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EartherStudy Suggests It’s Time to Bring Back Sea Otters, Which Is Obviously a Good idea
There were once hundreds of thousands of sea otters in the Pacific Northwest. Indigenous people hunted them sustainably for thousands of years. But in the 1740s, with the advent of the Pacific Maritime Fur Trade, people began hunting them at a far larger scale, selling their thick, luxurious fur for increasing profits. By the late … Continued
By Dharna Noor -
Tech NewsGadgetsWatching Someone Restore a Filthy Game Boy to Its Original Pristine Condition Is Soothing For the Soul
It was a tragic day when, after being dropped on the floor, my original Game Boy was left with a bunch of dead lines on its screen. But it lived a good life, and has the scars, knicks, and scratches to prove it. However, it wasn’t quite as abused as this Game Boy that YouTube’s … Continued
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EartherConservationWhy the U.S. Government Just Dropped 10,000 Dead Christmas Trees in a New Orleans Wildlife Refuge
In an annual tradition stretching back more than two decades, on Thursday the National Guard and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service teamed up to drop nearly 10,000 spent Christmas trees into a New Orleans wildlife refuge. Apparently, it’s all for the good of the ecosystem. The “Christmas Tree Drop” may sound like some kind … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
ScienceHuman HistorySee Inside the Newly Renovated King Tut’s Tomb
Years of steadily accumulating dust and grime had taken a toll on King Tut’s tomb, but a recently completed restoration project has revitalized the historic chamber, while making much-needed infrastructure improvements to prevent ongoing decay. It’s been nearly a century since British archaeologist Howard Carter first peered into the Tomb of Tutankhamun. Since then, the … Continued
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Tech NewsThe Latest Priceless Art Restoration Disaster Is One for the History Books
You alright, Spain? In what is most certainly a contender for worst art restoration project, a 500-year-old wooden effigy of San Jorge de Estella in the Spanish city of Estella-Lizarra has been, uh, restored by a “handicrafts teacher,” according to the Guardian. The end result isn’t a pretty sight, and has left some people more … Continued
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Tech NewsSploidWatch a Destroyed 17th Century Map Get Painstakingly Restored
A 17th century map was found in a chimney in Scotland and then delivered to the National Library of Scotland crumpled inside a plastic bag and basically destroyed. Just unraveling the fragile, centuries-old map seemed impossible enough, but the team at the National Library managed to figure out a way to salvage and restore it. … Continued
By Casey Chan -
io9TrailersA Man Keeps His Memories But Loses His Body in Scifi Thriller Restoration
Elements of Total Recall, Ghost in the Shell, and, uh, Face/Off pepper the trailer for Restoration, a noirish thriller about a man who is horrified to awaken from a memory-upload procedure to find he’s been zapped into the wrong body. Even worse, his old self is still out there—but occupied by someone else’s mind. Here’s … Continued
By Cheryl Eddy -
io9Repainting the Original Star Trek Enterprise Was an Intensely Time-Consuming Process
It’s one of the most recognizable props in pop culture history, so it’s only fitting that the Smithsonian recently spent almost two years restoring the USS Enterprise model used in the original Star Trek TV series. The paint work alone was a painstaking process, as detailed in this new behind-the-scenes look at the restoration. Sometime … Continued
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Tech News
Jesus’ Tomb Is Finally Getting the Restoration That Bickering Monks Delayed for 200 Years
The are many reasons one might put off a much-needed home improvement project. Budget. Can’t find the right contractor. When it came to the tomb where Christians believe Jesus was buried, it was two centuries of infighting between some very possessive monks. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, located in the Old City of Jerusalem, … Continued
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Tech NewsSploidWatch 130-Year-Old Samurai Armor Get Restored to a Pristine and Fearsome State
Iki-ningyō are life-sized dolls that were primarily used in festivals and exhibitions in Japan. This one, which belongs to the Victoria and Albert Museum, is estimated to have been made around 1880, shortly after the samurai class was outlawed. The restoration process is a careful and complicated one that seeks to match as many of … Continued
By Avery Ellis -
Tech News
After Years of Turmoil, a Legendary Steam Engine Rolls Again
After undergoing a decade-long restoration that cost $5.86 million, the Flying Scotsman, the most famous British locomotive in history, has been brought back to life. The legend rolls again. The 70-foot-long, 100-ton machine was designed by Sir Nigel Gresley, one of Britain’s most famous steam locomotive engineers. It ran long-distance express trips from 1923 to … Continued
By Attila Nagy -
io9MoviesAn Original Film Print of Star Wars Has Been Restored and Released Online
Whether or not you see George Lucas’ tinkering with the original Star Wars trilogy as harmless meddling or the greatest sin committed in cinematic history, it’s a shame that fans don’t even have the choice to purchase HD versions of the original theatrical cuts. But now, at least, a restored version of the first Star … Continued
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Tech News
Egypt Sends Eight Museum Staff to Trial Over Botched King Tut Repair
Last year, it came to light that the blue and gold braided beard on King Tut’s burial mask was knocked off during a botched cleaning attempt then hastily glued back on using epoxy. Now, Egypt’s decided that more than just poor Tut’s head must roll over the debacle. First, a refresher about what happened. While … Continued
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Tech NewsSploidThe restoration of a fireman’s axe is a really fun process to see
Watching Jimmy DiResta restore a fireman’s axe is especially cool because you get to see him work with metal and wood. Turning that dull blade into something shiny and sharp is already fun but shaping a block of wood into an easy-to-grip handle? Double the pleasure. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us on Facebook, … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech NewsBaltimore’s Stealthy Plan to Make Its Harbor Swimmable By 2020
If a friend told you he was off to take a dip in Baltimore’s Harbor, you’d probably be concerned for his health and sanity. But five years from now, swimming in Baltimore’s waterways might not sound so crazy—and there’s an innovative piece of technology to thank. Meet the Water Wheel: A hydro and solar-powered barge … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
io9
It’s Gonna Cost at Least $110,000 to Repair King Tut’s Damaged Mask
Earlier this year, King Tut’s famous burial mask was damaged during a botched cleaning attempt. Experts are now contemplating the best way to restore the ancient relic. Back in January, the Egyptian Museum admitted that members of its staff accidentally knocked off the mask’s blue and gold beard while trying to change the display’s light … Continued
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EartherClimate Change
Pruning the Mississippi River Could Protect New Orleans From the Next Katrina
When Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans a decade ago, its destructive power was unprecedented. But these days, extreme weather events are becoming eerily common. How to prevent the next big storm from walloping the Big Easy? We might need to let the mouth of the Mississippi die. That’s the startling conclusion of two winning engineering … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
Tech NewsSploidHow a museum restores a beautiful painting from hundreds of years ago
Charles Le Brun’s painting of Everhard Jabach and His Family was finished in 1660. Now that it’s 2015 and hanging in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, my favorite museum in New York, it was in need of a little bit of, um, reviving. The Met guides us through as it restores the giant piece of … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech NewsSploidWatch the unbelievable restoration process of making an old book new
There is honor in having a worn down book with creases on its spine and dogeared corners and highlighter marks on its pages and a cover that barely resembles anything anymore. But sometimes, a book gets a little too roughed up and is on the brink of falling apart and needs fixing. You can fix … Continued
By Casey Chan
