12 Greatest Psychological Dramas That Just Happen to be Set in Space

Humanity is never thrown into so stark relief as when we journey into space. In that alien environment, we find out who we are. And even though space movies are often seen as pure adventures, the best space films are great personal dramas. Here are 12 powerful psychological dramas that happen to be set in…

Sleepy Hollow has an evil pregnancy! …Another one.

Today’s election day! Have you voted? Abbie Mills and Ichabod Crane want you to. Also I guess Katrina’s pregnant with Moloch, but I think we can all agree how little we care about that. Let’s mostly just vote. Ugh, okay fine, we’ll talk about the whole episode. But let’s be clear that of all the…

First Trailer For Chappie Feels Like A Very Dark Short Circuit

Check out the very heartstring-pulling, musical-swelling look at Chappie, District 9 and Elysium director Neill Blomkamp’s smaller, robot-centric film, which also stars Hugh Jackman and musical duo Die Antwoord. Out sometime in 2015, this movie is centered around a robot that is more like a child. And of course, this pisses off villain Hugh Jackman…

Why Seeing Interstellar in 70mm Might Just Be Worth the Effort

With thousands of TV shows and movies available to stream at home, it takes more than just celebrities in a film to get people into theaters. You need to show them something spectacular, and for Christopher Nolan’s latest film,Interstellar, that meant shooting more than an hour of the movie with a 70mm IMAX camera. Making…

The First Pitch For Interstellar: “We’re Not F–ing Going” To Space

Interstellar is an epic movie about space exploration with promising tag lines like “Go Further.” But in reality, the pitch that landed screenwriter Jonathan Nolan the Interstellar gig sprung from his fear that humans had peaked at one flag on the moon. Here’s our exclusive interview with Interstellar writer Nolan. Long before Christopher Nolan was…

Gotham‘s Ben McKenzie Wins Most Clever Halloween Costume Of 2014

Ben McKenzie plays young James Gordon on Gotham, but for Heidi Klum’s big Halloween bash, he dressed as a more traditional version of the eventual Commissioner. The result is outstanding. I hope to god there’s an Easter Egg on the season one DVDs of McKenzie playing a few scenes in this get-up. Photo: Getty Images.…

All the Science-Related Issues The U.S. Will Be Voting On Today

When voters go to the polls today, they will be confronted with 146 referenda and initiatives in 41 states and the District of Columbia. Among the measures are several related to science and the environment, including genetically modified food, hunting and disease research. The GMO labeling initiatives on the ballots in Oregon and Colorado have…

Should Boston Become A City Of Canals?

Boston, like a number of coastal cities, is facing a tricky problem in the coming years: Sea levels are rising, and rising quickly, leaving cities more and more at risk for intense flooding. Could building a canal system help keep Boston high and dry? A report from the Urban Land Institute takes on the question…

You’re Going To Freak Out When You See Young Felicity Smoak On Arrow

We all know that this week’s episode of Arrow is titled “The Secret Origin of Felicity Smoak,” and will reveal… well… the secret origin of Felicity Smoak. Turns out the computer whiz used to be a goth girl, but wait until you see her. I’ll say this: She looks Endlessly awesome. Ready? Yeah. Felicity is…

Are Environmentalists About To Suffer An Epic Defeat At The Polls?

Today, the most expensive midterm election in U.S. history is wrapping up. Among the big spenders were environmental groups, who shelled out an unprecedented $85 million to put climate change at the top of the political agenda. Surveys indicate that, at least in the short run, they failed. The issue that has resonated most in…

What Do A Pregnancy Test And A Roman Goblet Have In Common?

The Lycurgus Cup is a Roman goblet, recently found to make use of nanotechnology to change color. Know what else changes color? A pregnancy test! Amazingly, both of these objects use similar nanotechnology. The Lycurgus Cup Romans are known for two things: fighting and having a good time. The Lycurgus Cup celebrates the triumph of…

Chris Hadfield’s “Space Oddity” Is Back After Copyright Wranglings

Remember Chris Hadfield’s goosebump-inducing cover of “Space Oddity?” Well, after the Canadian astronaut’s one-year agreement with David Bowie expired this past May, the video — which had amassed 23,489,187 hits — was taken down from YouTube. Now, some five months later, it’s back. Here’s what happened. “When David Bowie wrote and recorded ‘Space Oddity’ in…

The Scientists Who Confirmed That Drugs Make Movies Better

Ever been dragged to some horrible film and wondered what it would take to make it bearable? All the way back in the ’60s, scientists had the answer for you: It’s drugs! (And possibly a better screenwriter.) The two-factor theory of emotion states that our emotions are dependent not just on our minds, but on…

What Have You Been Working On?

It’s time to clear out the secret projects you’ve been working on in your labs, basements, studios, garages, and offices, and bring them out into the light! That’s right — it’s io9 show-and-tell time. Tell us what projects you’ve been working on lately — whether you’re working on understanding the inner workings of a particularly…

More U.S. measles cases have been reported in 2014 than any year in the past two decades. Indigenous circulation of the virus was declared eliminated in 2000, but travelers abroad can bring it into the U.S. A false sense that there is little or no threat is one key reason for declining U.S. vaccination rates.

What Cameo Will Connect Ant-Man to the Rest of the Marvel Movies?

See for yourself just how much wear and tear R2-D2 has had in Star Wars: Episode VII. Michelle Gomez explains Missy’s role in the Doctor Who finale. Steven DeKnight talks which classic movies will inspire Daredevil. And Tom Cruise is doing his craziest Mission Impossible stunt yet. Spoilers now! Top image: Ant-Man Star Wars Anthony…

The People Who Took “Feel At Home in a Book” Literally

It’s hard to know if this is the natural result of a culture that elevates books to the ultimate art form or a distressing use of books by a people who don’t know what they’re really for. “Insomniac’s Nest” is by Marcela Bolivar, whose work is on deviantART.

Terry Nation’s Recurring Nightmare That Helped Inspire The Daleks

The Daleks have been Doctor Who’s most unstoppable villains for pretty much the show’s entire run — but what drives them? What are they a metaphor for? On one level, they’re clearly a version of the Nazis, created by people who lived through World War II. But their creator had another metaphor in mind. Talking…

Time-Lapse Video Shows Hundreds of Hot Air Balloons Taking Flight

Knate Myers made a time-lapse of the 2014 Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, currently the largest hot air balloon festival of its kind.This past October’s was the 43rd annual and saw 500 balloons over the skies of Albuquerque in a nine day period. The time-lapse below is by Knate Myers, a local self-taught photographer who has some…

See Adorable, Bumbling Attempts to Make History in the Minions Trailer

If you wondered where Despicable Me’s minions came from, what their motivations are, or their history, then this trailer has all your answers. Extra points for the whole thing being presented like a nature documentary, by the way. We would totally watch that.