Biology

You were born with an accent

Newborn babies have local accents the moment they pop out. A study of 60 babies shows that different nationalities are born having differently accented cries. A study of the cries of 60 French and German newborns has shown that German babies have emphatic cries that trail off towards the end, and French babies give the…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

How do you charm a worm?

Well, the obvious way to charm a worm is to tell it that it looks a little like Ryan Gosling, but you have to get it out of the ground first. And worm charming is a way to do just that. Many people have seen birds tapping on the ground to sound out worms. And…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Watch researchers remove a sea lion’s head from this shark’s stomach

No, you did not misread that headline. Yes, this video is incredible. Shark stomach. Sea lion head. What else do you need to know? The organs of a 1300-pound Mako shark – one of the largest ever caught! – were recently donated to a research facility operated by NOAA. In this video, fisheries biologist Antonella…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

How to use fat to make yourself into a submarine

When humans finally give up on this world and return to the sea, we’re going to have to learn to dive deep. To do that, we may need to borrow a few genes from the humble copepod, and pack ourselves with fat. The copepod is a tiny, shrimp-like creature. The trouble with being a tiny,…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

These are grapes. Yes, really.

It looks a lot like a dark-purple ristra, but this bundle of elongated pods is in fact made up entirely of grapes. They’re called “witches fingers,” and of you’re in the U.S. they could be coming to a grocery store near you, and with them a variety of other weird grapes. Redditor pocketmole posted this…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

The Insidious Trick That Helps Spiders Surprise Their Prey

Wow, it looks like Spider-Man really has been studying the battle tactics of a certain arachnid. By using high-speed film, scientists have learned that jumping spiders use silk draglines to balance themselves mid-air and make soft landings, in preparation for an attack. Previously, scientists assumed that the silk lines merely provided jumping spiders with a…

io9 George Dvorsky

Dolphins can remember their friends better than most humans

In case you still doubted that dolphins have an awareness rivaling our own, new research shows that these cetaceans can remember the whistles of their old tank-mates after being separated for more than 20 years! No species other than humans has demonstrated such a long-term social memory. In bottlenose dolphin communication, there are normal whistles,…

io9 Joseph Bennington-Castro

Microscopic View of Bloodsucking Mosquito Will Basically Ruin Your Day

Me, after watching this video: Hello, fire-store? I’d like to place an order for some of your very best hot, glowing, ignited gas. All of it, please. Yes, your entire stock. I need it for killing. Things I learned while reading this horrifying piece from Ed Yong, which looks at recent research into what really…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Why does a rabbit flash its white tail when its being chased?

Some prey animals, like rabbits and deer, feature flashy white tails that are prominently displayed when they’re been chased down by predators. But why in the world would an animal want to draw more attention to itself in such a precarious situation? We now have the answer. According to evolutionary biologist Dirk Semmann of the…

io9 George Dvorsky

Patients suffering from locked-in syndrome can speak with their pupils

Locked-in syndrome (LIS) is the harrowing condition that leaves fully conscious patients unable to communicate due to complete paralysis. Now, researchers have uncovered a new way to help victims of LIS communicate with the outside world — by measuring changes in the diameter of their pupils. https://gizmodo.com/man-thought-to-be-in-a-23-year-coma-was-conscious-the-w-5411568 The eye has long been recognized as one…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Massive 15-million-year-old skull found on the Potomac River

A gigantic skull has been recovered from cliffs on the edge of the river Potomac. At six-feet long and 1,000 pounds, paleontologists believe the skull once belonged to a long-extinct species of baleen whale that would have measured over 25 feet long when alive. Top image courtesy of the Calvert Marine Museum. Via The Washington…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Costa Rica to close all government-funded zoos

Costa Rica is internationally recognized for its environmental spirit. Now, in keeping with this reputation, country officials have announced that the nation will close all federally funded zoos, releasing captive animals to either the wild or rescue centers by as early as May 2014. Above: A razor beak toucan, Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images Via International Business…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

If teenage birds can’t make friends, their love life is screwed

Before they start mating as adults, birds like the zebra finch spend their adolescence socializing with members of the opposite sex. And it turns out that their childhood friendships end up predicting how well they will do at the mating game later in life. That’s the finding of new research by Mylene Mariette and her…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

What would happen if you were swallowed by a whale?

