Archaeologists in China have unearthed a tomb belonging to a 9th-century noblewoman who was buried alongside her donkeys, which she likely rode while playing an ancient version of polo. New research published this week in Antiquity describes the tomb of Cui Shi, an Imperial Chinese noblewoman who died in 878 CE. Her tomb was found … Continued
Despite the fact that many of us might be too busy Netflix-and-chilling to bother pirating our favorite cartoons from the ‘90s, the truth is that torrenting sites still make bank from the folks logging on. And now, it looks like some state authorities are cracking down on these profits. As first spotted by TorrentFreak, Ukraine’s … Continued
Welcome back to Gaming Shelf, io9’s column all about the latest in board games and tabletop roleplaying games. The coronavirus pandemic has changed a lot of things in a very short amount of time, and we’ve got some updates on where you can find news for cancelled gaming events and in-person gathering bans. In addition, … Continued
App notifications can be helpful reminders to keep moving and maintain your fitness routine—in normal times. These are not normal times. The hourly alerts my smartwatch sends me to get up and walk around were annoying before social distancing was a thing. Now they’re driving me insane. Is it because these notifications are a clear … Continued
On Monday, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced they had started the first human trial of a possible vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus behind covid-19, with the first test subject receiving their shot that very day. But while this trial, based in Seattle, and other upcoming ones are certainly good news, it will … Continued
All of Italy is entering its second week on lockdown. San Francisco just started its mandatory three-week lockdown. Bars and restaurants across Los Angeles, New York City, and other major metropolitan areas are closing. Schools have sent teachers and students home for distance learning, and their parents are working alongside them. Unless you’ve been living … Continued
As Star Trek: Discovery’s Michael Burnham, Sonequa Martin-Green has spent the past few years helping to carve out a new step in Star Trek’s long televisual legacy. Now, it’s time for another part of that long legacy to embrace her: by catapulting Michael into the world of Star Trek Online, to rub digital shoulders with … Continued
For many people in the U.S. who fear they’re already sick with covid-19, the past few weeks have been a confusing maze of bureaucracy and inadequacy, only to find out at the end that they won’t be able to get tested. Washington state resident Jon, who asked that his last name not be used to … Continued
A new report shows that the majority of voters across party lines want to see massive transformation in the transportation sector if it means increasing access and funding for public transportation. And this report outlines exactly how the U.S. can accomplish that by 2030. A Green New Deal for transportation is here, and it’s pretty damn … Continued
The heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe can defeat any villain, but they’ve finally met their match: covid-19. After delaying all its theatrical films coming out through May last week, Disney just announced it would also delay the May 1 release of Marvel’s Black Widow. No new release date is set as the company, along … Continued
If you are like me you are, perhaps, averse to buying digital movies. We don’t own the things we acquire digitally and there’s no telling when a service will shutter, like Microsoft’s eBook store, or stop supplying the digital content you bought—like all the weed apps pulled from the iOS app store. Digital purchases tend … Continued
In the 1930s, manufacturers began using chlorofluorocarbons—greenhouse gases made up of carbon, chlorine, and fluorine—as refrigerants for air conditioners, aerosol sprays, refrigerators, freezers, and more. The problem is, those chemicals depleted the ozone layer of the atmosphere, which blocks the sun’s damaging ultraviolet rays. That ozone depletion caused warming in the Earth’s coldest regions. In … Continued
The first arc of Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ final season focused on a story of clones and perpetual conflict. But now, the series is getting to perhaps something we’ve all been waiting for: catching up with a certain former Togruta Jedi. Yes, it’s finally time to reunite with our beloved Ahsoka Tano, as a … Continued
Netflix’s She-Ra and the Princesses of Power has consistently been a beacon of light in an otherwise dark world but, unfortunately, that light is about to go out. Showrunner Noelle Stevenson just revealed that the upcoming fifth season, which debuts May 15, will be the series’ last. “It has been such an incredible journey so … Continued
A global pandemic is one of the worst imaginable times to lose your income. For an alarming number of people, that’s the immediate future they can expect. Nearly 200,000 people have contracted covid-19, with the elderly and immunocompromised likely to experience the worst health outcomes. But with a catastrophe of this scale comes second- and … Continued
The year 2020 would have marked the 100th birthday of Ray Harryhausen, the filmmaking legend who helped pioneer the art form known as stop-motion animation. And though Harryhausen passed away back in 2013, fans can still celebrate a century of fantasy with a new line of officially licensed merchandise. io9 is excited to exclusively debut … Continued
The iPad Pro hasn’t gotten a major update since October of 2018, which means they’re overdue for a refresh. And if a recent spate of product listings are any indication, there’s a good chance that revamped iPad Pros could arrive quite soon. Just yesterday, multiple outlets noticed that Apple had filed a listing for an … Continued
In the time of social distancing, online gaming with friends seems like a no-brainer to stay sane and pass the time. Except if you’ve tried lately, it seems like every major service has been petering in and out. The latest is Nintendo. This morning, the Nintendo eShop is borked for both U.S. and UK users. … Continued
As health officials call for social distancing amid the global coronavirus pandemic as a means of mitigating its spread, Uber has announced that it’s suspended all Pool services in the United States and Canada as of Tuesday. The company said the decision was made based on information from a consulting epidemiologist, health authorities, and conversations … Continued
You all need something to watch in the next few weeks, right? Cathy Yan’s got you covered. Fandango has announced that Warner Bros. will release its excellent Harley Quinn team-up movie (digitally) significantly earlier than planned to March 24, thanks to increased demand for home-viewings in the wake of social distancing measures suggested to combat … Continued