Curiosity Rover Finds A Huge Metal Meteorite

Talk about heavy metal! This shiny, lumpy rock spotted by NASA’s Curiosity rover is likely made mostly of iron —andcame from outer space! It’s an iron meteorite, similar to ones found in years past by Curiosity’s forerunners Spirit and Opportunity, but is considerably larger than any of the ones the MER rovers came across… in…

A Woman Meets 30 Alternate Versions Of Herself. And They’re All Better.

Talk about a blow to your self-esteem. A crack in the universe brings 30 different versions of the same woman, from different universes, to visit Earth. And they’re all cooler than this universe’s version. Sarah Doyle’s short film You, Me & Her was made for just $25,000, and here’s the trailer. Doyle made this film…

Now THIS Is a Badass Feathered Tyrannosaurus Rex

Don’t mess with old feather-head. That’s what they say, and you can see why. This illustration of a feathered T. rex is by R.J. Palmer, and you can see more of his awesome monstery work on his Tumblr.

Where Are All the Female Science Fiction Heroes in Picture Books?

Amanda R. Von Der Lohe maintains a Goodreads page on science fiction picture books, and after looking at hundreds of books she made a depressing discovery. Less than 15% of these books featured a girl protagonist. Illustration from Boy + Bot Jason Boog, author of Born Reading, interviewed Von Der Lohe for Galleycat, to find…

How To Write About Sex Without Being Boring

Sexuality is one of our most basic drives, but it’s also fundamental to our identities as people. Which means sex is the subject of a million cliches, and tons of terrible writing. Not to mention, stupid prejudice. The good news? Science fiction and fantasy writers have a special opportunity to look at sex afresh. Here’s…

A controversial new study suggests we choose our friends because they share our genes. An analysis of nearly 2,000 people shows that our friends are as genetically similar to us as our fourth cousins. But critics say other factors could affect the results, such as ethnicity or other types of population stratification.

All About Big Hero 6, Disney’s First Marvel Superhero Movie

The first full trailer for Disney’s upcoming superhero movie, Big Hero 6, came out today. If you’re like me, it raised all sorts of questions. Questions like “What is this?” Here’s a rundown of the basics so you can be a Big Hero 6-pert when it comes out in theaters November 7. Didn’t Disney already…

The Biggest Misconceptions About How Movie Novelizations Are Written

The novelizations that accompany popular movies and TV shows may not be written quite the way you think they are. In response to our call to correct the errors that people have about your profession, writer Greg Cox told us about the three biggest misconceptions people have about how he writes novelizations, which have included…

Real-Life Futurama Is Gorgeous

Wow. Artist Alexey Zakharov has created a lovely 3D-animated “test shot” of the exceedingly complicated 31st-century world of Futurama, starring the Planet Express ship and Mom’s Old-Fashioned Robot Oil. It’s just… wow. On his website, Behance, Zakharov has posted a collection of videos and gorgeous pieces of concept art that brings the Futurama world to…

Twin Peaks And The Muppets Go Together Weirdly Well

Justin DeVine comes up with a mashup that seems pulled straight from a Black Lodge dream. In his illustration series, the furry and felt Muppets become the oddball residents of Twin Peaks. Head over to DeVine’s Tumblr to see the rest of the series, including a grim shot of Piggy as the deceased Laura Palmer,…

These Homemade Tanks Are Tough Enough To Survive A Zombie Apocalypse

Need an armored vehicle to roll through the hordes of undead but can’t get access to a military tank? Take some inspiration from these homemade tanks, with the guns and plating you’ll need at the end of the world. A Megatron tank replica, built by a Chinese designer in 2011 (via zcool) The Sham II,…

This Is Why I Love Your Selfies

I’m not really into taking pictures of myself, but I love seeing your selfies. I don’t care whether you’re posing with some weird food item or standing next to that guy who kind of annoys me. That’s because your Snapchat pic of a barf face is fulfilling an ancient biological urge that I share with…

A Great Way to Listen to Those Mysterious “Number Stations”

For decades, shortwave radio enthusiasts have been stumbling upon mysterious stations that broadcast a looping noise, such as a nursery rhyme, occasionally punctuated by someone reading a string of numbers. The most popular theory is that these are coded messages—and now, an online shortwave radio lets you listen in. Shortwave is an ideal medium for…

Rainbow Brite Is Coming Back To Television

Rainbow Brite returns from the ’80s to remind you all that colors are magic and to revive those slutty Rainbow Brite halloween costumes. We don’t know what it will look like or what it will sound like; all we know is that Brite is BACK. Actress Emily Osment spilled the beans on her Instagram account…

Someone Made Wolverine’s Claws But With Batarangs And They’re AMAZING

The “Man at Arms” webseries has apparently run out of awesome movie/TV/animation-inspired weapons to make, so now they’re just combining them. First up? “Batman’s Wolverine claws.” As it turns out, they’re as awesome as they are absurd, and they’re completely @#$%ing absurd. I’ve never wanted anything more in my entire life. [Via Geeks Are Sexy]

Joss Whedon Takes His Doodles To The Next Level, Resurrects Wash

Earlier this week, when a fan asked Joss Whedon to make more Buffy the Vampire Slayer, he responded with a silly drawing on a napkin. Now he has given Firefly a similar treatment, giving us a sketched-up Serenity sequel where Wash is alive again. No take backs, Joss. Yep, in our minds, Wash is still…

Science Fiction And Fantasy Comedies That Hit Harder Than Most Dramas

A lot of people seem to think “funny” equals “light-weight.” Like a comedy can’t deal with important issues, or pack a huge emotional punch. But decades of science fiction and fantasy comedy prove otherwise. Which funny story actually hits you where it counts, more than most “serious” dramas do? Please include a picture, book cover…

An Exquisite Medieval Manuscript Shows Merlin Building Stonehenge

Stonehenge was as much a source of awe a thousand years ago as it is today. Historians and poets wove the mysterious circle into their tales of King Arthur, with one lushly illustrated book depicting the wizard Merlin as the architect. The manuscript is a 14th-century edition of Roman de Brut, a literary history written…

There Is Some Hope That We Aren’t Living Inside a Computer Simulation

Philosopher Nick Bostrom’s famous Simulation Argument suggests it’s highly probable that we live inside a supercomputer. But one philosopher takes this hypothesis to task, arguing in a new paper that there are other post-human scenarios that need to be taken into account. Before we get started, it’s important to note that this discussion is limited…

Short Cartoon About An Origami Boat Packs All The Heart Of A Pixar Film

The sad and sweet short film Origami may be 2D-animated, but its subject, a paper boat living in a toy store, is perfect for a Pixar film, especially when the little boat embarks on a grand journey. Visual development and story artist David Pavón wrote and directed Origami as his graduation film, and it has…