Biology

The (dubious) science of penis enlargement

You’ve seen the spam. You’ve heard legends. But is there any actual science behind the promise of penis enlargement? Quite a lot, it turns out. Here’s what we’ve learned from thousands of years of experiments that have attempted to address whether life would be better if that special organ were just a little bit bigger.…

io9 Annalee Newitz

The proton transistor could finally give us perfect machine-human interfaces

One of the barriers that stops us from plugging computers into our brains and replacing our eyeballs with cameras is the fact that biological systems and electronics use different control systems. Electronics use electrons and living creatures use either protons or ions. Because of this, our cyborg dreams are a bit further off than we…

io9 Tim Barribeau

Amazing video shows us the actual movies that play inside our mind

This is about as awesome as neuroscience gets. This video shows us some everyday clips, and – thanks to some super-advanced brain imaging and computer simulations – how those clips are seen inside our brains. Researchers at UC Berkeley used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and some seriously complex computational models to figure out what…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

What’s so bad about sugar?

We blame sugar for adding extra calories to almost anything we purchase in the grocery store, and call sugary snacks “junk food.” But is sugar really junk? Let’s take a look at some common myths about sugar, and find out why there are good reasons for you to keep natural sugars as a part of…

io9 Keith Veronese

Cat-Inspired Computing of the Future

Why your cat is 83 times smarter than your computer, or how government funding can bridge the gap. Today we’re highlighting the promise of public science through an intersection of two of our running themes – biomimicry and the future of computing, which converge in the work of University of Michigan researcher Wei Lu. In…

io9 Maria Popova - Brain Pickings

Scientists discover bisexual squid of the deep

Until today, little was known of the mating practices of deep sea squids. Most of them live more than 400 meters beneath the ocean’s surface, making it very difficult for humans to observe their behavior in the crushing darkness. But now, with the help of robot submersibles, researchers have discovered that the deep sea squid…

io9 Annalee Newitz

The origins of the Spanish Flu Pandemic go back even further than we thought

The 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic was one of the worst disease outbreaks ever seen, leading to the death of some 50 million individuals across the globe. It was also the first H1N1 global outbreak — its followup in 2009 was decidedly less potent, at least in part because of advances in medical science since then.…

io9 Tim Barribeau

The Scientific Explanations Behind Near-Death Experiences

The light at the end of the tunnel. An out-of-body experience. Your life flashing before your eyes. According to Scientific American’s Charles Q. Choi, 3% of Americans have had a near-death experience; now scientists are beginning to unravel the biological roots of these experiences. Choi writes: Near-death experiences are often thought of as mystical phenomena,…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

10 of the World’s Deadliest Plants — And How They Kill You

Be careful what you touch, and what you eat. Some vegetation can snuff out your life as surely as a venomous snake. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of poisonous plants in the world, and some of them are deadly. Here are 10 of the world’s deadliest plants. We run down the chemicals, toxins, and…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Leopard slugs have better sex than you do

Leopard slug sex is wild by definition, insofar as it typically takes place in the wilderness. But as this video clearly demonstrates, “wild” doesn’t even begin to capture the jaw-dropping escapade that is the leopard slug mating ritual. It’s highly acrobatic. It lasts over an hour. There’s nibbling; there’s writhing; there’s even glowing sex organs.…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Someday soon you could be drinking pigeon milk.

Bird milk, the fluid that’s produced in the crop of pigeons and a few other species of birds, nourishes their chicks. And now, scientists have found the gene expression involved, and may be able to extract milk from pigeons in the future. But why would you want to? Although only mammals produce what a biologist…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

To find the perfect home, bees must become dance critics

When bees leave their old hive, they send out hundreds of scouts to find possible locations for the new hive. This quest for prime bee real estate quickly devolves into another battle between art-forms: specifically, bee dancing vs. bee singing. As scouts find attractive sites for the new hive, they begin to perform what’s known…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Mollusks evolved brains on four different occasions

As far as invertebrates go, you don’t get much smarter than the members of the mollusk phylum, which includes octopuses, cuttlefish, and squid. But mollusks apparently didn’t think through their evolutionary path very well, developing brains four times over. That’s the finding of researchers at Auburn University. Kevin Kocot and his team examined the genetic…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

A video guide to artificially inseminating a rhinoceros

At ZSL Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire, England, the staff recently had the luxurious task of artificially inseminating a southern white rhino. And because male rhinoceros gametes don’t rain from the sky like manna from heaven, the zookeepers had to extract semen from an ornery horned fellow. I may have watched this video on mute with…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar

The story of the woman who discovered new species in her garden

A nearly four-decade-long biology project conducted in a woman’s garden revealed four separate species of insects previously unknown to science. Seemingly, all you need to discover a new species is a bit of land, some traps, and a lot of patience. Jennifer Owen began digging through her garden in 1972 for new critters. It was…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Social network lets people with same gut flora hook up

