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io9Did warfare fuel the birth of advanced civilization?
For six centuries beginning around 500 BCE, ancient Peru was ravaged by nearly constant war. But the end result might almost have been worth it: that war seems to have been the driving force for the region’s first complex civilization. The Peru of the first millennium BCE was full of smaller groups, but it isn’t … Continued
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Tech News
An Apple Tree that Bears iPhone Fruit
Graphics like this leave me with both this great sense of nostalgia and this awe at how much Apple’s done in the last 35 years. Artist Mike Vasilev, thanks to Mashable, really captured Apple’s growth and progress through the years. [Mashable]
By Kwame Opam -
Tech News
What the Heck Did People Use to Stay Cool Before Air Conditioning Existed?
Air conditioning is one of man’s greatest inventions. I dare you to disagree with me. But what the hell did people use to stay cool before AC existed? Apparently, mountains of snow, windowless sun-side walls, good ol’ suffering, and more. It’s pretty impressive that humans have been able to last this long on Earth without … Continued
By Casey Chan -
ScienceSpace & Spaceflight
The Fallen Heroes of the Space Shuttle Program
The Space Shuttle Program’s 30 years brought great success—but also terrible failures and sadness. Today, as the program ends, we wanted to remember the heroes who fell along the way, and celebrate their lives. More than 130 missions were flown, and only two Shuttle flights met disaster during these three decades. That’s an impressive safety … Continued
By Kelly -
io9Knights in shining armor were the worst idea in military history
To determine how much energy knights in the Middle Ages burnt merely strolling around, British researchers recruited volunteers to dress up in mock-ups of real knightly armor and — in a hilarious twist — gallivant on treadmills. Sure enough, the study found that shielding the entire body was a heavy proposition. Watch the volunteers get … Continued
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io9
The craziest experimental weapons of the 19th century
With weird western Cowboys & Aliens coming out next week, we couldn’t help but wonder: were there any real 19th century weapons that could compare to Daniel Craig’s alien energy weapon? As always, never underestimate the awesome craziness of the 19th century. Of course, none of the weapons we’re about to talk about can compare … Continued
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Tech NewsOne Year of the New York Times As Told By 12,000 Screenshots
Phillip Mendonça-Vieira made a mistake, a wonderful mistake. For over a year, he accidentally ran a cron task that captured a screenshot of the NY Times’ front page twice an hour, 24 hours a day. By the time he realized what he had done, the freelance Canadian developer had accumulated over 12,000 images. He compiled … Continued
By Kelly -
Tech News
Air Conditioning Made Our Disgusting Swamp of a Continent Bearable
America is officially uninhabitable this week. Airborne magma is raping my body every time I step outside of my air conditioned apartment, and the Atlantic makes a convincing argument that the history of AC mirrors the history of modern America. Huge slices of life used to be centered around the fact that our jerk planet … Continued
By Kyle Wagner -
Tech NewsWatch This Badass Calmly Survive the NYC Blackout of ’77
The Blackout of 1977 is one of the grimmer chapters of New York City’s history. And you can tell by soccer star Carlos Alberto Torres’ account. But the quality of the animation here gives his story real power and beauty. Not to mention Torres is the man. Even as fires and looters brought the city … Continued
By Kwame Opam -
Tech News
The Long and Glorious History of the Pizza Box
First, man discovered fire. Then a bunch of random stupid unimportant stuff happened. Then, man discovered pizza delivery. And Serious Eats takes it from there, with a fantastic rundown of the evolution of man’s greatest achievement in food transportation. Did you know, for instance, that pizzas have been carried from one point to another since … Continued
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io9
The human genome contains a million years worth of population data
Our genes don’t just help determine who we are — they also preserve an incredibly ancient record of who our ancestors were. Our genomes can actually reveal human population sizes dating all the way back to before humans even existed. Richard Durbin of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and Heng Li of the Broad Institute … Continued
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io9
Stigler’s Law: Why nothing in science is ever named after its actual discoverer
Do you want your share of scientific immortality? You can devote your life to mastering your field, examining the mysteries of the universe, and then finally arriving at one great discovery…but according to Stigler’s Law, you won’t get the credit. Stigler’s Law of eponymy holds that scientific laws and discoveries are never given the names … Continued
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Tech News
Glimpses of an Old Mayan Tomb Finally Photographed With Mini-Camera
Hidden for 1,500 years, this funeral tomb in Palenque, Mexico, was finally glimpsed by human eyes when researchers lowered a mini camera (measuring 4 x 6cm) through a crack in the ceiling. After 12 years of knowing the tomb existed, it would’ve been bloody—pardon the pun—satisfying to finally clap eyes on what lay inside. Not … Continued
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Tech News
David Byrne: Computers Will Have No Effect on the Arts
I love David Byrne. The guy is a total geek. He makes great music. He rides bikes. What’s not to like? Well, his prognostication abilities, for one. Over at Paleofuture Matt Novak dug up a 1987 interview with David Byrne from Omni magazine. It was part of a package where the magazine had 14 “great … Continued
By Mat Honan -
io9
Fierce, fashionable Vikings filed their teeth and ironed their clothes
A mysterious cache of dozens of humans skulls discovered earlier this year in Dorset, England belonged to Viking raiders. Anthropologists figured this out when they examined the teeth, and found that elaborate patterns had been filed into them. That’s right — the Vikings filed their teeth, and probably put pigment into the designs to make … Continued
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io9
A medieval monument to religious pluralism, hidden in the mountains of Afghanistan
One of the great wonders of the medieval world is a very tall, heavily ornamented minaret nestled in a green valley at the edge of the Jam river in what is now Afghanistan. Often called the Minaret of Jam, the monument was almost a millenium ago illuminated by a torch at its top, and surrounded … Continued
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io9
The First Cyborg Horror Story: “The Steam Arm” Ballad of 1834-35
In 18th and 19th century England, the ballad — sung in the street, in pleasure gardens, in taverns, or in private house parties — functioned as pure entertainment for the masses. But it was also a vehicle for news and for an expression of popular sentiment. Widespread discontent, whether with new technologies or specific political … Continued
Jess Nevins -
Tech News
Most Hipsters Don’t Know Why They Celebrate the Fourth of July
In case you didn’t know, the Fourth of July isn’t about booze and explosives. It has a historic meaning that celebrates one of the biggest events in the life of this country. Yes, I am looking at you — Mr. Twenty-something hipster with your skinny jeans and tumblr blog. You may know your way around … Continued
By Kelly -
io9
The people who built Utopia two centuries ago
Communes once dotted the United States. Their occupants believed that if we just gave up sexual prudery and practice free love, the world would be better. Others abhorred the use of animals as servants and tried to live without animal products or labor. Others fell in love with the concept of socialism. Yes, it was … Continued
