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The XMM-Newton space telescope has been really into dark and heavy stuff lately. No, the x-ray observatory didn't find its parents' old Black Sabbath albums — it found the most massive galactic cluster on record, a conglomerate of galaxies weighing more than 1,000 times as much as the Milky Way. The cluster's extreme distance is a puzzling paradox, or it might help prove that the universe is full of mysterious dark energy. More »
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You've heard the dark riffs from Black Sabbath's famous 1970s song "Iron Man" in the latest trailer for the movie Iron Man, but is the famous heavy metal song really about the comic book character? It's a question that has plagued pop culture enthusiasts for decades, even though songwriter Geezer Butler denies that he had the warmongering hero in mind when he penned some lyrics about a warmongering hero who yells, "I AM IRON MAN!" Now the Boston Globe's Joshua Glenn has written the definitive analysis of whether the song is, in fact, based on the comic. He's got conspiracy theories; he's got video; he's even got some obscure references to Queen albums. This is crucial reading for any Iron Man enthusiast, whether you are of the metalhead or comic dork variety. [Brainiac] More »
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We were excited to interview folk/rock singer John Darnielle, from The Mountain Goats, because his songs had always seemed like the perfect alternative science fiction soundtrack to us. Maybe it's the way they wrap otherworldly tropes, including alien invasions, in with their alienated ballads. Their latest album includes a song about H.P. Lovecraft, and Darnielle's first book is an exploration of Black Sabbath's Master of Reality, space travel ode and all. Darnielle explains his science fiction influences, and whether he's a dystopian songwriter. More »
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