There’s yet another social network on the internet – but this one pairs users up with people who share the same intestinal bacteria. The new site, MyMicrobes, has been set up by researchers from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany, and aims to bring together individuals with the same gut flora so that…

io9 Jamie Condliffe - New Scientist

Incredible footage of tiger sharks chowing down on a delicious whale carcass

What happens when a group of hungry sharks discover a meaty hunk of whale carcass ripening in the sun? They chow down on it like a floating, all-you can-eat buffet. This footage was taken last month near Palm Island off of North Queensland, Australia. From the Townsville Bulletin: The headless, mostly white-coloured carcass was found…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar

Synthetic replacement chromosomes give us replicant yeast

Last year saw the stunning announcement of synthetic bacteria. Now the next step has been taken, a move towards a synthetic organism that’s markedly more complex — yeast. https://gizmodo.com/scientists-create-artificial-life-synthetic-dna-tha-5543843 We’re not quite at the point where we have an entirely synthetic yeast, but Jef Boeke of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is getting…

io9 Tim Barribeau

We’ve discovered a new species of dolphin, and it’s probably already endangered

Characterizing a new animal species can be a tricky process, but in dolphins it can be especially difficult. Now, scientists in Melbourne, Australia have managed to formally classify what will be just the fourth formal description of a new dolphin species in over 100 years. The new species, classified as Tursiops australis (pictured up top),…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Ant uses chemicals to bind its own corpse to an attacker

Anyone with a lick of sense knows that you don’t go up against ants in a fight, especially if they’re Camponotus cylindricus. Try anything, and they’ll explode themselves and decorate your body with their corpses. Camponotus cylindricus is a red-brown ant that crawls around the Borneo forests, making life miserable for any creature that attempts…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

The (dubious) science of penis enlargement

The proton transistor could finally give us perfect machine-human interfaces

Amazing video shows us the actual movies that play inside our mind

What’s so bad about sugar?

Cat-Inspired Computing of the Future

Scientists discover bisexual squid of the deep

The origins of the Spanish Flu Pandemic go back even further than we thought

The Scientific Explanations Behind Near-Death Experiences

10 of the World’s Deadliest Plants — And How They Kill You

Leopard slugs have better sex than you do

Someday soon you could be drinking pigeon milk.

To find the perfect home, bees must become dance critics

Mollusks evolved brains on four different occasions

A video guide to artificially inseminating a rhinoceros

The story of the woman who discovered new species in her garden

Social network lets people with same gut flora hook up

Incredible footage of tiger sharks chowing down on a delicious whale carcass

Synthetic replacement chromosomes give us replicant yeast

We’ve discovered a new species of dolphin, and it’s probably already endangered

Ant uses chemicals to bind its own corpse to an attacker

Even the ‘Avatar’ Fighting Game Is Disrespecting ‘Legend of Korra’

Bluesky Has a New App, and It’s All About AI

Dammit, Jim, He’s a Doctor And an Action Figure!

Whatever Just Happened with ‘Fruit Love Island,’ Nobody Won

AMC Puts a Stake in ‘Talamasca’ After One Season

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

2027 Is Shaping Up to Be a Great Year for Big Sci-Fi RPGs

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

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets

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

Biology

The (dubious) science of penis enlargement

The proton transistor could finally give us perfect machine-human interfaces

Amazing video shows us the actual movies that play inside our mind

What’s so bad about sugar?

Cat-Inspired Computing of the Future

Scientists discover bisexual squid of the deep

The origins of the Spanish Flu Pandemic go back even further than we thought

The Scientific Explanations Behind Near-Death Experiences

10 of the World’s Deadliest Plants — And How They Kill You

Leopard slugs have better sex than you do

Someday soon you could be drinking pigeon milk.

To find the perfect home, bees must become dance critics

Mollusks evolved brains on four different occasions

A video guide to artificially inseminating a rhinoceros

The story of the woman who discovered new species in her garden

Social network lets people with same gut flora hook up

Incredible footage of tiger sharks chowing down on a delicious whale carcass

Synthetic replacement chromosomes give us replicant yeast

We’ve discovered a new species of dolphin, and it’s probably already endangered

Ant uses chemicals to bind its own corpse to an attacker

Even the ‘Avatar’ Fighting Game Is Disrespecting ‘Legend of Korra’

Bluesky Has a New App, and It’s All About AI

Dammit, Jim, He’s a Doctor *And* an Action Figure!

Whatever Just Happened with ‘Fruit Love Island,’ Nobody Won

AMC Puts a Stake in ‘Talamasca’ After One Season

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

2027 Is Shaping Up to Be a Great Year for Big Sci-Fi RPGs

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

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets

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

Dammit, Jim, He’s a Doctor And an Action Figure!