The OTHER Character Who Brought Us A Brand New James Bond

Today, we read some of Daniel Craig’s thoughts on just how much the character of Austin Powers had, by necessity, transformed the latest version of the super-spy into an entirely new man. But, is there another character who deserves just as much credit? Yes, said a number of commenters, who argued that Jason Bourne —…

J.K. Rowling To Release 12 New Harry Potter Short Stories This Month

J.K. Rowling just dropped a huge holiday gift to her fans. The writer is about to put out 12 additional Harry Potter stories this month! Over at Pottermore(J.K. Rowling’s official site), the author has just announced that “Starting Friday, December 12, we’ll be releasing a festive surprise for you every day at 1pm GMT (8am…

For the first time ever, researchers have discovered comet dust (!) on the earth’s surface. The extraterrestrial particles were found preserved in the ice and snow of Antarctica, which Science Magazine’s Ilima Loomis reports could serve as “a promising new source of this material.” Above: A particle of comet dust, recently recovered from Antarctic ice,…

Mind-Boggling Optical Illusion Graffiti Looks Like It Floats In Mid-Air

Graffiti artist Odeith wanted to make his street art stand out, so he decided to create murals that are also anamorphic illusions. By skewing is images in just the right way and painting “shadows” on the walls and ground, Odeith is able to create designs that look like 3D objects hovering in space. Not all…

The true heroes of science aren’t always the people we remember. Over at the New York Times Magazine, Veronique Greenwood has a beautiful, fascinating essay about her great-great aunt, who worked with Marie Curie and discovered the element Francium. Thestory of her mostly-forgotten life in science is a must-read.

Celebrate the End of Prohibition with This Odd Movie

On this day in 1933, Prohibition ended in the United States — which means it’s time to celebrate with what’s probably the strangest film made about that dark time in history: 1976’s Bugsy Malone. Cheers! Alan Parker’s musical gangster extravaganza stars an all-kid cast, including a slick-haired Scott Baio (in his debut) and a spit-curled…

What Television Show Deserves Its Status as “Gamechanger”?

Every few years, we’re told there’s a new show that’s changing television forever. Sometimes, it’s actually true; sometimes it’s wishful hype. Which shows or miniseries really did change the way we think about television? I’m going to do the obvious thing and pick Game of Thrones, because it did two things that television had never…

Now We Know Some Creepy Things About How Penicillin Destroys Bacteria

We know how penicillin works. It kills bacteria. But a new study shows that it’s not nearly that simple. Even when it can’t kill a bacterium, penicillin forces the cell to kill itself. Here’s how penicillin is supposed to work. It invades a cell, usually a bacterial cell. A cell is constantly engaged in maintaining…

Back When the Victorians Used Microscopic Photography to Look at Porn

Soon after the popularization of photography in the mid-nineteenth century, people started experimenting with gimmicks like microphotography. There was a brief but huge craze for these tiny images that could only be seen using a special microscope lens. It was perfect for sharing porn in a repressive age. Above, a microphotograph (actual size) on the…

What We Do In The Shadows Trailer Makes Us Miss Vampires, No Really

Before you swear off all vampire movies and shows forever, we urge you to check out the latest trailer for What We Do In the Shadows, because it’s hilarious. Plus it stars Jemaine Clement, who is excellent. The movie is a mockumentary look at the lives of vampires. Just about every joke we’re seen thus…

What Is It Like To Follow your Heart, When You Have Two Of Them?

A growing body of evidence suggests that the emotions we experience, while seated in the brain, are heavily influenced by cardiac awareness (literally the attention you pay to the activity of your heart). Now, researchers have turned to a man with two hearts, to study this enigmatic brain/body relationship. Over at BBC Future, David Robson…

CDC: Big Whooping Cough Outbreaks Could Become ‘The New Normal’

This year, California weathered its biggest pertussis – aka “whooping cough” – epidemic in seventy years (for a whopping dose of perspective, see the graph up top). A new report from the CDC says the outbreak could be a sign of things to come. Above: A graph depicting the number and incidence of reported pertussis…

Your Complete Guide to Drool-worthy DVD and Blu-ray Gifts

Giving the gift of a DVD or Blu-ray boxed set is the perfect way to please a superfan — or indoctrinate a noob, who will suddenly get all your in-jokes after consuming, say, Batman: The Complete Television Series. (Hey, some days you just can’t get rid of a bomb!) Or, get creative and DIY some…

The Dawn Spacecraft Is Closing in on Dwarf Planet Ceres

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft is currently en route to the asteroid belt where it will rendezvous with the region’s largest celestial body, Ceres. As a sneak preview, the spacecraft has snapped its best-yet image of the dwarf planet. The image was snapped at a distance of 740,000 miles (1.2 million km) from Ceres. The dwarf planet…

Terminator Genisys Got Nike To Remake Kyle Reese’s Sneakers

Remember the original Kyle Reese’s (Michael Biehn) sweet, sweet Nike kicks from the first Terminator movie? Well good news, they’ll be back. Earlier this year, we were invited to visit the Terminator Genisys set. Unfortunately, we can’t say beans about it yet because we’re embargoed. However, we do have one delicious nerdy bit that we…

Now This Is How Indiana Jones Should Have Dealt With The Lost Ark

Granted, hindsight is 20/20, but if Indiana Jones had known what would happen when the Ark of the Covenant was opened, his actions in this comic would have made life much simpler. See, Indy, “It belongs in a museum” is thinking too small. Those mystical artifacts can actually be quite useful in the wrong hands.…

Casino Designers Have a Whole New Theory About How to Manipulate You

Why can’t you stop gambling? Many people would say it’s because the windowless, maze-like layout of casinos is designed to keep you mesmerized by the games. But scientists argue that the most successful casinos keep you playing with a new set of psychological tricks.

The Shadow Blister Effect Makes This Guy’s Head Change Shape

When two shadows get close to each other, they seem to take on a life of their own. Suddenly they “blister,” or bend towards each other and merge. Here’s why. Shadows include a penumbra. That’s the half-shaded portion of a shadow where the object casting the shadow blocks some of the incoming light, but not…

io9 Newsstand: Best Stories of the Week for December 1 – 7

This week’s stories explore memory and remembrance, and are thus excellent to read at the end of the calendar year. The act of remembering gives our lives meaning. So does forgetting. And when the days are shortest, we have more time in the dark to recall, let go of, or re-imagine memories, histories and lives.…

Get Ready To Fall For This Scientifically Accurate Love Song

Are you sick of love songs that use scientifically inaccurate metaphors to describe romance? Well, sit down, pop in your ear buds, and listen to these two fellows croon about love in terms of covalent bonds, pH, and genetic mutations. Mitch Moffit and Greg Brown created “The Science Love Song” for AsapSCIENCE, and here are…