Futurism

The Standalone Camera is Dying

Time’s inexorable march has pushed another piece of tech to the brink of obsolescence. The dedicated camera is on the outs – or so claims designer Craig Mod in a contentious article for The New Yorker. Top photo by jeyp via flickr Mod’s piece recounts his prolonged love-affair with photography and photographic equipment, including his…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Why Supercentenarians Hold the Key to Extended Life

Supercentenarians are rare people who have reached the age of 110 and remain fit. Amazingly, many of them never get sick, despite having some bad health habits in some cases. Scientists say it all comes down to genetics — which could lead to a gene therapy that promotes longevity. Here’s how super-c’s will help us…

io9 George Dvorsky

Will 2014 prove to be the official start of the 21st Century?

Scifi author and futurist David Brin has penned a fascinating piece for Bloomerg in which he argues that the previous two centuries didn’t really get going until their 14th year — and that 2014 could follow a similar pattern. Admittedly, Brin says this “what if” exercise isn’t technological, social, or even science-fictional, but rather “a…

io9 George Dvorsky

These are the science stories to watch for in 2014

With the holiday season now officially over, it’s time to look ahead and see what’s in store for the coming year. Here are io9’s most anticipated scientific and technological developments of 2014! Top image: The ESA’s Rosetta lander. Credit: ESA. Scientists Continue The War On HIV If 2013 was any indication, the coming year will…

io9 George Dvorsky

Sex toys are getting smarter

The new movie Her imagines the future of sex with its romance between a man and his operating system. We may not be falling in love with artificial intelligences any time soon, but a new crop of twenty-first century sex toys could turn your next hookup into something like a videogame. The Sydney Morning Herald…

io9 Jason Krell

Robert Goddard’s Secret Plan for the Future of Humankind in Space

On January 14, 1918—six years before he began the world’s first experiments with liquid fuel rockets—Robert H. Goddard wrote an essay called “The Ultimate Migration.” He asked a friend to keep it in his safe, hidden in a sealed envelope labeled “Outline of Certain Notes on High-Altitude Research.” Illustration, “Exploring Harpalus,” by Chesley Bonestell In…

io9 Ron Miller

What you’ll wear after the pollution apocalypse

Designer Chui Chih designed this plant-based breathing apparatus, inspired by the idea that humanity will soon have to adapt to a crowded, urban world with bad air quality. Her vision is showcased in some truly stunning photos. The design/”survival kit” is part of the project Chiu Chih calls “voyage on the planet.” Inspired by the…

io9 Katharine Trendacosta

These Vintage Videos Accurately Predicted Today’s Technology

Though many twentieth-century predictions for the future included things like flying cars and domed cities on Mars, there were some predictions that were uncannily accurate. These videos are packed with futuristic forecasts that have now come to pass. “Fingertip shopping” (online shopping), household security cameras, online banking and the “electronic correspondence machine or home post…

io9 Vincze Miklós

The most hopeful prediction yet for liberty in 2014

In the United States, the Fourth Amendment regulates citizens’ right to privacy from the government. Unfortunately it was written over 200 years ago, long before mass electronic surveillance. But now there are hopeful signs that interpretations of the Fourth Amendment may get much-needed updates in 2014. Cyberlaw expert and privacy advocate Jennifer Granick has a…

io9 Annalee Newitz

Here’s why Google is building a robot army

For the past couple of weeks, we’ve all been wondering why Google bought Boston Dynamics, the company that makes those creepy Big Dog and PETMAN robots for the military. This comes after the company announced a project to eliminate death, and after building a secret installation out of cargo crates on a barge in San…

io9 Annalee Newitz

The U.S. has designated six sites for testing commercial drones

After a rigorous 10-month selection process, the FAA has announced the six U.S. states that will host sites for testing commercial-built drones. It’s an important next step for developing the rules and standards under which drones will fly in U.S airspace. https://gizmodo.com/heres-the-delivery-drone-that-could-be-showing-up-at-y-1474718537 The Federal Aviation Administration received 25 proposals from 24 states for the research…

io9 George Dvorsky

How synthetic biology could save bats (and the world)