After a pair of divers recently found themselves nearly (accidentally) caught in the mouths of two whales, Earth Unplugged asked the question: What would happen if you found yourself gobbled up by a cetacean? https://gizmodo.com/watch-these-humpback-whales-come-within-feet-of-gobblin-870896136 Even if you survived the trip into a filter-feeding whale’s mouth, it doesn’t sound like fun. Swim safely in whale-filled…

io9 Lauren Davis

Perfect for the weekend: a mantis shrimp snuff film

Sorry, Oatmeal. Your precious mantis shrimp – with its ultraviolet visual abilities and admittedly powerful raptorial appendages – is no match for the deadly cunning of a hungry octopus. https://gizmodo.com/9-animals-that-would-make-great-superheroes-773868690 Via WeirdunderWaterWorld: In this epic battle, we witness who would win if a mantis shrimp was pitted against a veined octopus. It’s a face to…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

This Is a Heat Map of a Single, Living Cell

By using a microscopic diamond and some gold nanoparticles, researchers at Harvard have measured the internal temperature of a living human embryonic cell. This groundbreaking new ‘nanothermometer’ could lead to therapies in which specific cells are treated. Indeed, while it might seem weird to measure the internal temperature of a living cell, there are some…

io9 George Dvorsky

Müllerian mimicry helps prey train their predators

We’ve heard about harmless animals “camouflaging” themselves by imitating deadly animals. Müllerian mimicry doesn’t work that way. Instead, deadly animals form an alliance and train their predators. Maybe. On the Origin of Species was published in 1859, but its ideas were available to a certain subsection of the public well before that. Charles Darwin discussed…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Spectacular winning images from Nat Geo’s 2013 travel photo contest

The winners of the 2013 National Geographic Traveller’s photo contest have been announced — and they’re absolute stunners. There were over 15,500 photos submitted for this contest, with major prizes awarded to the three best images, along with 7 merit prizes. The photos, taken from around the globe, spanned four categories: travel portraits, outdoor scenes,…

io9 George Dvorsky

Hangovers make you more than sick — they also make you stupid and slow

If the nausea and dry mouth induced by a raging hangover isn’t bad enough, a new study shows that it also impairs your brain function and reaction times. Scientists who study hangovers usually focus on the physiological symptoms. But the new analysis, which is to be presented later today at Keele University (August 1), considered…

io9 George Dvorsky

Marine biologists call this borg-like organism the unicorn of the sea

Large portions of the internet think the narwhal is the unicorn of the sea. Large portions of the internet are wrong. That title clearly belongs to the pyrosome, pictured here. As is often the case with legendary animals, images of giant pyrosomes tend to be low-resolution. But unlike Bigfoot or Nessie, pyrosomes are 100% real.…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

You were born with an accent

How do you charm a worm?

Watch researchers remove a sea lion’s head from this shark’s stomach

How to use fat to make yourself into a submarine

These are grapes. Yes, really.

The Insidious Trick That Helps Spiders Surprise Their Prey

Dolphins can remember their friends better than most humans

Microscopic View of Bloodsucking Mosquito Will Basically Ruin Your Day

Why does a rabbit flash its white tail when its being chased?

Patients suffering from locked-in syndrome can speak with their pupils

Massive 15-million-year-old skull found on the Potomac River

Costa Rica to close all government-funded zoos

If teenage birds can’t make friends, their love life is screwed

What would happen if you were swallowed by a whale?

Perfect for the weekend: a mantis shrimp snuff film

This Is a Heat Map of a Single, Living Cell

Müllerian mimicry helps prey train their predators

Spectacular winning images from Nat Geo’s 2013 travel photo contest

Hangovers make you more than sick — they also make you stupid and slow

Marine biologists call this borg-like organism the unicorn of the sea

Tesla Goes Ahead and Admits Its Robotaxis Are Sometimes Fully Human-Controlled

School Forced to Replace Toilets After Kids Flush Vapes

‘Scream 7’ Just Won’t Stop Making Money as ‘Scream 8’ Gets Started

The Curtain Has Closed on Meta’s Movie Rating-Inspired Content Filters

Good News! You Can Finally Change That Ridiculous Gmail Address

ExpressVPN Just Launched ExpressAI: Your Prompts Are Now Invisible

VR Just Took Another Massive Body Blow

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

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Let us help find what you are looking for...