Latest

How the Railroad Wiped Out Passenger Pigeons (and Nearly Bison, Too)

The advent of the railroad collapsed our notions of time and space, and it carved out entire industries whole—we of the 21st century have only the internet for comparison. It also swallowed entire species: The story of how railroads drove the passenger pigeon to extinction—and bison to the brink of it—is a story of how…

Archaeologists in China say they’ve discovered the world’s oldest decimal calculator. Dating back 2,300 years, it consists of 2,500 bamboo strips inscribed with 65 ancient symbols. The multiplication matrix was used to calculate the surface area of land, crop yields, and taxes.

How Many Earths Would We Need to Live As Far Apart As Alaskans Do?

I’ve always been interested in the distribution of the human population across the globe. It’s far from an even spread—this map shows where people are most squished in (dark colors) and where they’re spread out (light colors): And the East Asian countries in particular are so jam-packed with people that there’s that theres’ this insane…

The 4 Most Amazing Electric Shock Stories According to a 1923 Contest

People love stories of near-fatal accidents. And back in the 1920s — when home electricity was really starting to become mainstream — there were more than enough death defying electric shock stories to go around. The August 1923 issue of Practical Electrics magazine published the winners of a summer contest for the best electric shock…

A Droid Apart: Motorola’s Rick Osterloh on Google, Moto, and More

The last five years have been full of reinvention for Motorola; it’s gone from being kind of a dinosaur, to launching the super-popular Droid line, to being swallowed up by Google, to making some of the best, easiest-to-use smartphones out there. It’s been quite a roller-coaster. Yesterday at CES, I had a chance to sit…

Hubble finds 800,000 stars in new amazing view of the Tarantula Nebula

Looking at this new Hubble image of the Tarantula Nebula overwhelms my vision and brain. Especially when you consider this is just a fraction of the Large Magellanic Cloud, “a small satellite galaxy 170,000 light years away from the Milky Way.” From NASA: “Like lifting a giant veil, the near-infrared vision of NASA’s Hubble Space…

Israel’s National Missile Shield Could Shoot Satellites Out of Orbit

Israel doesn’t get on too well with its Arab neighbors, and the threat of annihilation by ballistic missile is always present. To defend itself against this potential threat, Israel has built an Iron Dome-like defense system that covers the entire nation. But if this system can exo-atmospherically neutralize incoming ICBM’s, what’s to keep it from…

This is the most disturbing animal behavior David Attenborough has seen

Yesterday, naturalist Sir David Attenborough participated in a reddit AMA, answering questions from the reddit community. One thing that he revealed during the Q&A was the most upsetting thing he has witnessed in his career: chimpanzees hunting monkeys. redditor GingerbreadHouses asked Attenborough: Hello, Sir David! I remember feeling absolutely heartbroken watching the elephant calf die…

Stunning Star Trek Into Darkness concept art shows starships at war

Concept artist James Clyne is one of our favorite artistsof all time. And this newly revealed concept art for Star Trek Into Darkness reveals why. It’s amazingly dynamic and just burns with energy and excitement. And it’s really beautifully rendered, to boot. Check out more of Clyne’s Star Trek Into Darkness art below, and even…

Gremlins returns… in a European Snickers commercial

It’s been a long time since the little green monsters of Gremlins have appeared anywhere — too long — so thanks to the Mars company for giving them a chance in their newest Snickers bar commercial, airing in the U.K. and France. And extra credit for using an old-school latex puppet instead of CG! Here’s…

How Star Trek‘s Architects Built the San Francisco of the Future

For architecture nerds, the best part about Star Trek: Into Darkness is undeniably the phantasmagoric depiction of a 23rd-century San Francisco. Towering skyscrapers lined the horizon and flying vehicles weaved between them. It was all so beautiful—until a starship crashed into Earth and wiped out half the city. Still! Building the San Francisco of the…

These new species of biofluorescent fish are beautifully strange

Biofluorescence is what happens when an animal absorbs light, then throws it back out in a different color. It’s one of the weirdest and most beautiful traits in the animal kingdom, but now we know it is not among the rarest. Scientists have just identified 180 new biofluorescent fish — and they look pretty amazing.…

The creature design in 47 Ronin was just mind-blowingly good

We weren’t crazy about 47 Ronin as a movie — but it had absolutely stunning creature design, based on Japanese mythological beasts and monsters. And now, concept art shop Framestore has released a ton of concept art showing their take on the Kirin, the dragon and others. Framestore (which has collaborated with io9 in the…

Why You Should Upload Yourself to a Supercomputer

We’re still decades — if not centuries — away from being able to transfer a mind to a supercomputer. It’s a fantastic future prospect that makes some people incredibly squeamish. But there are considerable benefits to living a digital life. Here’s why you should seriously consider uploading. As I’ve pointed out before, uploading is not…

You Might Actually Be Able to Afford a 4K Monitor Soon

These days, any mention of 4K immediately conjures up images of crystal-clear definition—-and absurdly exorbitant price tags. Well, that’s quickly changing. Dell’s new UltraSharp 28-inch 4K screen can be yours for less than $700 when it ships later this month, and it’s not alone. The price of 4K monitors is dropping across the board. Asus…

Disney Villain Perfume Line is Drop Dead Gorgeous

If Disney ever does get into the fancy perfumery business they had better use these brilliant little bottles for packaging. Gaston: a musky cologne with a hint of whisky, tobacco and stag fur. Ursula: a brine infused scent with a touch of sea grass. We could do this all day… These bottle mockups were created…

We need GMOs to feed a growing population

Now that many environmentalists are coming around to the idea that GMOs don’t have to be evil, we need a more nuanced view of how we want to use GMOs in agriculture. When is it a good idea to use GMOs, and when is it overkill? University of Guelph professor Evan Fraser suggests some ideas…

Gorgeous Photos Capture Smoke Bombs and Pyrotechnics As They Explode

We all know how it feels. A flame hits the fuse, and sparks spray into the cool nighttime air. Your jaw goes slack and your eyes wide when you hear the boom and smell the smoke. Well, this is how that feeling looks. Artist and photographer Lisa DiLillo calls this series “Before the Echo,” and…

Watch OmniCorp Unveil Robocop at Its CES Keynote In 2027

Remember OmniCorp, the sinister mega-corporation that built Robocop and his unstable robo-cousins? With the advent of surveillance drones and mechanical police officers, that scenario doesn’t seem that far-fetched anymore. Which makes this video of OmniCorp introducing RoboCop at a CES keynote 13 years in the future even more fun. It must makes you wonder: If…

Five Reasons Why Alfred Hitchcock Was an Unsung Architectural Genius

From the wall of apartments in Rear Window to the Golden Gate Bridge in Vertigo, Alfred Hitchcock was nothing short of obsessed with architecture and space. Hitchcock exploited both to create incredible psychological tension in his films—our friends at Architizer take a look at his architectural legacy, below.