Futurism

Computers are providing solutions to math problems that we can’t check

Good news! A computer has solved the longstanding Erdős discrepancy problem! Trouble is, we have no idea what it’s talking about — because the solution, which is as long as all of Wikipedia’s pages combined, is far too voluminous for us puny humans to confirm. A few years ago, the mathematician Steven Strogatz predicted that…

io9 George Dvorsky

Will the technology of the future even be recognizable to us?

The baby in this video understands an iPad, but she doesn’t know how to read a magazine — and that could have some serious implications for the tech of the future. In response to this post about the ways that technological change is wrapped up with societal change, commenter HollywoodCed, posted a snapshot of a…

io9 Ria Misra

What H.G. Wells Got Wrong When He Predicted the Atomic Bomb

What science fiction writers get wrong is at least as important as what they get right, argued legendary physicist Lawrence Krauss in his talk at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Chicago. In particular, H.G. Wells predicted the atomic bomb — but he made a crucial error. According to Red Orbit,…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

A Zen Priest explains how spirituality will evolve in the future

Love it or hate it, the world’s religions are in no danger of disappearing any time soon. But that doesn’t mean religious and spiritual sensibilities aren’t going to evolve. To learn more about religion’s future, we talked to Michael LaTorra. By day, he’s a mild-mannered Assistant Professor of English at New Mexico State University, and…

io9 George Dvorsky

Will Brooklyn look like this in a century?

One day, the curving bridges and soaring towers Brooklyn might be part-biological and part-technological, swarming with soft, smart vehicles that look more like blood cells than cars. One architecture firm is trying to make it happen. Mitchell Joachim, founder of Terreform ONE, has been one of the biggest advocates for biological architecture for years now,…

io9 Annalee Newitz

The U.S. Navy says stealth drones could be used to attack enemy planes

Imagine a scenario where a human pilot is accompanied by a fleet of robotic wingmen, each of them ready to attack any wayward enemy aircraft that dares to get in their way. The U.S. Navy says it’s a distinct possibility — one that’s not beyond current technological capabilities. Top image: Lockheed Martin UCLASS. Now that…

io9 George Dvorsky

How would humanity change if we knew aliens existed?

We have yet to discover any signs of an extraterrestrial civilization — a prospect that could quite literally change overnight. Should that happen, our sense of ourselves and our place in the cosmos would forever be shaken. It could even change the course of human history. Or would it? Top image: Josh Kao; more about…

io9 George Dvorsky

The U.S. military has developed a pizza that stays edible for years

In an effort to boost solider morale, researchers at a U.S. military lab in Massachusetts have developed a pizza that can stay on the shelf for up to three years and still remain good to eat. U.S. soldiers have been pleading with their bosses to have pizza added to their “meals ready to eat” packages,…

io9 George Dvorsky

Most Amazon bestselling authors aren’t making minimum wage

Yesterday we posted a chart from Hugh Howey’s new report on author earnings, showing indie and self-published authors pulling ahead of people published by the “big five” in terms of total unit sales. Now here’s another chart from an e-book publishing expert who’s calling some of Howey’s conclusions into question. https://gizmodo.com/this-chart-ought-to-make-the-publishing-industry-very-n-1521586768 Writing in Digital Book…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

Could a juiced-up particle accelerator destroy the Earth?

One of the world’s largest particle colliders is about to undergo upgrades that will make it considerably more powerful than it is now. The ensuing experiments will once again take us into uncharted scientific waters, prompting critics to warn of a potential catastrophe — one powerful enough to destroy our entire planet. The world’s second…

io9 George Dvorsky

Your brain no longer knows the difference between emoticons and emotion

Does anyone know the emoticon for a vague sense of discomfort, caused by staring-down a dark and technologically alienating future? A new study published in Social Neuroscience says that the brain has begun processing a typed emoticon with the same signals that previously only accompanied processing a real, emoting human face. Smithsonian explains: Researchers at…

io9 Ria Misra

Here’s what a Martian space elevator might actually look like

By the turn of the 23rd Century, our founding Martian colonies will be so large and developed we’ll be able to see them from space, providing a spectacular view as visitors ride down on the Tharsis Space Elevator. Titled “The Space Elevator to Mars — Descent At Dusk,” this is a stunning new piece of…

io9 George Dvorsky

What would Google, Apple, and Facebook look like if they built cities?

