Meet The Ships Helmed By Dark Matter‘s Biggest Antagonists

In Syfy’s new series, Dark Matter, a crew of six wake up from hibernation with no memory of who they are or what their mission is. But they’re not alone in space, which is run by competing multi-planet conglomerates. One of those conglomerates is Ferrous Corp, and we’ve got an exclusive look at how their…

Scientists Discover A New Link Between The Brain And The Immune System

Last week, researchers announced they had discovered a physical connection between the immune system and the brain’s blood supply. The finding gives researchers a novel approach to understanding diseases ranging from autism to multiple sclerosis, and strengthens the bridge between neuroscience and immunology. Maps of the lymphatic system: old (left) and updated to reflect the…

Are Limited Lifespans An Evolutionary Adaptation?

Since the time of Darwin, evolutionary biologists have wondered why the lifespans of different species vary so significantly. A new model now suggests that the life expectancy of any given species is a function of evolutionary pressures — a conclusion that hints at the potential for powerful anti-aging interventions in humans. The new paper, which…

Electricity Can Make You See Hovering Shapes—And Drugs Can Help

There is a term for the little glowing shapes that temporarily appear when you rub your eyes or bang your head – phosphenes. In the 1930s, a German scientist found ways to make them appear via the use of electricity, and later the use of drugs. Phosphenes can be caused by all kinds of things.…

Why You Have To Watch The Wonder That Is Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, the BBC’s 7-part adaptation of Susannah Clarke’s novel about the rediscovery of magic in 19th century London is finally making its way to the US tomorrow — and so far it’s been pretty damn magical. This is why you should give it a watch, even if you weren’t a fan…

Four blue lobsters, one yellow, and one albino lobster have been caught in the Canadian Maritimes in the last two weeks. To put that into perspective, the odds of catching a blue lobster is 1 in 2 million, a yellow is 1 in 30 million, and an albino is 1 in 100 million! The CBC…

A Before-And-After Look At How Sharlto Copley Became The Robot Chappie

Chappie, the childlike super-genius robot, is the best thing about Chappie, the movie. And a large part of that is due to Sharlto Copley’s insane performance, done via motion capture. We’ve got an exclusive clip from the movie’s DVD featurettes that shows how Copley created the character. Chappie is out on DVD and BluRay on…

This Short Film Reveals Why Being The Devil’s Lawyer Is A Lousy Job

In a great many stories about the Devil and his infamous contracts, the Devil’s lawyer is a confident, mystical figure as tricky as the Devil himself. But in the short film Chasseur, a demon hunter tries to summon the Devil and gets his lawyer instead, a man who seems, much the hunter’s frustration, perfectly ordinary.…

Wayward Pines Reveals The Utterly Insane Truth On A Bombshell Episode

Buckle up, because we’ve arrived at the episode entitled “The Truth,” and indeed, a lot is finally revealed about the mysteries of Wayward Pines. But just because we know everything doesn’t mean we have any clue about what’s going to happen next. Spoilers follow! As we open, Ethan’s still skulking through the dark forest that…

22 Incredible Facts About The Life and Career Of Sir Christopher Lee

If Sir Christopher Lee had just been a movie star, he would still have been an icon. But the late actor, who passed away last week, had an amazing life even beyond his incredible body of work. Whether you’re still lamenting his passing or unsure why his death is such a loss, here’s 22 reasons…

Scientist Learns About Moth Brain, Uses Word “Crepuscular”

There are many reasons to watch the video associated with this research. Firstly, it shows you robotic flowers. Secondly, it explains how moths adjust to flying in extremely low light. Thirdly, if you’re an Archer fan, you get to hear the word “crepuscular” used correctly in a sentence. Most hawkmoth research focuses on the mechanics…

Americans Agree: Everyone But Them Is Wasting Their Food

We know that Americans throw out a lot of food, but, hey, why are we doing it? A new survey tries something new to figure it out: It asks us. The survey (which is less an attempt at pinpointing actual food waste numbers and more an attempt at figuring out what’s behind it) was put…

The Doctor Fights Monsters At Comic-Con In This Special Doctor Who Comic

The Doctor fights monsters all the time on Doctor Who — but in Titan’s San Diego Comic-Con 2015 special, he’s monster hunting at the biggest nerd event of the year. io9 has the exclusive first details, as well as some gorgeous covers and a few Who toys making their debut at the con! The special…

Jaw-Dropping Footage Shows A “Superpod” Of Swarming Dolphins

While fishing off the coast of Cape Town in South Africa, a pair of fisherman were treated to an unbelievable sight — a massive pod of dolphins containing as many as a thousand individuals. As fisherman Robbie Ragless told Eyewitness News, “We just saw the frenzy on the horizon and didn’t know it was coming…

Jurassic World Is All Park And No Bite

Despite an island’s worth of good intentions, Jurassic World is an uneven movie in a lot of ways. The human characters basically don’t work, the movie wallows in nostalgia, and the story is murky. But where it counts — beautiful dinosaur action! — this movie delivers enough to make us remember why we love these…

These GIFs Have Come To Party

Cheer up, GIFs! Your party is here — and it brought you a balloon. You know what to do: Select your fashionably late party GIFs, practice some awkward digital mingling, try on an electronic party hat, and eat a slice of that vaguely depressing cheesecake that someone brought just to be polite. Because the GIF…

Could This Be The ESA’s Missing Comet Lander?

After months of searching, the European Space Agency says it may have finally caught a glimpse of the missing Philae Lander on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. During its historic descent back in November 2014, the lander’s harpoons failed to properly deploy and its ice screws were not enough to secure it at its intended…

What Actually Makes a Movie Give You Nightmares?

I’ve watched horror movies and read scary stories since I was a child. Although a few scared me, I didn’t start having nightmares about “movie monsters” until I saw the film It Follows. So what made this movie enter my dreams when others didn’t? [Note: Spoilers for the film It Follows.] It Follows has a…

What Do These Game Of Thrones Season Finale Photos Reveal?

The Falcon may get a big nod to his comic book roots in Civil War. Suicide Squad set photos reveal a new character. The Flash is getting its own Felicity Smoak. Matthew Vaughn gives an update on the Kingsman sequel. And a set video of the X-Files revival offers hints on Mulder and Scully’s relationship.…

The Avatar sequels will come out one year later than expected. Instead of 2016, Avatar 2 is now slated for 2017. “Jim Cameron has his own pace,” 20th Century Fox chairman-CEO Jim Gianopulos explained. [Variety]