Biology

Predict extinctions before they occur – and stop them

All species on the road to extinction reach a critical moment when their overall chances of survival drop to zero. We might be able to identify when this moment approaches, allowing us to save species on the brink of extinction. This tipping point between extinction and survival is known as “critical slowing down”, a term…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Will the cinematic history of the 20th century be destroyed by fungus?

A lot of twentieth century history and culture is preserved on film. But in fifty years, this history could be lost. And it’s all because of pernicious microbes that eat away at film, according to a new study. Microbiology researcher Gavin Bingley worked with the British Film Archive to study a problem that their archivists…

io9 Annalee Newitz

A map of 40,000 termite mounds could help predict African droughts

By using high tech scanners, researchers have mapped the location of thousands of termite mounds in Africa. Their newly-released map of these insect civilizations gives us clues about the future of weather on the savannas. Researchers from the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Global Ecology flew over 192 square miles of Kruger National Park in South…

io9 Tim Barribeau

We owe the existence of life on Earth to metals like copper and iron

The origin of life on Earth poses a basic paradox: basic biochemicals like nucleotides and catalysts like proteins need each other to exist, but one must have come first. We may now have an answer, thanks to the transition metals. In order to build complex catalysts like proteins or ribozymes, you first need biochemicals, which…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Elephants Are Terrified By Ants

The legend is that a mouse can freak out elephants, but the truth is that their worst enemy is much smaller: Ants. Elephants get scared of ants. That’s what Jacob Goheen and Todd Palmer have discovered in Africa’s sub-Saharian savanna. Goheen and Palmer observed that, during a really dry year, most trees in were obliterated…

Tech News Jesus Diaz

The future of sunblock is genetically-engineered bacterial colonies that live on your skin

Amino acids that can block ultraviolet light are commonly harvested from algae, and used in cosmetics like Helioguard 365. Now researchers at Harvard have discovered the genes responsible for producing these materials and, with a little gene tweaking, managed get E. coli bacteria to produce them too. Now that bacteria can produce the sunblock, can…

io9 Tim Barribeau

Biologists reveal why mosquito repellent DEET is doomed to fail

Everyone’s favorite mosquito repellent, DEET, works by making a smell that mosquitoes can’t stand, or by blocking their ability to smell humans, depending on who you ask. But even the greatest repellents won’t stop all mosquitoes. New evidence suggests why. It turns out that the Anopheles gambiae have a second family of olfactory sensors, previously…

io9 Tim Barribeau

Charles Darwin performed the world’s first terraforming experiment

Nearly two centuries ago, famed scientists Charles Darwin and Joseph Hooker transformed the barren volcanic island of Ascension into a lush artificial ecosystem, unwittingly inventing terraforming. Now, Darwin’s incredible achievement could help us transform Mars into a livable environment. Darwin and Hooker, with the assistance of the Royal Navy, managed to create a functional ecosystem…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Three arguments for the consciousness of cephalopods

They may be tasty when you fry them up, but evidence is mounting that cephalopods like octopuses and squid possess consciousness. Over at the Cephalove blog, neuroscience student Mike Lisieski explains why. The problem with measuring something like “consciousness” is that there is no agreed-upon definition. However, scientists can use a few basic tools to…

io9 Annalee Newitz

Female whale sharks may have a built-in sperm bank

The filter-feeding whale shark is the biggest fish in the ocean. A recent study indicates that female whale sharks may be able to save sperm from a single mating session and fertilize their eggs at a later time. This investigation of the whale sharks’ mating habits was led by Jennifer Schmidt from the University of…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar

The Cyborg Fly Project Uses a Tethered Fly to Guide a Robot Through an Obstacle Course

By tricking a fruit fly into thinking it was flying using an array of LEDs, researchers used the fly’s wing movements to steer a robot through an obstacle course. There’s video, so you can check out this cyborg fly for yourself. So what’s the significance of having a fly-controlled robot? Apparently, the technique could be…

