be Shooting RAW In One Simple GIF

Any experienced photographer will be able to tell you the indispensable utility in shooting RAW as opposed to JPG. If you just got a new camera or haven’t heard a good explanation for why RAW is so great, just look at this one GIF, made with images by Glyn Dewis. A RAW photo contains substantially…

​A Very Special Defiance Reveals The Dangers Of Space Heroin

Basically, the problem is that if you take Space Heroin, you tend to hang out with scuzzballs that take Space Heroin, and they do shady things. Space Heroin itself? That stuff’s fine, apparently. Also: More handjobs! I think “Putting the Damage On” has been the highlight of Defiance’s second season so far, and let me…

The Purge: Anarchy Is Basically Idiocracy, Starring The Punisher

In the Purge franchise, America has turned brutally stupid. Once a year, we have a day where “all crime is legal” — which translates into “let’s kill poor people.” The good news is, where the first Purge was a dull home-invasion flick, the second is a pretty zany action movie, with Frank Grillo as the…

Aerosol Cake Batter Is Real Now and Nothing Will Ever Be the Same

Just when you thought that mankind’s genius could stretch no further, a solid year of research has given birth to a new apex in cake innovation. Friends, say hello to Spray Cake, the Harvard-bred cake batter in a can. People have shoved a lot of weird things in aerosol cans over the years, but Harvard…

Deals: Roku with Free Hulu, SodaStream, Smart Thermostat, Goat Sim

Rokus are, for most people, the best set top boxes you can buy, and today you can take advantage of a promotion that gives you two free months of Hulu+ with the purchase of a new streaming box or stick. That’s a $16 value, and though it’s only available to new subscribers, you could always…

20 Minutes Of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Footage Is Kind Of Adorable

The more we’re seeing of the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, the more we’re realizing that this is truly for kids. At first we were worried about a terrible, gritty remake. But now we’re seeing the charm in these horrifying mutant monsters: the quips. Nickelodeon released a special behind-the-scenes look into the Turtles movie,…

Scientists Use World’s Largest Laser To Recreate Jupiter’s Core

It is not pleasant inside the core of Jupiter—or any other planet for that matter. However, gaining a better understanding of what’s going on in there is key for understanding how these planets form. That’s why a team of scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory recently used diamonds and lasers to recreate those very conditions.…

Perfect home perched on a cliff is made of dreams of quiet, food and sex

The Till House has stunning views of the Los Arcos coast, in Chile. The house is the only one built on the top of this hard to access cliff making it a very private place. Designed by the Chilean studio WMR Arquitectos, this is the perfect location for a romantic weekend. A romantic weekend meaning…

io9 Favorite The Girl Who Would Be King Will Be A Movie!

It was only in March of 2013 that io9 called your attention to Kelly Thompson’s novel The Girl Who Would Be King. We loved the modern fatasy, but we’re even happier to exclusively reveal that the book has been optioned as a film, and we got all the details for Thompson herself! The Girl Who…

Venus Express Isn’t Dead Yet

The Venus Express spacecraft has completed its 3,000 th orbit of the tempestuous planet, dived into the atmosphere, is on its way back out, and is somehow still transmitting. Not bad for a probe designed to last a measly 500 orbits! The European Space Agency’s Venus Express has been reporting from Venus for the past…

Should You Get Amazon Kindle Unlimited?

Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited service is now available , offering access to 600,000 book titles and 8,000 audiobook titles for $10 a month. You can start a free trial today, but if you’d like to know immediately whether this is the digital borrowing service for you, we’ve got the answer: Probably not… Books are marvelous. Reading…

Congress Wants To Explore Europa To Seek Out New Life —And New Jobs

Earlier this week, the Planetary Society held a pep rally for Europa, where Bill Nye and climate change-denier House Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) set aside their differences to promote planetary science. And, of course, it doesn’t hurt that a Europa expedition could pump millions of dollars into Congressional districts. With its subsurface ocean and active…

Genetic analysis shows that Ötzi the Iceman suffered from periodontitis. The discovery of non-human DNA in samples taken from the 5,300 year old mummy’s hipbone revealed the presence of a bacterium responsible for the gum disease. We can now add this to his many other ailments, including lactose intolerance and an intestinal parasite.

The Mathematician Who Showed How the US Could Be Made A Dictatorship

You might remember Kurt Gödel. He was last seen on io9 proving the existence of God, at least in theory. Legend has it he also found an odd clause in the Constitution which proves that the United States could be legally made a dictatorship. And he told it to immigration officers. Kurt Gödel was born…

It’s Alarmingly Easy for Hackers to Control Your Hotel Room

Next time you’re in Shenzhen, “the Silicon Valley of mainland China,” don’t stay at the St. Regis hotel. Sure, it looks nice and everything. And those iPad-powered “digital butlers” sound neat. But really, the system is so littered with security vulnerabilities that a hacker on the other side of the planet can easily break in…

Put On Your Party Hats, GIFs! It’s Time To Celebrate.

It’s Friday, you know what to do! Put on your party hats and tell us about whatever is new and exciting with you this week, because this GIF party is ready to go.

The Best Camera Bag Is One You Put Together Yourself

Out of all the camera bags I have either used or considered- none were comfortable and functional together. To hope for a the one bag you find to be stylish as well would be flat out impossible. Most companies try and sell a camera bag as a box with shoulder straps on it. Camera bags…

Sculpting With Magnetic Clay Looks Fantastically Weird

When we last checked in with Jolan Van der Wiel, the Dutch designer was mixing iron filings and plastic to cast gravity-shaped furniture. This spring Van der Wiel returned, with an exhibition showing the process of sculpting with clay mixed with iron filings. And it’s bizarre. The project is called Dragonstone—yes, just like the Game…