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How did astronauts learn to walk in space? In part, they learned from the animal kingdom's master of the freefall: the common house cat. More »
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Every day we get new evidence that physicists are just like us: hungry. Physicist Frank Crawford noticed a strange, musical effect when he stirred a packet of hot chocolate mix into his water. Find out about the physics he discovered behind this odd, shifting sound. More »
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There's a secret code hiding in many a scientific research paper, but it's not the key to immortality or a way to turn maple syrup into rocket fuel. No, it's the code that tells you precisely what was going through the researcher's head as he or she was writing the paper. Fair warning: once you've seen what thoughts lurk behind these seemingly innocuous phrases, they cannot be unseen. More »
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The famous Barking Dog Experiment combines a few chemicals in a tube and causes explosions that sound, most people say, like barking dogs. I say they sound a little more like phasers, or other ray guns. Learn a little chemistry, listen to a few explosions, and judge for yourself. More »
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Sometimes you just have to escape from a sticky situation. And when that happens, you need some kind of diversion to confuse people so they won't come after you. That's why Batman (and various stage magicians) have given us the wonder of smoke bombs. But how do you make them yourself? More »
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WARNING: turn your volume down before watching this video. And while you're at it, go read this post, paying close attention to the parts that address the pitfalls of liquid nitrogen bomb assembly. More »
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So you're going to a costume party in a bad neighborhood. You want to be safe, but you don't want to break out of your historical character. Take this quick tutorial on how to make a jar, invented in the 1700s, that stores up enough static electricity to disable, or even kill someone. More »
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Most of us think of liquid nitrogen as an extinguishing force, but it can, at times, rage against the dying of the light . . . bulb. Find out why a smashed light bulb stays lit if it's dipped in liquid nitrogen. More »
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In an effort to test the plasticity of the brain, scientists a decade ago decided to scramble a ferret's brain so that its eyes were hooked up to its auditory cortex. So clearly the ferret was blind, right? Wrong. Find out about the experiment that lead scientists to understand exactly how adaptable our brains can be. More »
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It takes very special materials to make actual superconductors, but you can demonstrate the principles of superconductivity with a simple aluminum frying pan, a magnet, and a bit of liquid nitrogen. Have some fun with a semi-levitating magnet on a semi-superconductor. More »
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Remember the naked lady in the ice cube that was supposed to sell us soda? How about all the pranks that Tyler Durden pulls in Fight Club? Both are equally fictional — and people have pretty much given up on trying to influence our subconscious minds via subliminal imagery. More »
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It's not just you. Toast really does land buttered-side-down most of the time, and now science has proved it — with a simple, but frustrating, experiment that won an Ig Nobel Prize. Discover the physics of why the universe hates you. Or, at least, why the universe hates breakfast. More »
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Take a look at the virtual upgrade of an old thought experiment, conducted by Carlos David Navarrete, a psychologist at Michigan State University. Which should win out - personal morality or the greater good? And what if either one involves hitting people with a train? More »
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The Rubens' Tube is a lit gas jet attached via a tube to a stereo speaker. When the speaker kicks into gear, the changes in pressure along the tube make the the flames spring up or die down in waves as the music plays. You may have seen a version of this if you've attended the concerts of bands who aren't concerned with human life. Here's how it works. More »
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Plasma is what's responsible for St Elmo's Fire. It's the solar wind that whips through our planetary system. It's part of the ionosphere. It's part of the sun. And you can create it in your microwave, with a grape (provided you have no further use for either the microwave or the grape.) More »
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Holidays are a good time to find the answer to complex mathematical problems using household items, MacGyver-style. One way to find pi (yes, that pi) involves a flat surface, a little twig or pin, and patience. More »
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There's a simple way to make liquid nitrogen cause an explosion. To be clear, this is something you shouldn't do. But there are tons of people doing it! Some of them in pools. Find out the easy way to do it, and why you should always set a liquid nitrogen bomb off where there is plenty of space and air flow. More »
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We've all heard about getting sparks from a lifesaver, especially a wintergreen one, but in reality you don't need a brand name to make sparks. All you need is a lump of sugar and the willingness to subject it to an untimely death. Find out how and why to get sparks from sweetness. More »
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There are volcanoes all over the world, but while some trickle out the sides, some burst high into the sky. To find out why, you can do a demonstration in your own kitchen. If you have a mop. More »
