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Author James S.A. Corey Is Here To Talk To You About Leviathan Wakes!

In May, the io9 book club read James S.A. Corey’s Leviathan Wakes. Today, from 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. (PDT) Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, the two authors who collaborate as James S.A. Corey, will be here to answer your questions about Leviathan Wakes, interstellar detective stories, and anything else! Top image: The authors as…

Aerodynamics of the World Cup’s New Ball

In the 2010 World Cup, players complained the ball was wonky, so this year has an all-new ball. NASA used smoke, lasers, and fluid boxes to test out its aerodynamics. Aside from producing some awesome photographs, the actual science is pretty cool, too. Scale model of a standard soccer ball in a water channel. Green…

These Are Some of the Most Amazing iPhone Photos of the Year

Since 2007, the iPhone Photography Awards have drawn some of the coolest images from a pool of global submissions. This year’s winners were recently announced, and they are pretty spectacular. Here are our favorites. by Michael O’Neal by Melisa Barilli by Lee Atwell by Alexa Seidl by Elena Grimailo by Brandon Kidwell by Felicia Pandola…

Folding Cardboard Stools Only Make It Look Like You’re a Hoarder

If you’re a student who knows you’ll only be living in a cheap apartment for a couple of semesters, what’s the point of buying and moving heavy furniture? Especially when there are so many flat-packed, lightweight cardboard options to choose from, like these wonderful stools designed to look like stacks of pizza boxes, records, and…

World’s Oldest Anatomical Model Skull May Be Leonardo Da Vinci’s Work

This centuries old, one-third scale anatomical model of a human skull was sculpted by hand and contains remarkable detail. And research suggests that it maybe be a previously undiscovered work made by none other than Leonardo Da Vinci. Photo copyright Dr. K. Becker, used with permission. Stefaan Missinne published his research about this skull sculpture…

Audemars Piguet’s New Watch Museum Looks Like Frozen Clockwork

In way, the 149-year-old Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet already has its own museum: The town of Le Brassus, where it’s located, is full of historic watchmaking workshops. But the iconic company is building its own dedicated museum anyways, and unsurprisingly, it looks just like the intricate movements inside its super-expensive timepieces. Bjarke Ingels Group, the…

Did the Tradition of Throwing Confetti Start with Sacrificial Rituals?

For centuries we’ve celebrated events by throwing stuff at each other: leaves, flowers, candy, rice and colorful strips of paper. But how did this tradition start? A fascinating article on the history of confetti reveals how this act of revelry might have had violent beginnings. D. Graham Burnett, a historian of science at Princeton University,…

Lady dances on a tightrope 300 feet above NY without any safety—in 1931!

Hey MustangWanted, you got nothing on this insane 1930s NY lady, man. Way, way before you crazy Ukranian and Russian daredevils started acting like lunatics, this woman danced on a tightrope 300-foot above New York City without any safety whatsoever. Or maaaaaaaybe it could be the camera angle and she could just be standing above…

10 Weirdest Origins Of Classic Science Fiction Sound Effects

Nowadays, when people want to add a sound effect to a movie, they mostly just pull up a digital archive, choose a sound, and drag and drop. But in the pre-digital age, people created sounds using whatever objects were close to hand. Here are the 10 most unusual sources for your favorite sound effects. 1)…

Deals: Moon and Terminator, Alien, Die Hard, and Max Mad Anthologies

Back in 2009 Annalee called Moon the best sci-fi movie of the summer , and we agree. Grab the blu-ray today for just $9. [Moon, $9] You can build the better part of a blu-ray collection with these great anthology deals: Alien Anthology and Prometheus Bundle ($20) | Amazon Die Hard 25th Anniversary Collection ($20)…

This Water-Powered Jetboard Is Almost The Hoverboard You’re Dreaming Of

No, Back to the Future hoverboards won’t be real anytime soon but there’s a damn good substitute. All you need is a board, a speedboat, and a firehose. From Franky Zapata, the mind behind the water-powered Iron Man-esque “Flyboard”—comes the Hoverboard, which seems to pretty faithfully emulate its namesake. It’s essentially just a firehose strapped…

Molecular cooking doesn’t seem complicated in these two-minute recipes

Mugaritz—located in Gipuzcoa, Spain—is one of the best restaurants in the world. In these videos they teach you how how to transform food into beautiful and delicious pieces of art. For those who think vegetarian food is boring try these recipes out and you’ll change your mind for sure. Sweet Roe Gomashio Light biscuits This…

BatDad Returns Just In Time For Father’s Day

Champion father and member of io9’s greatest breakout stars of 2013, BatDad is back! And just in time for Father’s Day. We missed you, BatDad — you are just the best.

Researchers Finally Make Automatic Doors As Smart As Star Trek’s

Off-screen stage hands ensured the automatic doors on shows like Star Trek and The Next Generation always opened with impeccable timing and speed. And now Japanese robotics researchers have developed an intelligent sensor that could make the automatic doors at your local grocery store far less stupid. To be more specific, the sensors used on…

Priceline is buying restaurant reservation platform OpenTable for $2.6 billion. That’s some delicious added value for the travel-booking site.

Sony Is Working On a Camera Sensor That’s Curved Like the Human Eye

Curved devices are hot right now, from TVs to wearables. But a curved image sensor is more than just a fashion gimmick. It actually could drastically improve the way cameras gather light from a lens, improving image quality whether on an iPhone or DSLR. At this week’s Symposium on VLSI Technology in Hawaii, Sony revealed…

Microbiologists from around the world have assembled a virus 97% identical to the pathogen responsible for the Spanish flu, which killed 50 million in a 1918 outbreak. The lead scientist defends the controversial research, saying such experiments can help prepare for future disease threats that occur in nature.

9 Crazy 3D Typefaces Made From Everyday Objects

Whether we realize it or not, the fonts we interact with on a daily basis can be wildly impactful in some pretty surprising ways. These everyday fonts blend in so seamlessly with the world around us, though, that we hardly even notice them. So instead, what would happen if we tried blending our world into…

How To Train Your Dragon 2 Matured Into A Glorious Sequel

How to Train Your Dragon has grown up in more ways than one. The sequel to the original animated charmer takes place five years later, and it’s filled with vast and stunning landscapes, even more endlessly inventive dragons, and a more mature story. Despite a few hiccups in its plot, it’s a movie to make…

Samsung’s Smart TVs Just Got a Pretty Sweet App (Finally)

For all the promises that “Smart TVs” make, they aren’t really all that smart. Generally, they’re just TVs with glorified streaming boxes built into them, plus a few unwieldy bells and whistles nobody wants or uses. So when a smart TV app comes along that actually looks cool, it’s pretty shocking. That’s the case with…