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Giant Panda Was Infected With Scary Cat Parasite Toxoplasma

Just in case you needed more reasons to fear Toxoplasma, here’s another. It infects that most adorable of charismatic critters, the giant panda. Toxoplasma gondii is a brain parasite needs cat guts to survive. Here’s Ed Yong’s description of the nasty critter, from last year: A mouse sniffs the air, catches the whiff of cat…

Biology Jason G. Goldman Mar 14 '14

What’s the right mix of science and fiction in science fiction?

Parsing out just the right ratio of science to fiction in science fiction is a long-standing question, with no easy answer. Here’s how the Adult Swim animated show Rick and Morty deals with that conundrum. Justin Roiland, co-creator of Rick and Morty, stopped in for a Q&A today where he answered this question about the…

io9 Ria Misra Mar 14 '14

This Handy Hack Makes Any Receipt Printer Spit Out the Constitution

Ever have that sense of panic when you’re standing in line at the grocery store and can’t remember your constitutional rights? Well, then you need the CONSTI2GO, a clever little device that lets you print out a full copy of the U.S. Constitution in receipt form. Unfortunately, the CONSTI2GO isn’t really something you can buy…

Tech News Adam Clark Estes Mar 14 '14

Valve’s Redesigned Steam Controller Looks a Little Less Bizarre

Back at Steam Dev Days, Valve announced it was giving up on the touchpad dreams for its Steam Controller. Now, we’ve got a render that shows exactly what the new older-school design will look like. Which is to say, just a liiittle less alien. [Engadget]

Tech News Eric Limer Mar 14 '14

Brazilian astronomers have discovered a “very bright” new comet

Fresh off the heels of ISON’s untimely demise, Brazilian astronomers have announced the discovery of a new and luminous comet. Called C/2014 E2 (Jacques), they found it using the SONEAR observatory near Oliveira, Brazil. The discovery was made by Cristovao Jacques, E. Pimentel, and J. Barros. It’s the second comet detected by this team. The…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 14 '14

A Pleated Filter Eliminates the Slow Drip of Purified Water

Camelbak’s made a name for itself when it comes to proper hydration, at least when it comes to outdoor activities. But now the company has set its sights on your kitchen—and Brita—with its new Relay pitcher that uses an exposed dual-pleated filter that lets water flow 10x faster than what we’re all probably used to.…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Mar 14 '14

Photo wizard warps reality, invokes interdimensional wormholes on Earth

What would it look like to travel through a wormhole? Maybe a little bit like this new photo series from Randy Scott Slavin. “Alternate Perspectives Two” challenges the very definition of panorama, turning simple landscapes into 360-degree spheres of beauty. You almost want to fall right into the photos, just to see where in the…

Sploid Adam Clark Estes Mar 14 '14

Take a Quadcopter Tour of Alaska’s Ice Caves Without Catching a Cold

With towering, crystalline halls of frozen water, ice caves are among the most visually arresting formations in nature. They’re just a pain to explore given their often inaccessible locations and the inhospitable climate that allows for their development. But that’s where the drones come in. With the assistance of a GoPro HERO3+ Black Edition on…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Mar 14 '14

And Now, Batman Villains drawn as Cartoon Sharks.

No, we don’t know why. But artist Jeff Victor has drawn Batman villains as Sharks. Good night, everybody! [via Geekologie]

Books & Comics Meredith Woerner Mar 14 '14

Beautifully Designed Olympic Posters from 1896 to Today

The Olympic Games celebrate feats of athleticism and endurance — but nobody would care about these contests if they weren’t promoted by great accomplishments in graphic design. Check out all the stunningly designed posters for the past 120 years of Olympic Games. 1896, Athens (via Britannica Kids) 1900, Paris (via Amazon) 1904, St. Louis (via…

io9 Vincze Miklós Mar 14 '14

First look at the action figures of Michael Bay’s TMNT

We’ve seen the character designs for the Michael Bay-produced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, but these new action figures have revealed a few secrets of their own. Here, take a look… So… 1) Michaelangelo is definitely wearing a hoodie around his waist. A hoodie that can’t possibly fit him. 2) I think Donatello is wearing…

io9 Rob Bricken Mar 14 '14

How to Handle Internet Indecision

There are 6,245 restaurants on Seamless in New York City. Sometimes deciding between a roast beef sandwich and a pepperoni pizza is an impossible choice. But this is not an isolated dilemma—the question of what to watch, what to eat, and what to click is indicative of an issue that plagues the whole internet. Unfortunately…