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As if anyone needed more proof that scientists are trying to screw with us. A group of researchers fired balls out of a cannon at people, just to see what they would do about it. More »
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A few matchsticks, some paperclips, and some aluminum foil allow you to make a miniature rocket that really flies! Transport a little rocket from a model globe to a model of the moon in the comfort of your room. (Note: Don't actually do this in the comfort of your room.) More »
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These two good-looking characters are made from composites of other pictures. It's been known for some time that, if many people's faces are collected into a composite, the result is a more attractive face. This woman's face is a combination of 64 real pictures of women, and the man's face is a combination of 32 real pictures of men. The research site where you can find these two also has information about an ongoing experiment meant to test the preferred body type for women, as well as a composite of the faces of Miss Germany contestants. More »
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Here at io9, we never miss a chance to make things that normally don't turn hot and glowy into things that are hot and glowy. In the spirit of this, it's time to give you a chance to set fire to steel wool. More »
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Scientists have found out that memory comes in little packets, and they have found that out by making mice believe that they've been teleported. More »
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A coincidence of science allows you to make a pyrex dish disappear completely with just a bottle full of vegetable oil. See a pyrex test tube completely disappear before your eyes! More »
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To mortal eyes, when an electric current hits an insulator, it stops. But actually it often creates art - it's just art that we can't see. Lichtenberg figures are branching patterns, like frozen lightning, that appear when electric discharge runs up against an insulator. You can make one of your own with static electricity and basic art supplies. More »
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There are stories that have come to light, over the years, that make the Central Intelligence Agency look like a collection of Looney Tunes shorts. The violence, the slapstick, and the over-the-top ridiculousness of the experiments that have been conducted over the years boggle the mind. They came from the (slightly-boggled) mind of one man: Sidney Gottlieb. More »
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Ships are 'she,' people have motherlands and fatherlands, but what about a picture of a baby with the number '1' on it? What about a nice beef stew? Or a chair? Strangely, we tend to assign genders to all of them in a fairly predictable way. More »
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Stand-up comedians everywhere mourn as it seems they might be about to lose another bit about plane travel. Testing has shown that boarding by "zones" is by no means the most efficient ways possible to fill a plane full of angry, sweaty, gassy passengers. It also shows the most efficient way. More »
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There's no word yet on whether they can also comprehend lies or damned lies, but infants are at least able to understand statistics. As long as there are lollipops involved. More »
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Professor Thomas Parnell, of the University of Queensland in Brisbane, wished to show his students that pitch, the paving tar often used on roofs and roads, was a fluid not only on very hot days or just after being poured, but all the time. By doing so, he started one of the longest running experiments in history. More »
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Is there anything a wheel can't do? The Fizeau Wheel helped calculate the speed of light itself. More »
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There are rumors that people can balance an egg on its sharper curves during an equinox (something about the spin of the earth and the position of the sun will let it stay up). That's crap. In order to stand an egg upright you have to control the spin of the egg. Which is good, because that's a lot easier than controlling the spin of the earth. More »
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You, yes you, can make fireballs that you can hold, throw, and juggle. The secret comes from low temperature fuel, the right medium, and a reckless disregard for any kind of safety. More »
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To be fair, this will be a very tiny flamethrower. You would only be able to burn an elf or one of those things from Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. But it's still cool. More »
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Recently, scientists performed personality experiments on birds. Some time ago, they conducted them on octopuses. Reading about them, I realize I accidentally conducted personality experiments on a human being. More »
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Scientists put fruit flies on meth, and observed the chemical results. What they found was a link between meth, sugar, and cancer cells. More »
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An experiment designed to catch a few WIMPs, the particles that are meant to make up dark matter, has failed to detect any sign of them. More »
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When it comes to animals and research, it's best to stay away from the subject since most of the time it's incredibly depressing. However, animal research has given us some fantastic breakthroughs and cool stories. Let's take the time to honor ten of our furry, feathery, and slimy lab assistants. More »
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Ivory soap has a marketing campaign that trumpets how their product floats in water. To make themselves seem more modern, they could show people what Ivory does in the microwave. Given what happens, it's unlikely they will, though. More »
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