ALIEN BY DESIGN | An exclusive look at concept art of the alien attackers from Battleship shows how George Hull and other designers created a whole slew of awesome attacking ships from scratch. See more here.
The genes behind human intelligence also made us vulnerable to autism
The exact genetic roots of autism are still being untangled, but we do know that the most common single-gene causes of the condition is Fragile X syndrome, in which errors on the X chromosome trip up normal neural development. More »
The Nine Circles Of Hell, As Depicted In LEGO
Here's a series of play sets that won't be debuting in the toy aisle anytime soon. Sculptor Mihai Mihu has built this fantastic and creepy nine-part collection of LEGO dioramas based on Dante Alighieri's Inferno. More »
A virus that creates electricity
A virus called simply M13 has the power (literally) to change the world. A team of scientists at the Berkeley Lab have genetically engineered M13 viruses to emit enough electricity to power a small LED screen. More »
How to Tell From a Trailer That a Movie Is Going to Suck
Right now, in the middle of summer movie season, it's easy to get sensory overload. Big-budget movies are coming thick and fast, each of them trying to overwhelm us into opening our wallets. More »
Engineer thinks we could build a real Starship Enterprise in 20 years
In Star Trek lore, the first Starship Enterprise will be built by the year 2245. But today, an engineer has proposed - and outlined in meticulous detail – building a full-sized, ion-powered version of the Enterprise complete with 1G of gravity on board, and says it could be done with current technology. More »
Every single new science fiction and fantasy show announced for next season!
Now that the week of television upfronts are coming to a close, it's time to take a look back at all the new TV we've been promised (and what we missed out on). More »
This student film carries more of an emotional punch than most movies
This animation, Crayon Dragon, was made by California Institute of the Arts student Toniko Pantoja as a second-year project. Along with an absolutely lovely soundtrack and a fluid style that comes across as "Impressionist Don Bluth," Pantoja weaves a poignant wordless narrative. More »
What will Joss Whedon's next project really be?
Now that Joss Whedon has joined the tiny club of directors whose films have made over a billion dollars, there's tons of speculation about what's next for the no-longer-a-cult icon. More »
Everything you need to know about the scientific controversy that could change Triceratops forever
If you cried over the sick Triceratops in Jurassic Park, or just loved this horned dinosaur as a kid, there's one scientific controversy you need to understand right now. More »
Why are these trees made of uranium?
Buried in the deserts of the world are fossils of trees and animals that died millions of years ago. Those fossils are often made of packed sediment. More »
Adorable webcomic illustrates the Avengers' difficulties with carrying Hawkeye into battle
Clint Barton is a spry guy, but without a magical levitating hammer or jet thrusters, he's pretty much outclassed by his teammates. More »
Your body's internal clock is at war with society
Just because you sleep later than your early rising friends doesn't mean you sleep longer than they do; nor does it make you lazier. More »
Printed books existed nearly 600 years before Gutenberg's Bible
It is a little-known but undisputed historical fact that Johannes Gutenberg did not invent the printing press. Though the Gutenberg Bible was certainly the first mass produced printed work, it was hardly the first printed book. More »
Photographs of people being blasted by wind in the face are priceless
Well this just made our week. These images by Lithuanian photographer Tadao Cern come from a series titled, quite simply, "Blow Job." As you've probably guessed, the premise of the collection was to blast people in the face with incredibly strong gusts and photograph their flapping, morphing faces. More »
The awesomely insane Heaven and Hell nightclubs of 1890s Paris
In modern times, you can find a stray cabaret or goth club in most modern metropolitan areas. But back in the late 19th century, your options were limited, albeit merrily deranged. Paris of the 1890s had several supernatural nightlife options, each of them with marvelously outlandish gimmicks. More »
Most Mind-Blowing Surprise Endings from Science Fiction and Fantasy Books
Lots of science fiction and fantasy novels have twist endings - but a few of them have twists so startling, they actually change your understanding of what's been going on in the whole book. More »
The mouth of a child is a terrifying thing to behold
Inside the mouth of every child is a terrifying double row of teeth. Not that you'd ever know it - muscle, skin and bone prevent most of us from ever catching a glimpse of this extra dentition More »
Everything you need to know to catch Sunday's rare "ring of fire" eclipse
This weekend, the Moon will pass between Earth and the Sun, giving rise to what sky-watchers call an annular eclipse. Also known as a "ring of fire" eclipse (for reasons that the top image should make clear), it's the first annular eclipse to be visible from the continental U.S. in close to 20 years. Here's what you need to know to catch a glimpse. More »
A Chart that Reveals How Science Fiction Futures Changed Over Time
The future may seem to be closer or farther off, depending on the era you're living in. That's one of the possible conclusions you can draw from this chart (embedded below), created by Stephanie Fox for io9, based on research we've done over the past month. More »
