Science

A Plan to Add 12 Points to Everyone’s IQ with Food Additives

Right now, people all over the world are being made smarter through a simple food additive. The plan to unleash this additive on the world, called “the micronutrient initiative,” has already boosted IQs in Pakistan by as much as 12-13 points. Is it really a good idea to put brain-changing additives in the food supply…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 6

100,000 Stars Are Cooking in the Globular Cluster

Hubble just shot this picture of M13, a “globular cluster” of 100,000 stars all whirling around in extremely close proximity to each other. This cluster, which is about 150 light-years across, would make for a lovely home if you wanted to see a sky full of suns every day. And who doesn’t want that? M13…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 5

Mars Science Lab Rover Mission Delayed Two Years

Sad news for the Mars Science Lab (MSL) mega-rover, big sister to the little rovers who’ve been roaming Mars for the past few years. The robot was supposed to launch next year, and start exploring Mars with a lot more scientific equipment (including a laser) than the current rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. It would have…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 5

Imagining Life After the Invisibility Cloak

Researchers claim that the creation of an invisibility cloak is feasible with future technology, and that soon humans could have the ability to blend in with their surroundings. Not content to wait for science to catch up with imagination, Dutch artist Desiree Palmen uses paint to camouflage her subjects, giving us a taste of what…

io9 Lauren Davis Dec 5

Happiness is a Contagion

A twenty-year study of nearly 5000 people in the United States has revealed that happiness is such a contagious emotion that your sense of well-being could affect strangers who are three degrees of separation from you. Two researchers reported in the British Medical Journal yesterday that they learned a number of other surprising things about…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 5

Brain Surgeons Give Mute Man Second Chance to Speak

Brain surgeons at Boston University have enabled a mute man to speak again by implanting an electrode into his brain. The electrode senses when he’s thinking about vowels and reproduces them using a speech synthesizer. The man first lost his ability to speak after head trauma caused extensive bleeding into the pons area of his…

Tech News Elaine Chow Dec 5

Teddies Boldly Go Where No Bear Has Gone Before

England’s newest astronauts are plush. Last week, the Cambridge University Spaceflight program sent four brave teddy bears into suborbital space as part of a program to get young people interested in space exploration. The experiment taught the children about the importance of proper insulation in space and created a series of photographs they’re sure to…

io9 Lauren Davis Dec 4

How To Build Your Own Chemistry Set

While an off-the-shelf chemistry set of today consists of little more than baking soda, some vinegar and a plastic volcano, old sets were filled with good stuff, like explosive nitrates and deadly cyanide compounds. MAKE has a tutorial, or series of tutorials even, on how to build your own ballsy chemistry set. For instance, pick…

Tech News Mark Wilson Dec 4

It Could be Possible to Stop Hurricanes with Supersonic Jets

Hurricanes, as we’ve seen, can wreak serious havoc when they strike populated areas. We’ve never had control over them before, but one researcher thinks they could be broken up with F-4 fighter jets. In theory, sending in a pair of the jets to do loops around the eye of the hurricane while it’s still out…

Tech News Adam Frucci Dec 4

Researchers Discover Proteins That Help One Cell Become Two

This is an image of a cell ripping itself apart, turning itself from one cell into two daughter cells. Scientists have long known what this process looks like, but still know little about many chemical processes that made it happen. In tomorrow’s issue of Science, an American research team describes how they discovered proteins that…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 4

No More Space Porn on CNN

CNN just laid off its entire Space/Tech/Environment reporting unit. That means that one of the United States’ biggest TV news sources thinks that space and the environment just aren’t worth reporting on in any depth or with any consistency. Yes, we are officially grumpy about this. [via BoingBoing]

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 3

World Disaster Map Gives You the Big (Terrifying) Picture

The National Association of Radio-Distress Signalling and Infocommunications in Hungary has put together a helpful real-time map of global disasters. In this detail, you can see a series of earthquakes that hit Greece, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Russia today, as well as an explosion in Norway and a flood in Finland. Of course, these join other…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 3

Aquatic Invader Has Time Lord’s Regenerative Powers

When the Time Lords of Doctor Who face a fatal blow, they can always regenerate, taking on a newer, and often younger, body. A certain species of hydrozoa can perform a similar trick, going into hibernation when times are tough and then emerging as a younger version of itself. And researchers say this potentially immortal…

io9 Lauren Davis Dec 3

Doctors Discover Rise in “Self-Embedding” Disorder

Radiologists, the people who examine the inside of your body using X-rays and other imaging tech, were among the first to discover a disturbing new syndrome called “self-embedding.” No, it’s not some cool piercing thing – here you can see the long, thin pieces of metal that a teenage girl has inserted in her arm.…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 3