Tech News Leslie Horn Mar 14 '14

Gaming Deals: Born of the Gods, Dwarven Forge, SOI&F RPG & more

The savvy tabletop gamer can find lots of great deals on games, terrain, and more. Luckily, I’ve done most of the work for you. Check out these excellent springtime game sales. Note: a few of these sales are affiliate links, but none of them are paid ads, just some deals I found. The Song of…

io9 Ed Grabianowski Mar 14 '14

Watch out: this book is dangerously addictive!

Have you ever had the thing where you’re so absorbed in reading a book that you try to keep reading it while walking around on the street, only to come close to being hit by a bus? I had a bit of that with the new young-adult fantasy novel Half Bad by Sally Green. Top…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Mar 14 '14

Space-Pi!

Pi is for planets, and spacecraft, for orbital dynamics and craters. It’s 3.14, and it’s all about circles. 1. The Pi Transfer How does Cassini peek at the poles of Saturn without burning ridiculous amounts of fuel? By using the gravity of Titan to get a boost and redirect! This technique is the pi transfer,…

Tech News Mika McKinnon Mar 14 '14

Paris’s Smog Has Gotten So Bad, It’s Making Public Transportation Free

Ah Paris—city of light, city of love, city of smog? Unusually warm spring weather has trapped diesel car emissions, blanketing much of France in noxious and dangerous air pollution. It’s gotten so bad that officials in Paris are taking the radical next step of making public transportation, bike shares, and electric car shares free to…

Tech News Sarah Zhang Mar 14 '14

Watching real strangers kiss for the first time is not pretty

Getting 20 hot, confident models to make out—like they do every day, for their job—is pretty and all, but it’s no big feat, really. Vice got 20 completely normal strangers to kiss each other. Some of them are awesome, some of them are weird, all of them are normal. It’s real life! Enjoy it. Where…

Sploid Alissa Walker Mar 14 '14

Is Google Glass the future of home cooking?

I know I will never use Google Glassuntil it becomes an invisible part of my eyeglasses but I just realized that teaching people how to cook may be a great application for it. Imagine it: Instead of having to look at your tablet or laptop, you can follow recipes without taking your eyes from your…

Sploid Jesus Diaz Mar 14 '14

You don’t know what true wilderness is

When you hear the word “wilderness,” usually you imagine vast expanses of untouched nature, full of beautiful plants and untamed animals. But according to historian William Cronon, you’ve got the wrong idea. Photo by the Pinedale Ranger District of the Bridger-Teton National Forest In fact, misunderstandings of wilderness may be causing problems for environmentalists who…

io9 Annalee Newitz Mar 14 '14

A Mechanical Doll That Will Crawl All the Way Into Your Nightmares

The next time your kid complains about not having the latest and greatest toys, just point to them towards this photo of what children in the late 1800s had to play with. On one hand they’ll certainly start appreciating what they’ve got, but on the other they probably won’t sleep for a week because this…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Mar 14 '14

Giant Panda Was Infected With Scary Cat Parasite Toxoplasma

What’s the right mix of science and fiction in science fiction?

This Handy Hack Makes Any Receipt Printer Spit Out the Constitution

Valve’s Redesigned Steam Controller Looks a Little Less Bizarre

Brazilian astronomers have discovered a “very bright” new comet

A Pleated Filter Eliminates the Slow Drip of Purified Water

Photo wizard warps reality, invokes interdimensional wormholes on Earth

Take a Quadcopter Tour of Alaska’s Ice Caves Without Catching a Cold

And Now, Batman Villains drawn as Cartoon Sharks.

Beautifully Designed Olympic Posters from 1896 to Today

First look at the action figures of Michael Bay’s TMNT

How to Handle Internet Indecision

Gaming Deals: Born of the Gods, Dwarven Forge, SOI&F RPG & more

Watch out: this book is dangerously addictive!

Space-Pi!

Paris’s Smog Has Gotten So Bad, It’s Making Public Transportation Free

Watching real strangers kiss for the first time is not pretty

Is Google Glass the future of home cooking?

You don’t know what true wilderness is

A Mechanical Doll That Will Crawl All the Way Into Your Nightmares

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