#science

Stories about science, the future, and weird true things.

io9

FAQ. Include # before tag:

#observationdeck, #tips, #calendar, etc.

San Francisco, 5:02 AM
Wed Feb 10
25 posts in the last 24 hours

IO9 TEAM

#spaceporn

The Space Shuttle Blasts Into The Night

Early this morning in the pre-dawn hours, the space shuttle Endeavor shot into space for a two-week trip to the International Space Station. This will be its last nighttime launch. More »

02/08/10

2,576

38

By Annalee Newitz

#madengineering

The Science Of Metal Fever, Or How To Build Your Sexbot

Futurama showed us a world with space travel, robot sidekicks, and Al Gore riding the Mighty Moon Worm, but what really made hearts beat faster were the downloadable Lucy Liu robots. How close are we to robot lovin'? More »

02/08/10

17,764

86

By Esther Inglis-Arkell

#smartdust

Smart Space Dust Could Save Us From Solar Storms

If scientists gets their way, the first line of defense Earth will have against dangerous space storms will be dust. No, that's not a weird threat to destroy something; he wants to use dust-sized spacecraft to keep us safe. More »

02/06/10

2,278

22

By Graeme McMillan

#astronomy

The Earth Revolves Around the Sun? Prove It.

All the books say that the Earth revolves around the sun, but how do you prove it? In case you ever time-travel to the middle ages, we have a (relatively) quick way for you to demonstrate heliocentrism to the King. More »

02/05/10

12,682

130

By Esther Inglis-Arkell

#dinosaurs

New Research Reveals Dinosaur Coloration For The First Time

Last week we reported on the discovery that dinosaurs had red, black, and gray feathers. This week, scientists announced that a separate discovery revealed what the dinosaurs' plumage actually looked like. And here's the most scientifically-accurate rendering yet. More »

02/05/10

9,129

70

By Annalee Newitz

#madastronomy

Two Galaxies Smash Together To Create Binary Quasar

Astronomers have caught the first definitive glimpse of one of the most dramatic events in the universe. Billions of light-years away, two galaxies are merging into one, creating a supermassive binary quasar at their center. More »

02/04/10

4,082

18

By Alasdair Wilkins

#mythbusting

Are New GNC "Spicy" Weight-Loss Pills Just Corporate-Funded Hot Air?

GNC's "tri-pepper blast" diet pills burn as many calories as a 20 minutes walk. Except the study "proving" this was funded by GNC itself. So what's the real story behind these numbers? Should you buy these pills to lose weight? More »

02/04/10

4,466

77

By Tim Barribeau

#viagra

Viagra Might Not Just Be For Men Anymore

A researcher at Texas A&M has found that Viagra can greatly improve fetal development in female sheep. The drug, famously used to treat erectile dysfunction, could now lead to healthier pregnancies in not just livestock but also potentially humans. More »

02/04/10

3,052

51

By Alasdair Wilkins

#evolution

The Bigger Your Weapon, The Smaller Your Balls - If You're A Beetle

To compete for mates, male beetles often grow fierce mandibles that they use to fight other males. Unfortunately, there's a tradeoff. Researchers in Japan discovered that beetles with longer mandible weapons have smaller testicles and less ejaculate than their brethren. More »

02/04/10

4,923

51

By Annalee Newitz

#madastronomy

Nearby Galaxy Is Running Out Of New Stars

The Hubble telescope has detected the end of an era in the dwarf galaxy NGC 2976.The galaxy is quieting down after eons of furious star creation, with just a few stars in the galaxy's central core continuing to form. More »

02/03/10

2,405

17

By Alasdair Wilkins

#datapocalypse

Imagining The Fate Of Data After The Apocalypse

If modern civilization collapsed, could the survivors hope to rebuild using our massive stores of data? Unless we can come up with something way more permanent to put them on in the near future, we probably shouldn't bank on it. More »

02/03/10

32,724

194

By Alasdair Wilkins

#medicine

New Studies Reveal That Schizophrenia Isn't Just A Mental Illness

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have discovered that the effects of schizophrenia appear to extend beyond the brain. And now there's talk of a blood test to diagnose schizophrenia being rolled out within a year. More »

02/03/10

10,987

56

By Alasdair Wilkins

#evolution

How Fig Trees Kill Cheating Wasps

Figs and fig wasps have lived in symbioses for centuries — wasps lay their eggs in figs, and pollinate the trees as recompense. But it's not all altruism. The trees will fight back if the wasps renege on the deal. More »

02/03/10

13,020

46

By Tim Barribeau

#neuroscience

The Science (Fiction) Of Embodied Cognition

Science fiction has long played with the idea of projecting unified personalities/minds/"souls" into different bodies. The premise is baked into the plots of stories like Avatar and Caprica. But how would it work in the real world? More »

02/03/10

8,382

115

By John Pavlus

#repomen

Repo Men's Organ Home Shopping Channel Offers Sex For Mattresses

Universal has created a web page for Union, the company that sells robotic organs to those in need — until they default on their payments, that is. Check out the goods and the highly sexualized commercials of our near future. More »

02/03/10

6,406

23

By Meredith Woerner

#spaceporn

The Parasitic Bond Of Intimacy Between A Black Hole And A Massive, Dying Star

Using ESO's Very Large Telescope, astronomers have discovered the most distant black hole ever observed. Six million light years from Earth, it lies at the heart of a spiral galaxy, and is rapidly orbiting and eating a massive star. More »

02/03/10

5,886

43

By Annalee Newitz

Roklimber 02/02/10, 09:58 PM

My apologies to all subscribers of the science page for the large number of posts I've been making.

I didn't realize that my posts were pushing the official articles out of the way.

I assure you that it won't happen again.

#science Reply

See 2 replies

#conceptart

Plant Pornographer Goes Mainstream With Travel Movie For Plants

Artist Jonathon Keats used to make porn movies for plants, but with new project Strange Skies he's gone legit. It's a travel documentary, and he's screening it in New York City this month - to a theater packed with plants. More »

02/02/10

1,675

8

By Annalee Newitz

#retrofuturism

Pneumatic Tubes Make A Comeback

A century ago, futurists predicted that pneumatic tubes would be the transportation systems of tomorrow. That idea never came to fruition - until recently. Stanford University's medical center uses a 4-mile-long pneumatic tube delivery system. And it saves lives. More »

02/02/10

6,364

63

By Annalee Newitz

Roklimber 02/02/10, 07:19 AM

Superconducting Hydrogen? Researchers Model Three Hydrogen-Dense Metal Alloys
[www.sciencedaily.com]

===

Astronomers Discover Coolest Sub-Stellar Body Outside Our Solar System
[www.sciencedaily.com]

#tips #science #physics Reply

Roklimber 02/02/10, 07:18 AM

White Roofs May Successfully Cool Cities, Computer Model Demonstrates
[www.sciencedaily.com]

===

Barefoot Running: How Humans Ran Comfortably and Safely Before the Invention of Shoes
[www.sciencedaily.com]

#tips #science #oddscience Reply

Show all discussions |

Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.

io9

IO9 TEAM

SUBSCRIBE TO IO9

Login

Reset Password

Register

Submit Your Comment

Edit tagpage description