This “Ghost Chicken” Story Is One of Science’s Strangest Urban Legends

Today, we remember Francis Bacon mostly for his political and scientific contributions, but the people of Highgate remember him for something else: a scientific urban legend about a food safety experiment that may (or, more likely, may not) have created a ghost chicken. This is the legend: Francis Bacon, renowned politician and early elucidator of…

Producer Regrets “That’s Good Enough” Attitude on Cowboys & Aliens

You’d like to think people spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a movie would care. Lots of times they do. However, on some movies studios think “That’s good enough” and producer Brian Grazer regrets that sentiment on the 2011 film Cowboys and Aliens. Grazer, the legendary producer behind films and shows like Real Genius,…

Misandry Rules as New Ghostbusters Movie Casts a Man as Its Villain

Feminists scored another bitter blow today against penis-Americans after it was announced that Saturday Night Life writer, Other Space star and comedian Neil Casey has been cast as the new Ghostbusters movie’s antagonist. A man? Being evil? In a movie where women are the heroes?! Why, this tests my tosterone! Actually, since two people lost…

Gaze Into the Cold, Dead Eyes of This Tiny Batman

Oh god. Just look at them. The tiny little eyes of tiny chibi-Christian Bale. If this guy asked you to swear to him, you’d be crossing a very fine line between laughing in his face and wanting to soil yourself because oh god the eyes. Herocross’ latest chibi figure features the Christian Bale Batman circa…

What to Expect in the Leadup to New Horizons’ Historic Flyby of Pluto

After a nerve-wracking hiccup this weekend, NASA’s New Horizons mission is all systems go: We are now just a week away from the space probe’s long-awaited encounter with Pluto. Here’s what to expect over the course of the next seven days. After 3,455 days and nearly 3-billion miles, New Horizons is now less than a…

Kristen Stewart’s Trippy New Poster for Spy-fi Flick American Ultra

Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart are super chill and ready to kill on a brand new, exclusive poster for their upcoming actio/spy-fi/romantic comedy American Ultra. The poster, by popular underground artist T.A.Z., will debut at San Diego Comic-Con. Here’s the new American Ultra poster, exclusively debuted here on io9. The poster’s mix of artistic expression…

The Batman Comic’s New Batmobile Is Ridiculous, But in the Best Way

Batman’s chosen mode of transport has evolved a lot over the years. From swanky car to Tumbler, and even armored tanks. But with a new, heavily armored Batman in town in DC’s Batman comics, there needs to be a new Batmobile to match—and it looks completely, hilariously over the top. Bat-Truck, indeed. Our first look…

Did Ancient Native Americans Try to Domesticate Bobcats?

The 2,000-year-old remains of a carefully decorated and deliberately buried juvenile bobcat has scientists wondering if it’s the first example of feline domestication in the prehistoric Americas. The remains of the bobcat were originally discovered in the 1980s at the Illinois Hopewell Burial Mounds just north of St. Louis. Archaeologists had mistakenly identified the bones…

The Cujo Remake Has Taken a Very Weird, Astoundingly Dumb Turn

I’m sure you’re skeptical. “What could possibly go wrong with a remake of Cujo? It’s about a movie about a giant rabid dog. It’s pretty hard to mess up!” Yesterday, I would have agreed with you. Today, I have four words for you: Canine Unit Joint Operations. Yes, somehow Cujo has gone from an insane…

Scientists Just Solved One of the Paradoxes Behind Giant Black Holes

There is a paradox in the universe: scientists believe that there are millions more giant black holes in the universe than we know about, and yet, if they are there, how would they remain hidden? It turns out they do so by hiding in something almost unbelievably common. They’ve been hiding in the clouds. Not…

This Is How Bleached Flour Changes The Taste of Your Cakes

You’ve seen labels advertising “unbleached” flour. Few labels announce that their flour is “bleached,” but that’s exactly what happens to most white flour. It’s not just about the color, though—it’s an actual chemical change. Here’s how it works and why your cakes just wouldn’t taste the same without it. Chlorine bleach, when applied to your…

So Many Casting Rumors: Green Lantern, Episode VIII, and Doctor Strange!

We’re already getting casting rumors for Star Wars Episode VIII. Chris Pine has been offered not one, but two DC roles. Henry Cavill thinks there’s a future for Superman-only Man of Steel sequels. A bizarre commercial offers us our first sound of’s Thing speaking. Plus more Ant-Man footage. So many Spoilers! Green Lantern/Wonder Woman Birth…

Today’s Google Doodle Pays Tribute to Godzilla Co-Creator Eiji Tsuburaya

Today’s Google Doodle celebrates the 114th birthday of Japanese special effects director Eiji Tsubaraya, who was one of the co-creators of Godzilla and the main force behind Ultraman. In his honor, Google has ten minigames you can play aping all steps required to make the practical effects Tsubaraya was a master of. Rather than stop-motion…

Anime Epic Legend of the Galactic Heroes Is Getting a Western Release

There are few things more frustrating for fans than knowing something excellent exists but having no way to (legally) see it. At least in the case of Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Sentai Filmworks has good news. Legend of the Galactic Heroes started as a series of ten novels by Yoshiki Tanaka (slated for their…

Korra Co-Creator Bryan Konietzko’s New Graphic Novel Looks So Good

It hasn’t even been a year since we had to say goodbye to Legend of Korra and we’re already nostalgic for it. But the good news is that we know what Korra co-creator Bryan Konietzko is doing next: a graphic novel called Threadworlds that sounds pretty great. Due out in 2017 from First Second Books,…

There’s Going to Be a Prince Charming Movie. Because God Is Dead.

Disney, Disney, Disney… please stop. Just stop huffing the princess glitter and walk away. You don’t have to make every live-action fairy tale story that crosses your desk. And that really, really, includes a Prince Charming movie. At this point, I’m mostly numbed to the continuous announcements of new live-action adaptations coming out of Disney.…

Skeleton Rider Versus Plucky Robots: Guess Who Wins?

Yep, you wouldn’t want to be those robots in this new sculpt by amazing artist Vincent Villafranca, called “Dark Day for the Metal-Heads.” We’ve featured Villafranca’s incredible sculptures before, but this one is really something special. “Dark Day for the Metal-Heads” is just part of a huge new exhibition opening in New York on August…

This Is Just Some Of The Most Eye-Popping Terminator Art We’ve Ever Seen

Victor Martinezhas blown our minds with dazzling concept art for Star Trek Into Darkness and Real Steel. And his Terminator Genisys concept is no less astounding. Given a chance to reimagine Skynet’s arsenal, Martinez went all out. The result is nothing less than some of the best Terminator artwork ever. We’re thrilled to premiere some…

This is amazing: For the past six years, Colorado has provided teen and low-income women access to free birth control. The result? According to the state’s department of public health, the birthrate among teens statewide plunged 40% between 2009 and 2013. Abortions fell 42% in the same period. [CDPHE via NYT]

The Most Common Vertebrate on Earth Puts Humanity’s Billions to Shame

Illustrated above is a deep-water marine fish belonging to the family Gonostomatidae. More commonly known as bristlemouths, Gonostomatidae are easily the most plentiful vertebrates on on the planet. How many are we talking? Have a guess; I bet you’ll underestimate. (I certainly did.) Here’s William J. Broad, writing on the bristlemouth last week for The…