This Moment Is Why We Can’t Stop Obsessing About Syfy’s 12 Monkeys

Here’s the most intense moment in last night’s 12 Monkeys — it’s a moment that turns some crucial stuff from the Terry Gilliam movie on its head, while also playing with time travel in a pretty uniquely cool way. And it reminds us just why we got sucked into obsessing about this show in the…

What TV Show Makes More Sense When You Binge-watch It?

This weekend, we’re all going to be watching 13 episodes of Daredevil in one giant binge of media consumption. Because Netflix believes TV shows are best watched all in one go — but which episodic TV show, which originally aired in hourly installments, is best watched in large doses? Please include a picture, clip, promo…

Check out Germination, A New Blog On ‘Diseases, Drugs, Farms, and Food’

The supremely talented Maryn McKenna – who writes on public health, infectious diseases, food policy, and more – has some new digs over at National Geographic. Her new blog, which launched last Thursday, is called Germination, and is well worth adding to your feed reader of choice. Above: Shigella in culture | Credit: Todd Parker…

Remarkable Video Shows Giant River Turtle Interacting With Hatchlings

This National Geographic video taken by researchers using a shell-mounted “crittercam,” capturing rare footage of a giant river turtle in Brazil’s Amazon basin interacting with its hatchlings underwater. Also recommended: this NatGeo video charting the surprisingly difficult task of attaching a crittercam to a manatee, because the sight of a manatee briskly and matter-of-factly removing…

Tyrion, Joffrey And More Star In Sesame Street‘s “Game Of Chairs”

There’s three things you need to know about about Sesame Street’s amazing, in-joke-packed Game of Thrones parody, in which Grover Bluejoy helps determine the new king of Chesteros. 1) The Jim Henson Workshop has made some devastating good Muppet representations of the main cast of GoT. There’s no doubt who everyone is supposed to be.…

First Gorgeous Look At Mark Z. Danielewski’s New Series, The Familiar!

Mark Z. Danielewski made a huge stir with his experimental novel House of Leaves, but now he’s aiming even bigger — with a 27-volume illustrated book series that aims to be like a television show. We’ve got an exclusive first look at a few pages of this series’ beautiful art and design. The Familiar will…

We’ve Seen Part Of Inside Out And It Could Be Pixar’s Smartest Film Yet

Last week, along with other members of the press, we were invited to Pixar to watch the studio’s latest short, Lava, and the first hour of the new feature Inside Out. We were delighted with what we saw: an incredibly ambitious film that maintain’s Pixar’s emotional core while introducing us to some fascinating ideas. Here…

Haunting Traces Of WWI Soldiers Found In Medieval French Tunnels

Archaeologists have stumbled upon nearly 2,000 inscriptions left by soldiers fighting in France during the Great War. The exquisitely preserved markings were found in a tunnel that once provided shelter for villagers during the Middle Ages. Image: Jeffrey Gusky/AP The site, known as the Naours Caves, was once an underground city containing three kilometers worth…

The Batgirl Revival Could Have Only Lasted Six Issues

Batgirl’s radical tone change (and snazzy new outfit) under the creative direction of Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher and Babs Tarr has made Batgirl one of DC’s most popular ongoing comics. Apparently however, the change wasn’t expected to catch on — DC only planned for it to last six issues. Speaking at a panel about modern…

The io9 Guide To Star Wars

Star Wars occupies a huge place in the history of science fiction and fantasy. The first movie, in 1977, changed the genre forever. And this year marks the first new Star Wars film in a decade, with revamped continuity. So now’s the perfect time for a refresher course. Here’s io9’s easy-to-read guide to Star Wars.…

With a range of culprits that include molten gold, a shadow demon, and the Hound’s sword, here’s an illustrated guide to all 456 deaths on Game of Thrones, seasons one through four (animals included). For kicks, the infographic also breaks down the deadliest locations and the deadliest killers.

Why Do Fingernails Grow So Much Faster Than Toenails?

You would not believe how much scientists know about toenail and fingernail growth. Photo Credit: Radarsmum67 via flickr| CC BY 2.0 The short answer is that, like many of the body’s physiological mechanisms, the reason for differential growth rates isn’t 100% clear. That said, we do know a surprising lot about nail growth (more than…

A Map Showing UFO Hot Spots Across The United States

California-based tech firm FindTheBest has compiled a map showing UFO sightings per capita across the United States. Operating on the assumption that absolutely none of these are, in fact, aliens, what does this map actually tell us? As reported in the Huffington Post, the researchers created the map by pulling information from over 61,000 reports,…

Syfy Greenlights Matt Damon And Ben Affleck’s Spy Series Incorporated 

Good news for people who like futuristic scifi-spy thrillers! Syfy the network is going to make Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s TV series Incorporated, and already it sounds like this show has a series message about big business or the Monopoly guy or something. Syfy announced that they greenlit the pilot for Incorporated via press…

Other Space Is Basically Red Dwarf USA, Take Two

Despite Paul Feig’s immense Hollywood success, he’s only created one television show — the legendary Freaks and Geeks. That changes on April 14th when his second series, Other Space, debuts on Yahoo Screen. As this first trailer reveals, it’s basically Red Dwarf. There are worse things for a show to emulate than the cult favorite…

WB May Want The Lego Movie‘s Lord And Miller To Direct The Flash Film

Grain, salt, etc., but rumor has it Warner Bros. would really like the hot-as-hell team of Phil Lord and Chris Miller, to direct the eventual big-screen debut of the Flash, starring Ezra Miller. But the duo are also courted to direct one of Sony’s upcoming Ghostbusters films. So which one will they choose? Honestly, they…

The 7 Worst Attempts By Criminals To Blame Someone (Or Something) Else

Some crooks confess when they’re caught, but most have trouble admitting what they’ve done — and sometimes, they go so far as to assign responsibility for their actions to someone or something else entirely. Here are seven instances in which criminals tried to pin the blame anywhere but on themselves. 1) David Berkowitz In 1976…

Antibiotic Resistance Could Spark Devastating Outbreaks

The UK’s National Risk Register for Civil Emergencies is warning that a widespread outbreak of an antibiotic-resistant blood infection could affect upwards of 200,000 Britons, resulting in the deaths of around 80,000. It’s a dire warning at the dawn of the post-antibiotic era. Here’s what the NRR’s report had to say on the topic: The…

A Retro Batman Toy With A Japanese Twist

Whenever you see a new “Retro” toy coming out, it’s usually always a riff on the classic Kenner-esque action figure of the 70’s and 80’s: Big head, 5 joints of articulation, and so on. These DC toys are a little different though, opting for the retro look of Japanese toys, rather than US ones. Made…

A Chart Of The Most Common Colors In Paintings Over The Last 200 Years

Next time you’re strolling through a museum, pay attention to just the colors of the paintings and the years. Notice anything? Paintings have been getting progressively bluer. Or, to put it another way, blue is becoming “the new orange,” says Martin Bellander, who put together this chart analyzing color usage in over 120,000 paintings. To…