Why Does The Universe Exist?

Here’s philosopher Jim Holt delivering a TED talk with one of the TED-talkiest titles ever (just listen to the audience laugh in a paroxysm of absurd self-awareness): “Why does the Universe Exist?” And yet it’s a pretty great presentation. In all seriousness, I know it’s popular these days to give TED a hard time for…

They Ate Sharks And Were Fifty Feet Long

This image of the gigantic dinosaur Spinosaurus, from Dinosaur Planet, is only half-right. New research shows that these massive, sailbacked animals probably didn’t rear up on their hind legs much. But they did spend most of their time in the water, engaging in badass battles with sharks. Over at the Washington Post, Rachel Feltman reports…

Our Recovering Ozone Layer Shows Politics Can Make A Difference

Finally, some good news about our troubled atmosphere: A UN study shows that the ozone layer is displaying early signs of thickening after years of depletion. It’s on the road to recovery — an achievement that scientists say is due to political will. Such is the conclusion of 300 scientists who summarized their findings in…

Bizarre Water Towers That Look Like Alien Spaceships

While many of us are familiar only with water towers that look like giant, featureless capsules, some folks get to gaze upon much more artistically designed water towers, with designs that would be perfect for a modern art museum, miniature golf course, or UFO. The House in the Clouds, built in 1923, Thorpeness, Suffolk, UK…

The Cover Artist Who Combined “Sense Of Humor” And “Sense of Wonder”

Ed Emshwiller was one of the all-time great cover artists of science fiction and fantasy. And over at Geeky Nerf Herder, there’s an absolutely eye-popping collection of his book and magazine cover art. Including a surprisingly large number of “Santa Claus in space” images. Check out a few of our favorites below — but tons…

National Science Foundation Researcher Fired For Political Activism

Valerie Barr, a professor of computer science at Union College, decided last summer to take a leave of absence to join the National Science Foundation and help improve science education among undergraduates. But when a background check revealed her involvement in left-wing groups 30 years ago, she was told to leave. News of Barr’s dismissal…

​Stop Using The Term “Superclusters” —They Don’t Actually Exist

Earlier this week, we saw spectacular images of Laniakea, an enormous supercluster of galaxies that also holds the Milky Way. But astrophysicist Ethan Siegel says that supercluster is a meaningless term—a measurement of cosmic phantasms that have no real structure. Yes, there are clusters of galaxies, and they’re pretty impressive, often containing upwards of a…

Father And Son Forget A Key Part Of Their Yearly Offering To A Dark God

A man drives with his father to make their yearly sacrifice to some malevolent power. Fruit? Check. Animal bones? Check. But when they realize they’ve forgotten the most important component of their offering, they have to change their plans. Directed by Ryan Patch, The Offering is a tense film that is less about shocks than…

James McAvoy Will Star In X-Men: Apocalypse, But His Hair Might Not

Actor James McAvoy, who plays Charles Xavier/Professor X in the nu-X-Men movie franchise, told HuffPo that the only thing he knows about his character in the upcoming, 1980s-set sequel Apocalypse that he believes he’s “losing my hair finally.” So check that off the list of cinematic X-universe discrepancies. I wonder how he’ll lose it. Will…

Seriously, Why Did Everybody Think This Movie Was So Scary?

Sometimes a movie comes out and everybody says it’s terrifying, so you go see it. And it’s no big deal — maybe there’s a jump scare or two, but basically you’re unmoved. What is the worst offender in this category? My pick is Insidious, which I know will make me unpopular — but what else…

Alan Moore Just Wrote A Novel So Enormous People Can’t Pick It Up

The acclaimed author of Watchmen has recently finished his second novel, Jerusalem. Two interesting facts about it: 1) it’s not set in Jerusalem, but Northampton, England, and 2) at over one million words, it’s almost twice the size of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Moore has said he doubts people will even be able to…

Concept Art Writing Prompt: The Horrors In The Ruins

This week, we have a very special animated Concept Art Writing Prompt, which combines a real New Jersey ruin with a pack of strange, gargantuan creatures. Can you spin a story inspired by this scene? Artist Kevin Weir transforms photographs from the US Library of Congress into weird and sometimes frightening animated GIFs. You can…

The Paradoxes That Define Our Relationship With Science Fiction

Science fiction is the literature of change and discovery. So there are no limits to how far a science fiction story can go… except for scientific plausibility. And yet, science fiction is created by and for human beings, with all our weird limitations. So here are eight paradoxes that shape our relationship with SF. Top…

Astrobiologists can now add a new term to their lexicon: The Venus Zone. It describes the area around a star in which a planet is likely to exhibit the inhospitable hell-like conditions found on the planet Venus. The concept will help astronomers determine which exoplanets are more analogous to Earth, and thus friendlier to alien…

Reading Harry Potter Could Make You A Better Person

Three studies suggest that J.K. Rowling’s storytelling style can sow the seeds of empathy in the minds of her readers. Over at Scientific American, Bret Stetka reports on a trio of studies led by University of Modena and Reggio Emilia psychologist Loris Vezzali that suggests the “greatest magic” of the Harry Potter series may be…

This Animated Field Guide To North American Butterflies Is Mesmerizing

Few infographs capture the liveliness of their subjects, but Eleanor Lutz’s lovely chart of 42 North American butterflies reminds us that these are living beings as each butterfly flaps its wings. Lutz, who blogs at Tabletop Whale, is a designer with a degree in molecular biology, and her infographs combine her interests in art and…

Bryan Fuller Promises To Keep American Gods‘ Orgasm Of Death Scene

The long-awaited television adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods is moving forward, helmed by Pushing Daisies and Hannibal’s Bryan Fuller. Naturally, we’re nervous, but this recent interview with Fuller has calmed many of our fears. Spoiler talk ahead. In an lengthy interview with Den of Geek (which we highlighted earlier today), Fuller outlined a few…

3D Printing Doc: This Is the Future, But What About That Gun Thing?

3D printing is a number of things, depending on who you talk to: It’s the future! It’s dumb! It’s a dangerous tool for psycho gun enthusiasts! Print the Legend, Netflix’s 3D printing documentary, explores all those topics. The movie—out September 26 on Netflix and in theaters—dives into the divisive nature of the space, through the…

This collection of Doctor Who short stories has some gorgeous covers

Penguin Books is releasing an updated anthology of their Doctor Who short stories written by famous children’s authors to include a new story for Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor – but the real star of the collection has to be these amazing new minimalist covers for each book. 12 Doctors, 12 Stories recollects the 11 novellas…

If You Could Give A Classic Film A New Soundtrack, What Would You Pick?

It’s unusual for old movies to get a brand new soundtrack, years after their release. The only example I can think of offhand is Metropolis, which got Freddy Mercury and Giorgio Moroder tunes. But over at The Stranger, there are some fascinating suggestions for present-day artists who should score classic SF films. Among other things,…