Drug-Maker Funds Study Showing Why Some People Can Be Cured with Placebos

In one of those weird moments in corporate science, pharma mega-corp GlaxoSmithKline has funded a Swedish study that looked into the genetic underpinnings of susceptibility to placebos. Turns out that certain people are more easily cured by fake sugar pills (placebos) than others. Is Glaxo trying to figure out which people it needs to eliminate…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 2

The Fearless Meteorite Hunters of Saskatchewan

After a 10-ton meteor exploded in a spectacular fireball over the Canadian province Saskatchewan two weeks ago, the hunt was on to find fragments of the space rock. Researchers and local enthusiasts descended on the area around Marsden, Sask, and have found dozens of fragments like the one pictured here – discovered on an icy…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 2

Was Early Earth a Fiery Hell or Packed with Life?

Conventional wisdom among geologists has always been that the first several million years in Earth’s 4.5 billion-year history were an age of lava and fire. Nothing could possibly live in on the burning planet until at least 3.2 billion years ago – or so scientists thought. A new study of 4 billion-year-old rocks (at left…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 2

Genetic Testing Promises to Reveal Your Child’s Sports Aptitude

For $149 dollars, Atlas Sports Genetics will test your child’s DNA and send you a report listing the sports where your child is likely to succeed. Some parents see it as a way to steer their child toward an activity that is a good match for their abilities. But psychologists and ethicists fear that assigning…

io9 Lauren Davis Dec 1

Don’t Eat the Glowing Mushrooms

You might already know about the glowing mushrooms of Japan. Every spring, the rains cause bioluminescent fungi to peep out from tree trunks and forest floors. For years scientists believed that these rare mushrooms grew nowhere else in the world. But now the glowers turn out to thrive in the forests of Brazil, too. Four…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 1

Denmark’s Kinder, Gentler System of Eugenics

A new pre-natal screening program in Denmark has halved the number of babies with Down’s Syndrome. The success of the program, undeniably a form of eugenics, raises a number of questions about how far people should go with pre-natal screening – and what kinds of conditions merit termination of a pregnancy. Many people, including the…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 1

A Plan to Add 12 Points to Everyone’s IQ with Food Additives

100,000 Stars Are Cooking in the Globular Cluster

Mars Science Lab Rover Mission Delayed Two Years

Imagining Life After the Invisibility Cloak

Happiness is a Contagion

Brain Surgeons Give Mute Man Second Chance to Speak

Teddies Boldly Go Where No Bear Has Gone Before

How To Build Your Own Chemistry Set

It Could be Possible to Stop Hurricanes with Supersonic Jets

Researchers Discover Proteins That Help One Cell Become Two

No More Space Porn on CNN

World Disaster Map Gives You the Big (Terrifying) Picture

Aquatic Invader Has Time Lord’s Regenerative Powers

Doctors Discover Rise in “Self-Embedding” Disorder

Drug-Maker Funds Study Showing Why Some People Can Be Cured with Placebos

The Fearless Meteorite Hunters of Saskatchewan

Was Early Earth a Fiery Hell or Packed with Life?

Genetic Testing Promises to Reveal Your Child’s Sports Aptitude

Don’t Eat the Glowing Mushrooms

Denmark’s Kinder, Gentler System of Eugenics

‘Rise of the TMNT’ Could’ve Introduced Even More Turtles

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar With Dolby Audio Finds a Prime Day–Level Price Point Outside the Sale Window

Bitdefender Total Security Now Costs Less than Your Coffee Order — Covers Up to 5 Devices With One Subscription

10 Cursed Islands to Visit Ahead of ‘Widow’s Bay’

NASA Sets the Record Straight on That ‘Missing Chunk’ of Artemis 2’s Heat Shield

Beats Solo 4 Falls Back to All-Time Low, Now Emerging as a Cheaper Alternative to AirPods Max in Apple’s Headphone Lineup

‘The Meta Brand Is Not Something People Want to Put Anywhere Near Their Face,’ Says Snapchat CEO

DNA From 1,500-Year-Old Korean Mass Grave Exposes a Brutal Ancient Ritual

Anker’s EufyMake E1 Finally Brings Printers Out of the Dark Ages

This Loud-Ass Party Speaker Almost Got Me High AF

Asus Zenbook A16 Review: Start Considering Snapdragon on PC, for Real

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

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