Esther Inglis-Arkell

io9

This Space Cloud Smells Like Rum And Tastes Like Raspberries

So there’s a giant cloud hanging out in the Milky Way galaxy that smells a little bit like rum and tastes a little bit like raspberries. Here’s why Sagittarius B2 may be the most delicious cloud in space. Let’s work our way up the ladder on this one. We’ll start at the bottom step, where … Continued

io9

What Happens When You Get The Wrong Blood Type?

Being transfused with the wrong type of blood is incredibly rare, but it has occasionally happened. What does it feel like to have the wrong type of blood coursing through your veins? It feels like being doomed. Literally. To understand how a transfusion reaction works, we have to look at the many different components in … Continued

io9

I Cannot Stop Watching This Food Science Porn

I never would have guessed I would spend an entire afternoon glued to the screen watching corporate instructional videos, but these food science equipment videos are fascinating stuff. See peanut butter act like spray paint and learn about how how companies test the strength of pasta noodles. It all started innocently. I read that the … Continued

io9

See What Rocket Fuel Does To Gloves

When handling this chemical, wearing certain kinds of gloves might actually be a danger. Here’s how rocket fuel makes a standard lab safety item go up in flames. Nitric acid, HNO3, is not something you want on your hands. It burns your fingers and it leaves distinctive yellow stains. Nitric acid is not even something … Continued

io9

9 Types Of Bacteria You Didn’t Know You’re Sharing Your House With

We all know that the homes we believe belong to us are actually varied landscapes in which billions of creatures live, but we usually try not to think about our microbial roommates. Find out why your bathroom is the ultimate bacteria battleground, and why cleaning it can sometimes make it worse. 9) Fecal Bacteria Is … Continued

io9

No, Fish Won’t Swim Up Your Hoohah If You Pee In the Amazon River

The candiru became the most famous catfish in the world in 1997, when an icthyologist read a medical report about a man who had to have this toothpick-shaped fish removed from his urethra. The truth of the claim has always been in dispute, but people have feared peeing in the Amazon river ever since. They … Continued

io9

Want To Create A Matriarchy That Works? Learn From Animals

We tend to think of nature as being both brutal and patriarchal. Animals struggle to survive and mate, and we assume that means that males will dominate. But some non-human species actually have matriarchies, that work out pretty well. Here’s what nature can teach us about the secrets of making matriarchy work. Who Does What? … Continued

io9

What The Heck Is This?

What is this material? It looks like a very tacky version of astroturf, or an arrangement of flower petals. But can you guess what it actually is? This frankly unappealing arrangement of colored tags awkwardly stuck in rows is, when you zoom out, one of the most famously beautiful creatures in the world. It’s an … Continued

io9

Meet The First Man To Put Beer Under A Microscope

The man in the picture is considered the “Father of Microbiology.” He helped to discover and sketch microorganisms. When he turned his microscope on beer, he saw some of the most useful microorganisms in the world — but he failed to recognize them. This man above is Anton van Leeuwenhoek, and he’s wearing an absolutely … Continued

io9

This Video Shows The Craziest Thing You’ve Ever Seen Water Do

This video is just water splashing on a hydrophobic surface in slow motion. That doesn’t sound like much, until you see the first fifteen seconds, in which a water droplet smashes to pieces and comes together again like the liquid-metal Terminator. GE put out this video of ultra-slow motion water droplets hitting a hydrophobic surface. … Continued

io9

In The Honey Bee Game Of Thrones, You Also Win Or You Die

The world of Westeros has nothing on a honey bee hive. It turns out in order to gain the monarchy, a queen bee has to murder quite a lot of family members — all while waiting for a younger queen bee to inevitably murder her and usurp the throne. Queen bees start out life by … Continued

io9

Are You Commuting Through A Physics Experiment?

If you are using the Holborn Tube Station in England, you are getting to work via the site of an important part of physics history. It was home to an experiment that moved physics literally underground for the first time, all in the search for the elusive neutrino. In 1934, people knew that the neutrino … Continued

io9

The First Schizophrenia Medication Was Developed As An Antihistamine

Thorazine, or chlorpromazine, was the first antipsychotic. It freed many people with severe schizophrenia from mental asylums, but that’s not why it was developed. It was first tested because it’s an antihistamine. Yes, like the allergy medications. The incessantly itchy eyes and noses that some people get in the spring is the result of their … Continued

io9

Your Pet Rabbit Hates You

Do you ever come home to your adorable pet bunny, pick it up, lay it down on its back, and pet it? Does it just lie there, blissfully, for minutes or even hours, letting you cuddle it? Yeah. Your rabbit hates you. Certain animals are prone go into a trance. They lie on their back, … Continued

io9

Why Are Chemists Willing To Risk Their Lives To Make “Satan’s Kimchi”?

A few days ago I wrote aboutsodium azide, a nasty chemical that has been put to a nice use. As usual, io9 commenters one-upped me by bringing up dioxygen difluoride — also known as Satan’s Kimchi, or FOOF. Learn all about the chemical that requires you risk life and limb just to synthesize it. Dioxygen … Continued

io9

These Pheromones Get The Animals That Secrete Them Killed

Pheromones are supposed to be the stuff that make animals do it like they do on the discovery channel. They are supposed make mothers love their babies and babies imprint on their mothers. But there are also kairomones — which just get animals killed. The Flip Side of Pheromones Pheromones are supposed to move between … Continued

io9

Do “Eyespots” On Butterflies Really Mimic Eyes?

The big black and gold symmetrical spots on butterfly wings deter predators because they resemble eyes in the darkness, right? Not necessarily. Here’s an experiment that indicates that we see eyes, but animals don’t. We all learned that the big black spots on the wings of butterflies are “eyespots.” They seem to turn the small, … Continued

io9

Learn The Amazing Story Behind Those Glowing Green Space Clouds 

The Hubble Telescope captured images of these galaxies surrounded by glowing green clouds. They’re remnants of major astronomical events, but the amazing thing is what’s lighting them up. The clouds hovering around the far edges of those galaxies are made of oxygen gas. They’re the deceptively peaceful-looking wisps left over from massive galactic collisions – … Continued

io9

The Most Thrilling Team-Ups From Last Night’s Arrow

Last night’s Arrow episode, ”Public Enemy,” was so great. It was like a tasting menu of old characters in new combinations, as well as a few classic pair-ups. We’ll walk you through the moments that no Arrow fan should miss. Let’s get the flashback mystery out of the way. New Shado is the secret twin … Continued

io9

The Terrifying Chemistry Behind Early Submarine Fatalities

Submariners are essentially living in an environment that should immediately kill them. In the early days of submarines, it would often find a way to do just that. One particularly horrible way involved a strange phenomenon that happened when sea water hit submarine batteries. Electrolytes And High School Experiments “Electrolytes” are most well-known as a … Continued