One of the most terrifying epidemics of the modern era isn’t among humans at all. It’s a deadly fungus that attacks bats in the Americas, and it has an almost 100 percent fatality rate. A bat extinction could destroy humanity, too — but some scientists think there’s an unusual solution on the horizon. Image via…

io9 Annalee Newitz

Watch Arthur C. Clarke predict the computers of today, in 1974

Arthur C. Clarke didn’t just put the smackdown on A.I. skeptics — he also predicted the future of compuers with pinpoint accuracy, in this recently released 1974 interview. Not just the personal computer, but telecommuting and internet commerce. https://gizmodo.com/must-read-arthur-c-clarke-puts-the-smackdown-on-a-i-954492306 Buzzfeed has some great screencaps/quotes from this interview, released by ABC in Australia. Including the great…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

The 18 Most Futuristic Predictions That Came True in 2013

A lot can happen in a single year, especially in this era of accelerating technological and social change. Here are the most futuristic developments of 2013. 1. Humanity officially became an interstellar species: It took Voyager I 36 years to do it, but the little spacecraft-that-could officially pierced through the heliosphere back in July. The…

io9 George Dvorsky

Your escape glider is here to take you away!

She’s a pretty fast ship, with a powerful engine — and she won’t conk out and leave you stranded in the middle of the Oort cloud or anything. Via artist Daryl Mandryk, here are some gorgeous spaceships and future cities — plus a brand new Pacific Rim Jaeger! First, here’s that Jaeger, which Mandryk calls…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

NASA’s bizarre Super Ball Bot could one day roll around Titan

We’ve seen some really unconventional robot designs in recent years, but NASA’s highly conceptual Super Ball Bot takes the cake. Setting aside the constrained world of rigid robotics, this shape-changing machine would be driven by “tensegrity” technologies consisting of interlocking rods and cables. https://gizmodo.com/a-spiky-spherical-robot-that-will-roll-tumble-and-bou-5975835 https://gizmodo.com/should-we-send-a-robotic-boat-to-explore-titans-methane-5947794 The idea of tensegrities — structures with no rigid connections…

io9 George Dvorsky

Amazing Comparison: Shanghai 1987 Versus 2013

What a difference a quarter century makes. This comparison of Shanghai from 1987 and 2013 was posted the other day on the HistoricalPics twitter, and it shows just how much the Pudong region has gotten built up into something insanely futuristic.

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Meet the eight astounding finalists of DARPA’s Robotics Challenge

This past weekend, eight robots distinguished themselves from the rest at the DARPA Robotics Challenge, earning them a place at the 2014 Grand Challenge. Here’s what you need to know about these great eight. DARPA launched the challenge as a way to encourage the development of robots that can work with people as they respond…

io9 George Dvorsky

Help build a better future by majoring in English

We’re living in an era when jobs in finance, science and technology are valued far more than they should be, if we want to build a better world. The future needs English majors. Image via Luzinterruptus Writing in the New York Times over the weekend, book editor Gerald Howard says that we still need people…

io9 Annalee Newitz

You just don’t understand cryonics

Max More, CEO of the cryonics company Alcor, has produced a video in response to physicist Michio Kaku’s surprisingly weak critique of cryonics. In all fairness to Kaku, he kinda had this coming. First, he couldn’t even get the terminology right, describing the practice as “cryogenics.” As More points out in the video, that’s the…

io9 George Dvorsky

The Standalone Camera is Dying

Why Supercentenarians Hold the Key to Extended Life

Will 2014 prove to be the official start of the 21st Century?

These are the science stories to watch for in 2014

Sex toys are getting smarter

Robert Goddard’s Secret Plan for the Future of Humankind in Space

What you’ll wear after the pollution apocalypse

These Vintage Videos Accurately Predicted Today’s Technology

The most hopeful prediction yet for liberty in 2014

Here’s why Google is building a robot army

The U.S. has designated six sites for testing commercial drones

How synthetic biology could save bats (and the world)

Watch Arthur C. Clarke predict the computers of today, in 1974

The 18 Most Futuristic Predictions That Came True in 2013

Your escape glider is here to take you away!

NASA’s bizarre Super Ball Bot could one day roll around Titan

Amazing Comparison: Shanghai 1987 Versus 2013

Meet the eight astounding finalists of DARPA’s Robotics Challenge

Help build a better future by majoring in English

You just don’t understand cryonics

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