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Tech NewsSploidWe are just an infinite video game in the hands of some alien
ADHD made an animation that plays with the idea that we are some kind of computer simulation. From being monkeys eating fruit turn to landing on the moon to putting dumb videos on YouTube—it’s all a never-ending cycle of video game stages on the hands of an alien or our own future descendants. SPLOID is … Continued
By Casey Chan -
io9New Fossils Push Back The Origin Of Mammals By Millions Of Years
A controversial new analysis of the fossilized remains of six squirrel-sized animals has pushed the lineage of modern mammals back to the Late Triassic — a time when the first dinosaurs emerged. The research also suggests that early mammals didn’t just hide in the undergrowth. Top image: An artist’s impression of the mouse-sized Xianshou Songae, … Continued
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io9
This Is Not A Starscape
Biologists hypothesize that the larvae of New Zealand glowworm Arachnocampa luminosa – which dangle, numerous and luminous, from the ceilings of caves – have evolved to resemble a star-studded night sky. Above: Arachnocampa luminosa do their best impression of a starry night along the ceiling of New Zealand’s Hollow Hill Cave | Photo used by … Continued
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ScienceBiology
What Kind of Demon Sorcery Created This Laser-Spitting Fish?
It’s not a mutant fish nor a piscine wizard. The source of the light is actually the defense of the clever, microscopic animal who just wants to get through the day without being gobbled up. Is that too much to ask? The see-through cardinalfish evolved in lockstep with tiny little crustaceans called ostracods. The millimeter-long … Continued
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ScienceBiologyCockatoos Learn To Make Tools By Watching Their Friends
More than fifty years ago, humans were pretty well convinced that they were special, different from the rest of the animal kingdom. That all changed in 1964 when Jane Goodall reported her observations of tool use in chimpanzees. Now we have evidence that Goffin’s cockatoos, parrots that don’t use tools in the wild, have the … Continued
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io9Dramatic Cave Art Confirms that Neanderthals Were Basically Humans
They made jewelry, buried their dead, and left behind haunting abstract paintings on the walls of their caves. Now a new finding in Gibraltar, one of the last regions of the world where Neanderthals survived, is further evidence that Neanderthals had a recognizably human culture. We’ve known for almost a decade that early humans interbred … Continued
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io9
New Evidence Suggests The Arctic’s First Settlers Died In Isolation
An unprecedented genetic study of more than 150 ancient human remains has turned up new clues about the sudden extinction of Paleo-Eskimos, the earliest-known settlers of the Canadian Arctic. Above: An Inuit man works on a model kayak with his daughter in Cape Dorset, an Inuit hamlet in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavat, Canada named … Continued
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Tech NewsSploidThese walking fish raised out of water on land help explain evolution
We know that hundreds of millions of years ago that fish left the water and eventually evolved into land animals. But what if we could see it happen right now? We sort of can. Scientists are raising fish to survive outside of water and to walk on land and they’re changing right before our eyes. … Continued
By Casey Chan -
io9
Is It Too Much To Ask That Reporters Understand Evolution?
It isn’t always easy for reporters to convey complex scientific theories to a broad audience when they have a limited number of words to work with. But that doesn’t excuse the cringe-worthy errors that repeatedly appear in articles that describe the basic ideas underlying the theory of evolution. Just last week, for instance, an article … Continued
By Mark Strauss -
Tech NewsSploidThis video of the evolution of Nike shoes since 1971 is pretty damn cool
Polish design and creative studio Hello Mono made this cool video that shows four decades of Nike shoes evolution. While watching it I found myself trying to spot all the Nike sneakers I ever owned. All of them were from the company’s first decade. HELLO MONO is an initiative of Creative and Art Director Wojtek … Continued
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Tech NewsSploidCool history of evolution turns lifeforms into robots
This ad for the German technology store Saturn makes as much sense as a Transformers movie: Zero. But I like how it tells the evolution of life on Earth making a parallel with the evolution of human technology. SPLOID is a new blog about awesome stuff. Join us on Facebook
By Jesus Diaz -
io9
An Anti-Evolution Bill In Ohio Almost Included A Ban On Aristotle
Legislation introduced in Ohio’s House of Representatives would, if passed, rewrite the state’s education standards by encouraging teachers to teach “both sides” of the “debate” on evolution and climate change. And, on top of that, an initial draft of the bill would have banned major works of thought and literature. The 58-page bill, HB 597, … Continued
By Mark Strauss -
Tech NewsSploidThe evolution of film opening titles
This neat short film explains the evolution of film opening titles throughout history. Even if they are not as necessary as they used to—you can get any cast and crew information on the internet—they are still really important to set the mood of the film and to let us know that is time to shut … Continued
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io9
Why Do Creationists Place So Much Importance On A Prehistoric Mollusk?
Along the Grand Canyon section of the Colorado River sits a canyon that was carved out of redwall limestone by flowing water. There, the rocks contain fossils of the orthocone nautioloid, which lived 500-200 million years ago. But a prominent young-Earth creationist says they’re solid proof of Noah’s flood. [Image: British Geological Survey.] The redwall … Continued
By Mark Strauss -
io9
Why Are So Few People Left-Handed?
Today marks the 22nd annual International Left-Handers Day. To celebrate, let’s look at why only around one in ten people is left-handed. Why, pray tell, are lefties are so rare – or, said another way, why are most of us righties? It seems like a simple question, but it’s actually one of the biggest mysteries … Continued
Alasdair Wilkins -
io9
Evidence Challenges the “Out of Africa” Timeline of Human Evolution
One dominant idea among evolutionary biologists is that Homo sapiens left Africa about 60 or 70 thousand years ago, spreading across the world from there. It’s called the “out of Africa” theory. But now, more evidence is challenging it. Illustration by John Sibbick Over on New Scientist, Catherine Brahic offers a cogent summary of the … Continued
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io9
How Does Evolution Explain Human Cannibalism?
Most people only resort to cannibalism in extreme situations — and we usually view them as victims of temporary insanity. Starvation, we say, has “stripped them of their humanity.” But a closer look at these stories shows that cannibalism follows behavior patterns that are consistent with evolutionary theory. “Cannibalism” is a controversial, loaded term. It’s … Continued
By Mark Strauss -
io9What Real-Life Plants Could Groot Have Evolved From?
Where did Groot come from? In reality, he came from the imaginations of Jack Kirby, Dick Ayers, and Stan Lee. In the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, he came from another planet. In this essay, he came from the stuff in your yard. We’ll see which plants might have evolved, over time, to become the … Continued