Large technology corporations like Google, Facebook and Apple already have employee populations that rival those of some small towns. So what would it look if they actually did become their own towns? Alfred Twu of First Cultural Industries created these imagined cityscapes to show what it would like if tech companies were to build up…

io9 Ria Misra

How Your Body’s Unique Biosignatures Are Used for Surveillance

Not long ago, fingerprints were the cutting edge of biometric profiling. Today, the use of biosignatures to identify individuals has expanded to include everything from iris and facial scans right through to DNA profiling and even the unique shape of a person’s ass. Here’s what you need to know about how companies and governments are…

io9 George Dvorsky

Researchers control nanomotors inside living cells for the first time

Scientists from Penn State University have just taken us a major step closer to a Fantastic Voyage future. For the first time ever, researchers have controlled the movements of living cells by inserting tiny synthetic motors directly inside them. Top gif: A spinning assembly chain of rotating HeLa cells shown at 500X magnification. Credit: Mallouk…

io9 George Dvorsky

The Real Reason Why Techies Are the New Yuppies

Back in the 1980s, people talked about the 1 percent by referring to “young urban professionals,” or yuppies. The term was supposed to contrast with hippies, the youth culture of a previous generation. Today in cities like San Francisco, the idea of the yuppie has been grafted onto a new term: techie. San Francisco is…

io9 Annalee Newitz

This sponge-filled syringe can plug a gunshot wound in just 15 seconds

First responders have to work quickly when treating gun shot wounds. To help them, a U.S. company has developed a syringe that pumps expandable tablet-sized sponges into the wound, blocking it while the patient is being transported to ER. The patent-pending device, called the XStat Rapid Hemostasis System, is meant to seal gun shot wounds…

io9 George Dvorsky

Reimagining the Home Bar of the Future

I don’t know about you, but my home bar is a mess. It’s two shelves utterly stuffed with bottles any way they’ll fit, with no rhyme or reason behind it. Rarely do I have any concept of how much I have left of what; I have to check every bottle and hope there’s enough to…

Tech News Brent Rose

This robot will utterly destroy you at air hockey

In an effort to suck the fun out of every activity still left for us puny humans, an engineer has built an amazing 3D printable air hockey playing robot that, in addition to moving across the required two dimensions, can predict the movements of rebounding pucks. The robot was developed by Jose Julio who describes…

io9 George Dvorsky

Watch the first footage of the UK’s Cylon-like stealth drone in flight

Taranis, the stealthy unmanned combat vehicle named after the Celtic god of Thunder, recently completed its first successful test flight. The British Air Force says it’s the most advanced aircraft the UK’s ever built — and based on sheer looks alone, we’re inclined to agree. The UAV was unveiled back in 2010, but its first…

io9 George Dvorsky

Computers are providing solutions to math problems that we can’t check

Will the technology of the future even be recognizable to us?

What H.G. Wells Got Wrong When He Predicted the Atomic Bomb

A Zen Priest explains how spirituality will evolve in the future

Will Brooklyn look like this in a century?

The U.S. Navy says stealth drones could be used to attack enemy planes

How would humanity change if we knew aliens existed?

The U.S. military has developed a pizza that stays edible for years

Most Amazon bestselling authors aren’t making minimum wage

Could a juiced-up particle accelerator destroy the Earth?

Your brain no longer knows the difference between emoticons and emotion

Here’s what a Martian space elevator might actually look like

What would Google, Apple, and Facebook look like if they built cities?

How Your Body’s Unique Biosignatures Are Used for Surveillance

Researchers control nanomotors inside living cells for the first time

The Real Reason Why Techies Are the New Yuppies

This sponge-filled syringe can plug a gunshot wound in just 15 seconds

Reimagining the Home Bar of the Future

This robot will utterly destroy you at air hockey

Watch the first footage of the UK’s Cylon-like stealth drone in flight

Fitbit Versa 4 Drops to a Record Low as Google Makes Another Push into Fitness Smartwatches Following the Pixel Watch

JBL Boombox 4 Speaker Didn’t Stay at Full Price for Long as Amazon’s Spring Sale Pushes It Close to Used Pricing

Final Call: Get NordVPN at $266 Off + Amazon Gift Card (Few Days Left)

C-3PO’s Head From ‘Empire Strikes Back’ Sold for a Cool Million

T-Mobile 5G Home Internet Delivers Fast Speeds, Low Monthly Prices and Cash Back

Trump Says He’ll Sign Order to Pay TSA

Deadpool Will Deface ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Classics for a New Secret Lair

Apple’s Siri Isn’t Just Going to Use One Chatbot. It’s Going to Use All of Them

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

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