Ap photo

United Nations Of Bears Is Undeniably Creepy

These are the “Buddy Bears,” a series of hand-painted bears representing each of the countries in the United Nations. Each bear was painted by an artist from the country it represents. And they’re supposed to express a wish for peace… except they’re kind of disturbing. These bears appear on a beach in Rio de Janero,…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Apr 30

The Ladies’ Deposit: Created by Women for Ripping Off Women

Although the 2008 exposure of the financial misdeeds of Bernie Madoff allowed Ponzi scheme to enter the day to day vernacular, these schemes are not at all a new creation. Ponzi schemes pay off initial investors using money from new investors, relying on a constant cycle of recruitment in order to prevent the ruse from…

io9 Keith Veronese Jun 9

The 55 States of America: 5 places that could become U.S. States in your lifetime

Alaska and Hawaii became the last additions to the United States in 1959. Why has the United States failed to add another state in over five decades? In Watchmen, Vietnam becomes the 51st State, while former Presidential candidate Newt Gingrinch called for the Moon to be the 51st state. What are some realistic candidates for…

io9 Keith Veronese Jun 8

Letters From Ray Bradbury: ‘Love what YOU love!’

We’re still mourning the loss of legendary science fiction writer Ray Bradbury. The author of The Illustrated Man and Fahrenheit 451 has passed on, but his indelible writing will remain with us forever. And what better way to commemorate the legacy of Bradbury than with his own words? Bradbury claimed to have typed out over…

Books & Comics Meredith Woerner Jun 6

R.I.P. Ray Bradbury, Author of Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles

Ray Bradbury — author of The Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and many more literary classics — died this morning in Los Angeles, at the age of 91. We’ve got confirmation from the family as well as his biographer, Sam Weller. His grandson, Danny Karapetian, shared these words with io9 about…

Books & Comics Meredith Woerner Jun 6

How to Tell if Your City is Dying

Detroit just took another huge step towards the abyss, with its proposal to turn off street lights across half the city. This is the nightmare scenario for anybody who loves a particular city: that one day, it’ll fail. Chances are, if you live in (or near) a city, you already worry over every little sign…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Jun 5

Karl Lagerfeld holds a fashion show in Superman’s Fortress of Solitude

Want more proof that the fashion world is continuing to be rocked by science fiction and futuristic (or really, retro-futuristic) visions? Look no further than these pictures of Karl Lagerfeld’s designs showcased at Chanel’s Paris Fashion Week show. (At which apparently Katy Perry was in the front row.) Lagerfeld staged his fashion show in a…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Mar 7

Picture of the Day: March 6, 2012

ROCKET LOVE | Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich gives a speech in front of a giant rocket at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL today. Photo via AP. Want to read today’s io9 stories a different way? Check out our blog view. Or visit Observation Deck, our general discussion forum.

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Mar 6

Meet the Raelians: Inside the World’s Strangest — and Nicest — UFO Sex Clone Religion

The International Raelian Movement might be the world’s most science-fictional religion — at the very least, they’re up there with Scientology. Their founder claims he met the aliens who created the human race, and their main ritual involves sending your DNA to an alien planet. The group announced they cloned a human baby in 2002.…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Nov 21

A Show About a Family and their Humanoid Robot, from the Makers of Big Love?

First the creators of Nip/Tuck and Glee bring us the weirdtastic supernatural show American Horror Story, and now the men behind Big Love are bringing us a show about a mixed-race family and their humanoid robot. This is a great time to own a television set. Top image: Associated Press (Sure, creators Mark V. Olsen…

Television Charlie Jane Anders Oct 19

Still doubtful that the Arctic ice is melting? Shipping companies are banking on it

Last year was the first year that the Arctic Ocean became a major shipping route — but in 2011, the “Northeast Passage” is blossoming with trade, now that ice has melted enough to allow smooth passage in the summertime. According to Reuters: Danish shipping company Nordic Bulk Carriers said it has saved a third of…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Oct 3

How life is imitating science fiction in Egypt

Walter Jon Williams’ Deep State, out next week, picks up the themes of viral marketing and social media from his previous novel This Is Not A Game. And a lot of the stuff that Williams wrote about is very similar to what’s been happening in Egypt and Tunisia. Is Williams a prophet of the internet…

io9 Walter Jon Williams Feb 3

Study that linked autism and vaccines was “an elaborate fraud”

British doctor Andrew Wakefield already lost his medical license over his faulty research linking vaccines and autism, but now a new report says his 1998 paper, published in the Lancet, was actually fraudulent. British journalist Brian Deer was paid by the Sunday Times and Channel Four to examine Wakefield’s research, and the results were just…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Jan 6

