This Unbelievable Coincidence Is Responsible For Life In The Universe

Life is dependent upon a lot of coincidences, but there’s only one that was so improbable that physicists laughed at the very idea of it. Here’s why something known as the “beryllium bottleneck” should have choked out all life before it even got started. When a star ignites, it does so due to the fusion…

Write Some Six Word Science Fiction For Us!

Tell me a story, io9! And do it in just six words. I want to hear your very shortest fiction tales — whether you want to flesh out the classified ads of the future like commenter Ridureyu (For Sale: One Jetpack, Slightly Used) or contemplate a videogame that’s gotten a little too real, like commenter…

Where Are All The Aliens? This Short Video Offers Some Solutions

In Part I of Kurz Gesagt’s animated explainer of the Fermi Paradox we learned about the vexing problem that is the Great Silence. This follow-up video presents some intriguing solutions that may explain the disturbing absence of intelligent alien life.

In The Martian Trailer, Matt Damon “Sciences the Shit” Out of Everything

The first trailer for Ridley Scott’s movie adaptation of The Martian was just released, and things look both very dire and pretty funny. Not that we were worried about him, but Matt Damon appears more than able to carry all those scenes by himself. “In your face, Neil Armstrong,” indeed. We got a little teaser…

James Gunn Wants To Make Guardians Of The Galaxy 2 More Personal

There’s yet another teaser for Spider-Man’s presence in Civil War. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 has a surprising nod to another Michael Bay franchise. Another Thick of It star joins Doctor Who. Plus, an update on the Power Rangers film, more Ant-Man footage, and a new look at The Strain season 2. Behold, Spoilers! Star…

Attempts to find a new home for Constantine have stalled, and the show is no more. Showrunner Michael Cerone announced that the “show is over” on Twitter. [TV Line]

Now Your Pizza Hut Box is (Kinda, Sorta) a Movie Projector

Pizza and movies are like milk and cookies—they just go together and that’s that. Still, I wouldn’t ever want to combine milk and cookies into a single product (cookie flavored milk? milk flavored cookies?) and likewise, physically merging pizza and movies seems ill-advised. Nevertheless, that’s what Pizza Hut has gone ahead and done, at least…

Alastair Reynolds’ Slow Bullets Is A Fast, Clever Space Opera

In Slow Bullets, the latest novel from Alastair Reynolds, a soldier awakens on a prisoner ship far out in space, unsure of where she’s going or why she’s there. As she and her fellow passengers come to terms with their predicament, they must overcome their own pasts. Reynolds has written a number of hefty space…

Gemini 4 Spouses Check In With The Astronauts At Mission Control, 1965

At Mission Control in Houston, Texas, Patricia McDivitt and Patricia White speak with astronauts James McDivitt and Ed White from as Gemini 4 passes over the United States. Gemini 4 was the second mission in the program, and ended on June 7th, 1965 after a five day mission. Photo credit: NASA

Matt Damon Is Hilariously Profane In The First Look At The Martian

We finally have our first official footage of Ridley Scott’s adaptation The Martian, and we get to meet the crew of Ares 3 for the first time. In it, Matt Damon’s Mark Watney is as hilariously profane as his character is in Andy Weir’s novel. This isn’t a trailer for the movie: it’s an in-universe…

Guardians Of The Galaxy Writer Nicole Perlman To Pen Wool Adaptation

The Wrap is reporting that Nicole Perlman has been hired to rewrite the script for Wool, an adaptation of Hugh Howey’s bestselling novel. Perlman is best known for her work on Guardians of the Galaxy, and is also writing the script for Captain Marvel. 20th Century Fox acquired the rights for the novel in 2012,…

The Answer To This Riddle Is Not “6”

Can you determine what goes in place of the question mark? SUNDAY PUZZLE #34: Complete The Series I don’t feature visual riddles very often, but this one was too good to pass up. It was posed by somebody at my coworking space, and I found it especially clever (if a bit devious). I also appreciate…

Orphan Black Asks: Is It Crueler To Know You’re A Clone Or Not To Know?

There are two kinds of clones in Orphan Black: Clones who are self-aware and those who are “naive.” Obviously, our Clone Club members fall into the former category, but what happens when we encounter a clone sitting at the fringes of the conspiracy? Is it better to let her know she’s not crazy? Or hope…

Learn About The Modern Masters of Science Fiction With This Great Series

In 2013, the University of Illinois Press launched a new series of scholarly books: The Modern Masters of Science Fiction, a series dedicated to studying the men and women who shaped modern science fiction literature. Since the launch of the series, editor Willis Regier has overseen the release of five installments, with an additional two…

Learn How To Play Quidditch The Right Way

US Quidditch is the governing body for the sport of Quidditch, and last week, they released the 9th Edition of their rules for the upcoming 2015-2016 season! Quidditch has been played as a real game since 2005, when it was first adapted for non-magical players at Middlebury College. In 2007, the first ever ‘IQA World…

Marvel Comics Reboot Includes Two Wolverines

Marvel Comics has been getting ready for a massive reboot of their comics universe, and in the last couple of days, they’ve released some teaser images that reveal just how different their world is going to get. Just days after our first group shot, Marvel has released a second. In the latest teaser image, we’re…

Women Dominate The 2015 Nebula Awards

Last night in Chicago, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America announced the winners of the Nebula Awards. The Award is one of the major honors in the science fiction field and is voted on by members of SFWA. Here’s the winners: Best Novel Annihilation, Jeff VanderMeer (FSG Originals; Fourth Estate; HarperCollins Canada) The…

50 Years Ago, Ed White Became The First American To Walk In Space

On June 3rd, 1965, Edward White became the first American astronaut to walk in space. His mission commander, Jame McDivitt snapped this picture over the Pacific Ocean over the course of the Gemini 4 mission. He later described the order to return to the spacecraft as being “the saddest moment of his life.” White was…

Watch the Nebula Awards Live, Presented By Nick Offerman!

Tonight in Chicago, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America will hand out this year’s Nebula Awards. Look over the list of nominees, and watch live at 8:30pm, Central. With special celebrity toastmaster Nick Offerman, from Parks and Recreation.

D-Day Could Easily Have Been An Epic Disaster

71 years ago today, Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy. Operation Overlord was the largest amphibious invasion to date, and created a foothold in Europe. The key to winning? Careful planning and training. And while the invasion was a success, it was a risky gamble that could have gone disastrously wrong. Following the start…