Katharine Trendacosta

How the Ancient Romans Made Better Concrete Than We Do Now

If you’ve ever wondered why the ancient structures of Rome have endured for millennia, when our own modern concrete is susceptible to cracks and crumbles, well, now you have your answer. Researchers recreated the Roman recipe and discovered that the formation of a certain kind of crystal in the concrete is the reason for the…

New Concept Art Shows the Dark Beauty of the Marvel Universe

From concept artist Andrew Kim we have new looks into the concept art of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Thor: The Dark World, and Guardians of the Galaxy. It turns out that Peter Quill had his pick of weird rat creatures to use as a microphone. [Nuke the Fridge]

The M. Night Shyamalan Version of Christmas Has the Best Twist Ever

Fourgrounds Film has imagined Christmas Day through the lens of a bunch of directors, including Alfred Hitchcock, Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan, Alfred Hitchcock, and Michael Bay. But, for our money, their M. Night Shyamalan twist is the best of the bunch. (Twin Peaks Christmas ran a close second.) This is actually part 2, last year…

How Big A Part Will Wolverine Play in X-Men: Apocalypse?

Mark Hamill talks about coming back to Star Wars, Christoph Waltz denies being the head of SPECTRE, and Cobie Smulders explains what Maria Hill’s up to in Avengers: Age of Ultron. The Flash casts Cisco’s brother and adds another villain to its list. Plus a ton of details about Batman v. Superman’s attempt to address…

In The Hobbit‘s Honest Trailer, Even Its Own Characters Are Bored By It

With the last of the three Hobbit movies coming out today, Honest Trailers turned its keen eye on the one that came out this time last year, The Desolation of Smaug. It had not occurred to us just how much of the second movie was made up of flashbacks to the first one. But now,…

How One Of History’s Worst Taxidermy Jobs Became A Victorian Sensation

Take a look at this walrus. This is what happens when a taxidermist is taxed with mounting an animal he’s never seen before. With no idea that real walruses have copious wrinkles and folds, this Victorian just kept stuffing it and studding it until it looked smooth. Whoops. Image: Horniman Museum and Gardens Currently the…

Holiday Lights Are Officially Bright Enough to Be Seen from Space

A joint mission between NOAA and NASA has yielded data showing just how much brighter Earth is during the holiday lights season. In some places, the effect makes the area 50% brighter than on an average day. http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/satellite-sees-holiday-lights-brighten-cities/#.VJEo8GTF_Dt Image: Jesse Allen, NASA’s Earth Observatory/flickr/CC by 2.0 The data comes from a combination of technologies. The…

Tim Burton Doesn’t Think Marvel’s Momentum Can Last 

Speaking with Yahoo!, Tim Burton offered up his opinion on the new wave of superhero movies. In particular, Burton took aim at Marvel for making film after film with the same formula and issues-ridden superhero. Yes, Tim Burton thinks Marvel needs to consider making a happy superhero. Here’s what Burton said: Marvel, they have their…

Could We Be Getting Two Ghostbusters Movies In The Near Future?

We may know who’s directing the Aquaman movie. Amy Adams describes Lois Lane’s role in Batman v. Superman. Tom Hanks may star in the movie of Dave Eggers’ The Circle. The King Kong movie Kong: Skull Island adds one of our favorite actors to its cast. Plus Pirates of the Caribbean 5, Once Upon a…

A New British Show Will Feature a Space Ark Piloted by an Android Bear

Britain’s Channel 4 has ordered a pilot for a half-hour science fiction comedy that follows 200 hundred humans on a mission to find a new home after the destruction of Earth. So far, that’s a pretty standard sci fi set up. And then there’s the ship’s pilot, which is described as an android bear. Suddenly,…

Oil Paintings That Look Like They Came Straight Out Of Futuristic Lab

Beautiful in their own right, these works of art from artist Atsushi Koyama look very much like illustrations for how to manipulate a holographic design table. A lot of precise hand and eye coordination is involved. Koyama’s work here is so precise that it’s hard to imagine that they’re oil paintings and not computer-generated blueprints.…

Meet the Spiky Shelled Sea Snail Named After The Clash’s Joe Strummer

After discovering new deep sea snails with spiky shells, researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute named one of them (on the left above) A. Strummeri after Joe Strummer, singer for the Clash. Speaking with the Santa Cruz Sentinel, lead researcher Shannon Johnson explained that the name was based in more than just a…

The Best Geeky Art And Home Decor To Buy This Holiday Season

If our homes are our castles, then they should reflect all the things that we love the most in the world, right? So if anyone in your life has failed to make their house into a home, than you can give them anything in this guide and walk away knowing you have made their lives…

What Are Marvel’s Secret Plans For Rebooting Spider-Man?

Three big names are in the running for a huge role in Doctor Strange. James Gunn says the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Avengers won’t cross over too soon. Ridley Scott echoes what Harrison Ford said about the Blade Runner sequel. Krysten Ritter explains why she’d so excited to play Jessica Jones. And how…

The Librarians Shoot a Minotaur in the Balls

Look, if you can find another explanation for the what happens when Rebecca Romijn’s character slides through the legs of a minotaur on her back while shooting up, I welcome it. Otherwise, she totally shot him in the balls. I’m still enjoying the hell out of The Librarians, which is cheesy and ridiculous but in…

According Danny John-Jules, planning for another season of Red Dwarf continues apace. “All I can say is that Doug Naylor is slaving away writing scripts and we’ve got lunch next week. That’s as far as I can tell you!” [Digital Spy]

A Necronomicon for the “Ugh, Whatever” Kind of Days

Unfortunately, this plush “Blech-cronomicon” is already sold out at Gallery 1988, where it’s part of the “Crazy 4 Cult 8” show. But rest assured that you can see more of Steff Bomb’s work here. Or like whatever. Here’s the cover: [via xombieDIRGE]

An Acorn Finds a Home Far From the Rest of His Family in This Short

This cute animated short from Madeline Sharafian follows an acorn’s trip to find a place to put down roots after he decides not to follow the everyone else’s “close to the tree” approach. You go, brave little acorn. [via Vimeo Staff Picks]

Arrow Really Could Be Following Through On That Insane Cliffhanger

Plus find out how Spectre will use its large budget and new location. Roberto Orci shoots down a Star Trek rumor. Andy Mientus talks about his awesome Pied Piper costume for The Flash. The Scream series will remake a famous moment. And a ton of information on Once Upon a Times’ villainous plans. Spoilers now!…

Another study for the “fake it ’til you make it” pile: forcing yourself walking with a spring in your step can improve your mood. On the flip side, slumping your shoulders can make your mood more negative. Be conscious walkers! [viaScientific American]