Shapeshifting Metal Brings Us One Step Closer to the T-1000

Composed of liquid metal, the robot assassin in Terminator 2 could change its shape at will. In boring real life, surface tension makes forming non-spherical liquid shapes impractical—at least until now. New research has yielded a technique that makes it possible to manipulate liquid metal into multiple configurations. In a study just published in the…

Is There Any Plausible Reason Why Aliens Would Evolve To Look Like Us?

In science fiction movies and TV shows, intelligent aliens are usually the same basic shape as humans: two arms, two legs and a head. But why would creatures that evolved on a completely different planet look so similar to us? We asked some experts, and they told us the most likely explanations for humanoid aliens.…

Yes, We Use Krypton in the Real World

Some elements are common. Some elements are glamorous or dangerous. And then there are some elements with great PR. Krypton is one of those. When it’s not the home planet of the man of steel, krypton has — or rather had — a very specific use. Ah, pity the poor element krypton. It’s totally overshadowed…

How Does The Hulk Turn Back Into Bruce Banner? Yoga

Hulk mad. Hulk need become centered. What Hulk do? Hulk try yoga. This cheerful poster by Primates illustrator Maris Wicks is part of Wicks’ superhero sports series (apparently, Spider-Man is a sucker for badminton). Unfortunately, Wicks doesn’t sell prints online, but she does sell Hulk Yoga prints at conventions, so be sure to follow her…

This Virtual Nurse Is (Almost) Ready To See You Now

Meet Molly, a virtual nurse that could someday provide follow-up care to patients, assess their condition, and provide caregivers with the information they need. The company behind the technology, Sense.ly, just raised $1.25 million to take the product to the next level. “Please state the nature of the medical emergency.” Okay, sure, she’s not quite…

Steven Soderbergh Recut Raiders Of The Lost Ark As A Silent Film

Why on Earth did Sex, Lies, and Videotape and Traffic director Steven Soderbergh decide to turn the colorful pulp of Raiders of the Lost Ark into a silent black-and-white film? Because it turns out Raiders is still remarkably compelling stripped down and has a lot to teach us about filmmaking. Soderbergh has his (sadly non-embeddable)…

You Are Alive Today Thanks to the Symbionts in Your Body

Mitochondria float around in the goo of your cells, tirelessly making the molecules that power your body. But these mitochondria used to be independent of your body; they were bacteria, floating free in the world. You are, at a fundamental level, the result of symbiosis — the interdependence of two life forms. Symbiotic relationship between…

Republic Of Thieves Proves That A Fantasy Novel Can Be Epic AND Fun

Scott Lynch’s Gentleman Bastards books have received the type of acclaim you expect for some of the best known fantasy authors — for good reason. Lynch has a strong, fun voice that keeps the pages breezing past. His latest, the long-overdue Republic of Thieves, is a more complicated, but no less fun book than its…

Where Will the Climate Refugees Go in 50 Years?

As sea levels and temperatures rise over the next fifty years, coastal cities in the U.S. may become a lot less inviting to their millions of inhabitants. But where will all those sopping wet, overheated urbanites go? Some scientists say the answer is simple and predictable. They’ll go to the Pacific Northwest. Jennifer Kingston writes…

On Gotham, Criminals Are A Super-Silly And Cowardly Lot

Long before Batman existed, Gotham City was a weird, creepy place where the criminal element liked to get kind of silly. At least, that seems to be the main point of Gotham, the show set 10 years before Batman. Last night’s premiere was ridiculously entertaining and impossible to take seriously. Spoilers ahead… Exhibit A for…

​8 Things That Prove Star Wars Actually Takes Place In Our Galaxy

It starts “A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…” but is it? Do we really know for sure the events of the Star Wars movies didn’t or won’t happen in the Milky Way? Because here are eight connections that only seem possible if Star Wars is part of our history… or…

​Sleepy Hollow Returns, Immediately Starts War

Welcome back to season two of Sleepy Hollow, the show that makes any attempt at describing it to a non-watcher sound like you’re the drunk guy who went to a historical-conspiracy website one time and Cannot Stop Thinking About It! When we left off, the show had spent thirteen breakneck hours hurling every possible trope…

The Groot You Want, Framed Ink, NES to USB, 3D Printing [Deals]

This Funko POP! Dancing Groot is the Best Groot Toy You Can Buy. Down to $10. [Groot] https://gizmodo.com/the-5-best-groot-toys-on-sale-and-5-fan-made-ones-that-1630095915 75 years. 700 pages. 2000 images. Hardcover. $85 or more off MSRP. [ 75 Years of Marvel: From the Golden Age to the Silver Screen] Need to plug an NES Controller into a PC or Mac. Now…

Discovery Of 4,000-Year-Old Shipwreck Could Be World’s Oldest

A recent underwater excavation at Turkey’s Urla Port has uncovered a ship estimated to date back 4,000 years, which experts say would make it the oldest sunken ship to have ever been discovered in the Mediterranean — and possibly anywhere. The exact age of the ship still needs to be confirmed, but that would put…

Marvel has canceled two Milo Manara variant covers that were in works following the great Spider-Woman’s Ass Controversy of 2014. EiC Axel Alonso says they do plan to have Manara draw more variant covers in the future, but promises they’ll be more “aware of the growing sensitivity to covers like this.” [Update: Marvel says they’re…

Cellular Toggle Switch Could Herald An Anti-Aging Breakthrough

Researchers at the Salk Institute have discovered a toggle switch for aging cells. By controlling the growth of telomeres, it may eventually be possible to coax healthy cells to keep dividing and generating even in old age. The cells in our bodies are constantly dividing, replenishing our lungs, skin, liver, and other organs. Regrettably, most…

Seriously, This Trailer For Ghibli’s Princess Kaguya Is Simply Stunning

Every scrap of footage from Studio Ghibli’s The Tale of Princess Kaguya makes me want a US release yesterday. Now we’ve got the full English-language trailer, and it is another beauty. The Tale of Princess Kaguya is based on the proto-science fiction Japanese folktale The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, in which a bamboo cutter…

Icons RPG Will Have You Playing Your Own Superhero In 15 Minutes

Fans of animated superhero series may have just found the perfect tabletop RPG. From Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends to Batman Beyond, Icons: the Assembled Edition is designed to help you recreate those bold, colorful, Saturday morning adventures. Superhero RPGs have a reputation for being heavy on math and packed with crunchy tables and lists…

The University of Baltimore is trying to teach the success of the MCU

6 years after Iron Man, it’s still quite baffling to see just how Marvel’s Cinematic Universe has gotten so big and so popular – but a new Media Studies course at the University of Baltimore next year is going to try and find out the hows and whys of the success Marvel has had with…

You Want More Diversity in Your Pop Culture? Here’s How to Find It

Many fans are demanding more diversity in comics, movies and TV. What you may not realize is that there’s already a community of creators producing stories about diverse characters. Now is a great time to get into their work. Illustration from the cover of The Agenda “Many of the people who have been calling for…