An Indian rocket blows up in mid air

Here’s a fiery portrait of India’s second failed launch of 2010. The GSAT-5P, launching a new geosynchronous communications satellite, broke up in the first stage and exploded. How did this happen? According to press accounts, the GSAT-5P rocket developed an error soon after launch and took on too high an angle during launch, causing the…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Dec 27

The far side of the Moon at its most psychedelic

These are the most detailed relief maps of the Moon’s far side ever created — NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured the surface down to 30 meters. And thanks to false color (red=highest areas, blue=lowest) it’s also our trippiest Moon yet. The pictures are a huge step towards an accurate lunar atlas — including the area…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Dec 20

Hungarian toxic sludge kills 4, injures at least 120 — and it may be headed for the Danube

The horrifying, heartbreaking pictures of Ajka, Hungary, look like a natural disaster, like Hurricane Katrina. But they’re not. This flooding is the result of a deadly spill from an alumina plant whose reservoir burst open. Warning: dreadfully upsetting photos below. According to AP, Hungary declared a state of emergency in three counties, after the toxic…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Oct 5

A crescent moon rises above an unearthly sphere

Earth glows with a ghostly blue fire, as a sliver of moon rises above the horizon, in this amazing photo taken from the International Space Station. Seldom has the Earth looked so magical and… unearthly. Check out another pic below. Photos by NASA/Associated Press

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Sep 9

2010 will be remembered as the year the Arctic Ocean became a trade route

In the 1980s, the Soviet Union built nuclear-powered ice-breakers, hoping to open a shipping route through the Arctic. They needn’t have bothered — there’s no ice left now in the summer, opening the fabled Northeast Passage to shipping. According to a new report in Barents Observer, the Northeast Passage, now renamed the Northern Sea Route,…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Sep 2

Dead lakes, dying seas: human-made natural disasters

This is the Aral Sea, which was once one of the four largest lakes in the world, until the Soviet Union diverted the rivers that fed it. Now full of stranded ships, it’s just one of the world’s dying lakes. In the 1960s, the Soviet Union diverted the two rivers that fed the sea, and…

io9 M.G. Ellington - Science In My Fiction Aug 30

What it looks like inside a German nuclear plant

Check out that unearthly blue glow, thrumming with mysterious power. It’s not a starship’s engine room — it’s the inside of the nuclear power plant Grundremmingen, in southern Germany. It’s opened up for maintenance, allowing a rare gaze inside. This is the highest output nuclear power plant in Germany, and it’s going to be under…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Jul 6

Ap photo

United Nations Of Bears Is Undeniably Creepy

The Ladies’ Deposit: Created by Women for Ripping Off Women

The 55 States of America: 5 places that could become U.S. States in your lifetime

Letters From Ray Bradbury: ‘Love what YOU love!’

R.I.P. Ray Bradbury, Author of Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles

How to Tell if Your City is Dying

Karl Lagerfeld holds a fashion show in Superman’s Fortress of Solitude

Picture of the Day: March 6, 2012

Meet the Raelians: Inside the World’s Strangest — and Nicest — UFO Sex Clone Religion

A Show About a Family and their Humanoid Robot, from the Makers of Big Love?

Still doubtful that the Arctic ice is melting? Shipping companies are banking on it

How life is imitating science fiction in Egypt

Study that linked autism and vaccines was “an elaborate fraud”

An Indian rocket blows up in mid air

The far side of the Moon at its most psychedelic

Hungarian toxic sludge kills 4, injures at least 120 — and it may be headed for the Danube

A crescent moon rises above an unearthly sphere

2010 will be remembered as the year the Arctic Ocean became a trade route

Dead lakes, dying seas: human-made natural disasters

What it looks like inside a German nuclear plant

Scientists Are Recycling Centuries-Old Bullets for a Badly Needed Toxic Compound

Amazon Drops Kasa Smart Light LED Bulbs (4-Pack) to Around $6 Each as Stock Clears Out

You Can Buy ‘Dune: Part Three’ IMAX Tickets Right Now

LA Has a Big Flea Problem. Typhus Cases Reached Record High Last Year

Samsung’s Tablet Deals Just Got Bigger, Galaxy Tab S10 Lite Hits Its Lowest Price With S-Pen on Amazon

Beats Solo 4 Headphones Are Back at Black Friday Pricing and Over 4x Cheaper Than AirPods Max

‘The Testaments’ Cast on How Their Show Mirrors Our Real-Life Dystopia

Meta to Smart Glasses Owners: Stop Hitting Yourself

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

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