Attempting to pick apart the total number of species across the entire planet is a tricky exercise, and new research pegs the number at a whopping 8.7 million, plus or minus a million, of which around 25% are ocean dwellers.

Who doesn't love tree rings? Nobody, that's who. That fact alone should be reason enough to appreciate this beautiful poster by Gary, Aaron & Khairul. But look a little closer and you'll find an entirely new reason to love this lithograph print, which is aptly titled Tree of Life.

Chances are, you've heard about the gorgeous cinematography and visual effects in Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life. But now you can see for yourself — the studio sent us a ton of high-res stills. Including the notorious dinosaurs.

The one thing you can't call director Terrence Malick is unambitious. In The Tree of Life, out now in select theaters, he tries to do for 1950s Texas what Stanley Kubrick did for prehistoric man; that is, tie a few ordinary lives to the immensity and wonder of universe and, ultimately, to us.

Every summer, there's at least one movie underdog that takes audiences by storm. A movie that doesn't belong to an established series or feature a fan-favorite character, but still wins us over. A hit original amongst sequels and reboots.

Could this be the biggest movie summer of all time? It's sure looking like it. Almost every weekend features at least one, and maybe two or three, movies with a science fiction, fantasy or comics pedigree.

Gary Oldman reveals which villain he'll be sharing scenes with in The Dark Knight Rises. Captain America's Joe Johnston discusses the movie's debt to Raiders of the Lost Ark. Could a Justice League movie happen after all?

A producer on The Amazing Spider-Man suggests the new movie isn't quite "rebooting" the saga. New photos reveal sets being built for The Hobbit. We now know who a Little Britain star is playing on Doctor Who. Plus a poster for Battle: Los Angeles, cosmic ruminations on Tree of Life, True Grit's young star loses her…

Could this be the biggest year ever for fantastical movies? It certainly looks like it. The calendar is bursting with films about aliens, weird creatures, superheroes and magical worlds. Here's our complete guide to 2011's science fiction and fantasy films.

Is The Tree of Life the new Fountain? The original, rambling synopsis for Terence Malick's next movie was bafflingly New Agey. But co-star Brad Pitt's explanation of the film just makes it sound like an incomprehensible mess.