Isaac Newton

Biking Across a Pool of Cornstarch Beats Walking on Water Any Day

The minds behind theHard Science YouTube channel have given us a crash course in the exciting world of non-Newtonian fluids in the most awesome way possible—by biking across a pool of cornstarch that is, at once, both solid and liquid. By creating a mixture that’s two parts cornstarch to one part water, the team was…

Tech News Ashley Feinberg

Newton invented the laws of motion — and internet sockpuppetry

Newton was even more ahead of his time than we imagined. Not only did he come up with the laws of motion, he also came up with the concept of sockpuppets centuries before the beginning of the internet. Most people who are on message boards or in internet communities will have had experience with a…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Did an apple really fall onto Isaac Newton’s head?

A few weeks ago I wrote about famous science urban legends. I left one out, because I thought it was too obviously a myth to be worth putting on the list. Turns out, it actually happened. https://gizmodo.com/10-urban-legends-about-famous-scientists-834494406 What’s the most simple-minded science urban legend you could ever come up with? Here’s a hint, it’s been…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Did Newton get Newton’s rings wrong?

If you’ve ever seen strange concentric ring patterns show up when two panes of glass are pushed together, you’ve seen Newton’s rings. Most people see them as evidence of the wave nature of light. Newton, however, did not. You’ve most likely made a set of Newton’s rings by accident. Perhaps you’ve set down a lens…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

The legend of Isaac Newton’s most foolish (and cat-friendly) invention

Isaac Newton accomplished some very important things in his life. He came up with a modern version of calculus (although not the modern notation). He described and explained a little thing called gravity. But he also is said to have invented a very useful thing for cats, in a very stupid way. Most contemporary and…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

8 of the Weirdest Predictions for the End of the World

We know that the world isn’t going to end on the 21st of December (or at least isn’t more likely to end then than any other day), but it’s always nice to remember that there’s a firm precedent for the world not ending on schedule. It didn’t end in 1844, when William Miller and Samuel…

io9 Lauren Davis

Incredible videos recreate Isaac Newton’s experiments with alchemy

You may be familiar with Isaac Newton from such inventions as calculus and the law of universal gravitation. What you may not know is that he was also an avid “chymist,” or alchemist. In fact, Newton actually wrote roughly a million words about alchemy and his experiments with it — as Indiana University science historian…

io9 Annalee Newitz

Was Robert Hooke really the greatest asshole in the history of science?

Robert Hooke discovered the cell, established experimentation as crucial to scientific research, and did pioneering work in optics, gravitation, paleontology, architecture, and more. Yet history dismissed and forgot him… all because he pissed off Isaac Newton, probably the most revered scientist who ever lived. This seventeenth century polymath, who has been called the English answer…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

4,000 pages of Isaac Newton’s personal notebooks are now available to view online

When Isaac Newton was first developing the mathematical theories that would later form the foundations of Calculus, many of his drawings, equations and calculations found their way into an unassuming notebook (known at the time as a “waste book”), the original cover of which is pictured on the far left of the image up top.…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Isaac Newton versus the Marvel Universe! Check out an exclusive art preview of Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D.

Courtesy of Marvel Comics, here’s a sneak peek at the next issue of writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Dustin Weaver’s gonzo secret society miniseries S.H.I.E.L.D. The fourth issue of this miniseries delves deeper into the history of the Marvel Universe and sees real-life historical figures wielding bad attitudes and courting unfathomable cosmic powers. S.H.I.E.L.D. #4…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar

You can now access thousands of scientific articles (written by some of history’s greatest minds) for free

When it comes to old academic societies, there isn’t an organization on Earth that can hold a candle to Britain’s Royal Society. Founded all the way back in 1660, The Royal Society has been pumping out peer-reviewed scientific literature since 1665, when the first edition of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society made its debut.…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

10 Self-Confessed Sins of Isaac Newton

Isaac Newton, as well as being a brilliant mind that split the difference between advancing and inventing physics as we know it, was very religious. When he was in his first year at Cambridge, he kept a debtor’s ledger of the sins that he’d committed as a child. Read about the most shameful acts and…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

How to Spot Your Evil Twin

Are you the good twin or evil twin? Sometimes just looking for the goatee isn’t enough (especially for the ladies). Luckily, Everything Explained Through Flowcharts has you covered! Determine your evilness in this week’s excerpt. Are you familiar with Isaac Newton’s third law of motion? I’m sure you are, everybody knows it. Summarized in plain…

Tech News Doogie Horner

Newton’s Apple Tree to Defy Gravity in the Space Shuttle

If all goes as scheduled, Sir Isaac Newton’s apple tree—which inspired him to formulate his Universal Law of Gravitation—will launch to space next Friday at 2:20PM Eastern Time. Not the whole tree, mind you, but just this piece: The piece has been donated by the Royal Society, alongside an image of Newton himself. According Dr…

Space & Spaceflight Jesus Diaz

Biking Across a Pool of Cornstarch Beats Walking on Water Any Day

Newton invented the laws of motion — and internet sockpuppetry

Did an apple really fall onto Isaac Newton’s head?

Did Newton get Newton’s rings wrong?

The legend of Isaac Newton’s most foolish (and cat-friendly) invention

8 of the Weirdest Predictions for the End of the World

Incredible videos recreate Isaac Newton’s experiments with alchemy

Was Robert Hooke really the greatest asshole in the history of science?

4,000 pages of Isaac Newton’s personal notebooks are now available to view online

Isaac Newton versus the Marvel Universe! Check out an exclusive art preview of Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D.

You can now access thousands of scientific articles (written by some of history’s greatest minds) for free

10 Self-Confessed Sins of Isaac Newton

How to Spot Your Evil Twin

Newton’s Apple Tree to Defy Gravity in the Space Shuttle

‘Scream 7’ Comes Home With Deleted Scenes We Hope Will Improve the Movie

A QR Code Too Small to See Hints at a New, Non-Annoying Use for the Format

Andy Weir Apologizes After ‘Star Trek’ Comment Backlash

Scientists Discover Hidden Behavior in Water That Helps Explain Why Ice Floats

The ‘Paradise’ Season 2 Finale Paved the Way for a Wildly Sci-Fi Season 3

A $1 Samsung Galaxy Smartphone Lands at Mint Mobile With Unlimited Data at 50% Off in a Clearance Push

Your Wimpy Workouts Aren’t Cutting It, Scientists Say

Anker Prime Power Bank Drops to an All-Time Low (200W, 20,100mAh, 3-Port) as Amazon Clears Out Remaining Spring Sale Stock

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

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

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