How Aging Affects Athletic Peformance

“I’m old” is the common refrain for why we get worse at athletics as we age. But here’s what’s really happening in the body through the years to make world-class performance less possible. Above: At 42, Chris Horner became the oldest person to a win a cycling Grand Tour. In this photo Horner climbs during…

This Chart Shows Why We’re Not Nearly Worried Enough About the Drought

So you may have heard that there’s a drought going on, robbing Americans of their god-given rights to enviously plush lawns, refillable hot springs, and a bottomless bowl of almonds on every table. But the real trouble is yet to come. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organizationput together this heat chart of which crops are…

Warren Ellis Is Writing the New James Bond Comic 

When Dynamite announced their official James Bond comic series, details were (perhaps appropriately for a book about a secret agent) scarce—but now we know a little more about the ongoing series, including the fact that it’s kicking off with a story penned by Transmetropolitan’s Warren Ellis. Interestingly, the announcement reveals that Ellis is not writing…

A Nazi Weapons Cache Has Been Discovered in a German Man’s Basement

Police in Germany have uncovered a 45-ton tank, a torpedo, and other illegal weaponry dating back to WWII in the cellar of a villa in Heikendorf. As reported in Spiegel Online, officials were alerted to the weapons cache by Berlin prosecutors who searched the home a month ago looking for stolen Nazi art. The subsequent…

The Past Haunts the Present for Just About Everyone on True Detective

In “Maybe Tomorrow,” yesterday is actually the keyword. The criminal ties that Frank’s tried so desperately to shed are now the one thing he needs the most; Ray’s near-death experience makes him question nearly every decision he’s made; and Paul’s deeply in denial about his own past actions. Spoilers follow! Does anyone else sorta wish…

Write Us Some Six-Word Science Fiction Stories!

I want to hear a story, io9. And I want to hear it in just six words. Will you explore the corporate uses of time travel (“Amazon’s time machine processes returns, delivers” – destor23)? Or perhaps you’ll stick to slightly spooky error messages from our very real space robots (Mars Rover Offline: Unauthorized Firmware Update…

Say Bonjour to the French Comics Taking Over Comixology

The French are staging an invasion of their own. Luckily, there’s no Napoleon threatening our shores; instead, it’s the French comics market that has just conquered Comixology, bringing over 150 French series from independent comics publisher Delcourt over the course of the next year. The series include The Curse of the Wendigo illustrated by Walking…

This Is How “Sugarless” Sweeteners Trick Your Tongue

Take a sip of licorice tea and you’ll notice a strange lingering sweetness, as if someone secretly added sugar to your cup. This is due to glycyrrhizin, a sweetener which was used well before stevia entered the commercial market, but which works a similar way. People crave sweetness. Supposedly this is because we crave calories,…

Why Does Batman Hate Superman in Batman v. Superman?

How will future Terminator films handle John Connor? Netflix may be having trouble deciding how to take on Iron Fist. Plus there’s a ton more Batman v Superman details, speculation on the return of a certain Game of Thrones star, and new looks at Mockingjay Part 2 and Once Upon A Time. Spoilers Get! Batman…

Beercan Solargraphs Show Off Our Brilliant Sun

This fantastic compilation of solargraphs were taken with beer cans: homemade pinhole cameras with a paper negative inside. These sixteen were among the best that the Philippus Lansbergen Public Observatory in Middleburg, Netherlands received. [Spaceweathergallery.com]

Teachers Decorate School Lockers To Look Like Gigantic Bookshelf

High School lockers are incredibly boring, just rows of metal boxes that line the hallways. A group of teachers in the Biloxi Junior High School in Biloxi Mississippi decided to change things up a bit, and painted the ones in their school to look like book covers. Their work of art started last fall when…

Global Politics Are A Deadly Game In Genevieve Valentine’s Persona

In Genevieve’ Valentine’s novel Persona, international politics are a sort of game played on an international level: diplomats are carefully chosen for their charisma, and follow a detailed script. When a C-level diplomat, Suyana Sapaki is almost killed, she finds herself involved in a desperate chase for survival. Some spoilers ahead. Also, a disclaimer: Genevieve…

The New Republic has an excellent look at Shirley Jackson and why she is “in the class of writers who require fierce advocates to keep her work alive. Her horror is domestic; it takes place in the familiar world of the kitchen, the family, and known and loved objects. It unsettles too much to be…

There’s a Scientific Reason the Terminator Looks His Age in Genisys

Explosions, gunshots, and car crashes may not stop the Terminator, but even a cyborg assassin from the future isn’t immune to the aging process. Here’s a scientific look at the Terminator’s organic bits. [Nerdist] Contact the author at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter.

When You Play The Game Of Thrones, You Rock Or You Die

Foo Fighter’s front man David Grohl recently broke his leg during a show last June, and had cancelled several shows. The band went back on stage, with Grohl perched on a throne of guitars that looks like it was more than a little inspired by Game of Thrones. [Variety]

Spaghetti Western Meets Star Wars In The Twelve Parsec Stare

There’s always been a solid connection between Westerns and the Star Wars films, but this latest fan film is a nice combination of the two. Boba Fett tracking people down in the Outer Rim badlands? Yes please. The other day, we were musing about the Star Wars films that we really wanted to see, but…

First Concept Art From CW’s Legends of Tomorrow Looks Exciting

Legends Of Tomorrow isn’t due out until 2016 on The CW, but Entertainment Weekly has a cool glimpse of some concept art, and it looks exciting. The show, which is due to be spun off from The CW’s two existing DC shows, Arrow and The Flash, is set to feature an ensemble cast led by…

The History And Evolution Of The G.I. Joe Action Figure

Mental Floss has a fantastic article on the history of the iconic G.I. Joe action figures, and how Joe had to be rebooted in the 1970s to appeal to new consumers. What I didn’t know was how Joe shrank from a 12 inch doll to a 3 3/4 inch one – the size of the…

Seattleites Like Naming Pets After Geek Icons

Live in Seattle and own a pet? Chances are, you’ve named them after something geeky. KUOW.org went through the names of every pet registered in the city, and found that many Seattleites have named their pets after pop culture icons. The radio station played with the numbers that they obtained: Labradors and Chihuahuas are the…

Thresher Is A Horrifying Tale Of Inter-Dimensional Terror

Fans of Lovecraft and Weird Fiction will get a kick out of this short film by Mike Diva: Thresher. Following an man trying to get into a locked room, we find that there’s just some doors that shouldn’t be opened. The film was one of the top five finalists in a contest that Guillermo del…