On Wednesday, space-tracking firm LeoLabsdetecteda debris cloud forming after a non-operational satellite broke apart in low Earth orbit. The Russian-owned decommissioned satellite, called RESURS-P1, broke apart around 12 p.m. ET on June 26, resulting in more than 100 pieces of trackable debris, according toU.S. The satellite sent a cloud of debris near the same altitude as the space station.Photo: NASA At the time, fragments from the satellite also forced astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the ISS toseek shelter....

But where Bombadil goes, do Barrow-wights follow? Want more io9 news? News from the future, delivered to your present. Image: Einar Martinsen/Empire Magazine AGame of ThronesMovie Is Apparently on the Table Westeros on the big screen? A new report says Warner Bros. might make it happen. Image: Einar Martinsen/Empire Magazine

I always attributed it to the nature of the game and never really saw it as inaccessibility. The colorblind-friendly versions of the companys games will receive a special badge on their packaging. Game pieces and boards will feature unique icons and tactile clues to help identify colors. Image: Mattel The company also claims that it sought guidance from folks with colorblindness via online and in-person interviews. News from the future, delivered to your present....

Another day, anotherBoeing whistleblower. Mr. Cuevas was fired when his manager found out that an employee complained about these issues. Gizmodo reached out to Boeing for comment on this story and will update it if the company responds. Photo: Mislik (Shutterstock) Engineering analysis determined that the issues raised did not present a safety concern and were addressed. Since then, the company has faced a whirlwind of bad press and multiple federal investigations....

We have a few mammoth samples that are around 4,100 years old, Dehasque said. Extinction sometimes happens slowly, but then all at once. News from the future, delivered to your present. A paleoart illustration of the last living mammoth.Illustration: Beth Zaiken Turns out, they were the remains of three mammoths from the Stone Age. A mammoth tusk sticking out of the ground on Wrangel Island.Photo: Love Dalén A mammoth tusk on Wrangel Island....

Is this a true paradigm shift in PC gaming? Come on, noof course not. It simply represents the shift in portability for PC gaming. The Horipad for Steam is explicitly built for Steam or docked Steam Deck gaming, even though it lacks standard features like rumble.Image: Hori Its evident by what kinds of controllers Valve decides to promote. Valve hasnt released a new version of theSteam Controllersince its original debut in 2014....

Are you a fan of robots but just think they should have human-like skin and smile more? Well, youre in luck, weirdo. Its all part of their goal to endow robots with the self-healing capabilities inherent in biological skin. The smiling robotic face covered with “dermis equivalent” demonstrating movement in a video released by the University of TokyoGif: Cell Reports Physical Science / University of Tokyo Rubber, as you might imagine, cant self-heal in the way that human skin can....

Thoughtcortosiswas the only thing with roots from Star Wars expanded universe that showed up onThe Acolyte this week? Want more io9 news? News from the future, delivered to your present. Image: Lucasfilm Image: Lucasfilm Image: Lucasfilm

Well, Ill say this: Kripke and I texted today. So yeah, Im going to go play in Kripkes newest playground. I love the show. Photo: The CW I think its hilarious and exciting. But you were asking what my plans for the future wereand I love Jensen and Eric Kripke. Obviously, Ill be indebted to [Kripke] and entangled with him forever. I met my wife because of him. I was Sam Winchester because of him....

European regulation is surely doing a number on Apples product line. According toThe Information, Apple may be working on a removable iPhone battery to comply with global requirements. We may see it as soon as theiPhone 16this fall. The iPhone 15 Pro (left) and the iPhone 15 Pro Max (right).Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo The law applies to batteries across different product categories, including electric scooters and vehicles. All those thin-is-in smartphones and foldables must comply by 2027, but Apple could be sooner....

Not all satellites are created equal. Out of the nearly 10,000 satellites in orbit today, two-thirds belong to SpaceXs broadband constellation, Starlink. Those numbers are giving us major Kessler Syndrome anxiety. SpaceX wants to build an internet constellation of 42,000 satellites in low Earth orbit.Photo: SpaceX At the end of their short lifespan, the satellites generate pollutants as they fall through the atmosphere. We were one of the first teams to look at what the implication of these facts might be....

But while weve seen lightsaber-resistant material in Star Wars plenty already, what could cause this strange effect? An infamous material from the Expanded Universe. What Is Cortosis? Gif: Lucasfilm On top of its rarity, cortosis was extremely difficult to mine due to its conductive properties. How Does Cortosis Work? What Other Materials Resist Lightsabers? Screenshot: Lucasfilm Why Use Them Over Cortosis? Want more io9 news? News from the future, delivered to your present....

The program and underlying AI model dubbed Lyria were developed by Google DeepMind. Since then, the AI-centric subsidiary has created more tools tocreate soundtracksbased on text or video prompts. YouTube itself updated its policies late last year tocrack down on user-generated AI music deepfakes. Dream Track is already very limited in what you can ask it to generate, but YouTube is dreaming up even more AI music tools.Image: Google Deepmind...