Tech News Christina Bonnington

How a caste system reshapes the bodies of ants

Two ants that begin life with the same genetic information can develop dramatically different body sizes, or a lifespan of 15 times their cohorts, depending on their place in ant society. What does ant caste teach us about humans? A group of scientists focused on “epigenetics” – the study of how environment shapes the way…

io9 Annalee Newitz

The smell of freshly-cut grass is actually a plant distress call

The lovely scent of cut grass is the reek of plant anguish: When attacked, plants release airborne chemical compounds. Now scientists say plants can use these compounds almost like language, notifying nearby creatures who can “rescue” them from insect attacks. A group of German scientists studying a wild tobacco plant noticed that the compounds it…

io9 Annalee Newitz

Dogs and mice can figure out who has Bird Flu just by smelling their poop

Researchers have discovered that animals with a good sense of smell, like dogs and mice, can be trained to detect animals infected with bird flu. Just by sniffing their excrement. Could this be a new early-warning detection system for pandemics? The work is being undertaken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, who have trained mice…

io9 Tim Barribeau

Ultra-tiny frogs discovered living like faeries inside pitcher plants

One of the world’s tiniest frogs has been discovered in Borneo. At 10-12 mm long, Microhyla nepenthicola may be micro, but its croak is loud. That’s how researchers found them, swimming in tiny puddles of water captured by pitcher plants. A group of zoologists with Conservation International say they found the frogs by the side…

io9 Annalee Newitz

Genetically engineered frog-insect nose can control robots

In what seems like a Cthulian moment of experimentation, scientists have fashioned a biotech “nose” by genetically engineering frog cells to behave like insect nose cells. And then they turned the hybrid cells into a control device for a robot. Why would they do this? The idea is to create a biosensor that responds to…

io9 Annalee Newitz

Turtles could hold the secret to human immortality

All animals eventually grow old and die. It’s an inevitable fact of life – except when it isn’t. Some animals, like tortoises and lobsters, never grow old, and learning their secrets could let humans live as long as they want. For most animals, there are three basic ways they can die: disease, injury, or old…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Two new scientific studies reveal hallucinogens are good for your mental health

LSD and ketamine, two powerful hallucinogens, are also potential cures for depression, OCD, and anxiety. Two studies published this week, in Science and Nature, confirm that hallucinogenic drugs stimulate healthy brain activity, even promoting the growth of neurons. Ketamine and depression The study in Science, released today, focused entirely on the drug ketamine. Used frequently…

io9 Annalee Newitz

A portrait of the bizarre future of marine life

This picture shows the hybridization of plastic garbage with marine life – algae and tiny invertebrates have made a home on plastic that has been floating in the North Atlantic for decades. Now scientists say the plastic is disappearing. You have probably heard about the North Atlantic garbage patch, a region where discarded plastics and…

io9 Annalee Newitz

The evil mastermind version of a wildlife special

This video is a glimpse into the life of a man who was just sentenced to 30 months in prison for smuggling rare bird eggs. Dangling from a helicopter over a steep cliff, he risks his life during the theft. Jeffrey Lendrum, who hails from Britain, was arrested after he was caught trying to smuggle…

io9 Annalee Newitz

Predict extinctions before they occur – and stop them

Will the cinematic history of the 20th century be destroyed by fungus?

A map of 40,000 termite mounds could help predict African droughts

We owe the existence of life on Earth to metals like copper and iron

Elephants Are Terrified By Ants

The future of sunblock is genetically-engineered bacterial colonies that live on your skin

Biologists reveal why mosquito repellent DEET is doomed to fail

Charles Darwin performed the world’s first terraforming experiment

Three arguments for the consciousness of cephalopods

Female whale sharks may have a built-in sperm bank

The Cyborg Fly Project Uses a Tethered Fly to Guide a Robot Through an Obstacle Course

How a caste system reshapes the bodies of ants

The smell of freshly-cut grass is actually a plant distress call

Dogs and mice can figure out who has Bird Flu just by smelling their poop

Ultra-tiny frogs discovered living like faeries inside pitcher plants

Genetically engineered frog-insect nose can control robots

Turtles could hold the secret to human immortality

Two new scientific studies reveal hallucinogens are good for your mental health

A portrait of the bizarre future of marine life

The evil mastermind version of a wildlife special

Do ‘Disclosure Day’ Prep With a Spielberg Sci-Fi Marathon

How to Watch the F1 Japanese GP 2026 on a Free Channel

Ranking 2016’s Superhero Debuts, 10 Years Later

Fourth Most Populous Country in the World Bans Most Social Media for Kids

How to watch UFC Fight Night Adesanya vs Pyfer live this Saturday

‘Steel Ball Run’ Will Return This Year…Eventually

‘The Mummy 4’ Is Getting the Family Back Together

JD Vance Says UFOs Are Actually Demons

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...