Esther Inglis-Arkell

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Here’s how radiation from this atomic bomb test got to San Francisco

This nuclear blast went off in 1946 at Bikini Atoll in Micronesia. How did some of the radiation get back to the United States? Why, we imported it, of course! Has the radiation from nuclear testing abroad come back to haunt the United State via ocean currents and wind patterns? Probably. But we found a … Continued

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The scientific equivalent of “When did you stop beating your wife?”

There’s a famous joke question: “When did you stop beating your wife?” The structure of the question is funny — or disturbing — because any response condemns you. You’d assume that a quick-witted person could see through it. But this study proves that you’re wrong. “Do you think your contempt for America might influence your … Continued

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The long-running mystery of why birds seemingly change sex

It’s not often you do a search on a scientific subject and come up with a journal from 1888, but people were puzzled by this mystery for a while: Female birds, usually once they’ve reached a sufficiently advanced age, can suddenly grow male plumage and take on male behaviors. I read in a book that, … Continued

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The Rat Park experiment

Are drugs addictive? As odd as it might sound, one scientist believes that they weren’t — at least not to the degree most people insisted. He thought it had more to do with overwhelming misery and depressing environments, and to prove it he created the ideal environment… for rats. In the late 1970s, Canadian psychologist … Continued

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Do you self-destructively second guess yourself? This might be why.

All the way back when I was taking the SATs, I remember being given the advice that, if in doubt about a question, I should go with my first choice. I never did, but finally there’s an explanation for why I should have. If any other second-guessers are reading this – the explanation might help … Continued

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Galileo’s Ship was one of the oldest relativity thought experiments

We think it’s obvious that the Earth goes around the sun, today, but back before Copernicus, detractors had the most obvious argument possible against heliocentrism. To combat this, in his argument in favor of a sun-centered universe, Galileo came up with a thought experiment about relativity now known as Galileo’s Ship. Back during the times … Continued

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The scientist who decided what you’ll eat and whether you’ll like it

Rose Marie Pangborn has almost certainly decided what you’re going to eat today. Possibly it’ll be a soda. Maybe it will be potato chips. It could be some candy. Whatever it was, her work made it possible to understand what you’ll taste, and how much you’ll like it. Rose Marie Valdes Pangborn was born in … Continued

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Oxford has a bell that’s been ringing for 173 years

A bell has been ringing at Oxford for nearly two hundred years. Because no one is willing to stop the bell, and the demonstration that it represents, no one knows the exact mechanism that’s making it ring. Learn of the mysteries of the Oxford Electric Bell. The Oxford Electric Bell works using the same basic … Continued

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What causes highway hypnosis?

Have you ever gotten home and not remembered driving there? Have you suddenly “come to” behind the wheel of a car without remembering the last few miles? You’re in a dangerous situation, but you’re not alone. What you’re experiencing is highway hypnosis. Psychologists noticed the phenomenon all the way back in 1921, when a paper … Continued

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Arrow teaches us that it’s always worse than we imagine

In “The Undertaking,” each character thinks they know the awful truth, only to find out that the actual awful truth is even worse. Except for Dig. Dig pretty much has it exactly right. This is not the episode to watch when you’re emotionally vulnerable. Even its unhappy secrets have unhappy secrets. It’s lucky that we … Continued

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The frozen calm of normalcy bias

When disaster strikes, some people lose their heads, some people become cool and effective, but by far most people act as if they’ve suddenly forgotten the disaster. They behave in surprisingly mundane ways, right up until it’s too late. Around the world, researchers are wondering how to combat normalcy bias. If you spend the beginning … Continued

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See a nuclear explosion from 10 feet away

Ever wonder what a nuclear explosion looks like from far, far too close? Remarkably like candy. Writer Richard Miller has sent in an amazing photo taken in an underground test facility. The many tests of nuclear bombs over the past three-quarters of a century have been filmed in many ways. There are photos of the … Continued

io9Movies

These fluffy romantic comedies are actually remakes of horror stories

They say there are only a few stories out there in the world. Maybe that’s why so many classic horror stories seem to have been remade as the fluffiest romances modern Hollywood has to offer. Here are just a few. We’re not entirely sure that the people who made these romcoms realized that they were … Continued

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Korsakoff’s syndrome makes people into honest liars

There are lies, damn lies, and confabulations. The difference between them? The confabulators, especially the ones that have Korsakoff’s Syndrome, believe that they are telling the truth. This is a syndrome that allows you to lie, consistently, and never know that you’re doing it. Korsakoff’s syndrome tends to pop up in patients who have been … Continued

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Watch ice needles shooting out of a lake in this insane video

Ice needles literally spurt out in waves from chunks of ice at a Minnesota Lake in this amazing video. The phenomenon looks like magic, and the scientific explanation is even better. We share the amazement of the people in the video, watching as ice all along the shore of Medicine Lake suddenly seemed to spit … Continued

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Logical empiricism explains why comment threads devolve into WTF

At last logic and reason have their own spirit animal. Ravens shed light on weird reasoning, but especially on the random statements that people make on the internet. Is there anything you want more on a Monday morning than a logical paradox? Well, too late now. You clicked. And so you’re going to hear about … Continued

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Technology isn’t Magic: Why Clarke’s Third Law always bugged me

Arthur C Clarke was a brilliant futurist and writer, but he is probably most widely known for the third of his famous three laws, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” As much as I like the idea, I have to say it’s wrong for most of the definitions of magic I’ve ever seen. … Continued

io9Television

Which mainstream shows are scifi and fantasy in disguise?

As much as we love science fiction and fantasy here, we have to admit they have a limited range. Or do they? Mainstream shows don’t have aliens or gnomes, but sometimes they capture the feelings of otherworldliness and outrageousness better than scifi and fantasy. What are your favorite stealth genre shows? It’s a good time … Continued

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Watch what happens to a boomerang in zero gravity

This isn’t a boomerang in the traditional Aussie mode, and it’s not being thrown by a guy in a big hat. More awesomely, this is a boomerang being thrown on the International Space Station. In space, no one can hear you cheer for a guy throwing a boomerang. Which is a shame, because this astronaut … Continued

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Is it really possible to de-evolve?

Once we had tails and gills. Can we get them back? Some people say yes, because evolution can work in reverse. That’s the idea underlying Dollo’s Law. Louis Dollo was an engineer who made his money in supervising mining sites, but found his true calling in supervising paleontological digs. He became a paleobiologist, famous for … Continued