Space Tourism Company Shatters High-Altitude Parafoil Flight Record

Arizona-based World View has conducted a successful test of a scale model of its high-altitude balloon system. It ascended to a height of 120,000 feet (36 km) — a vantage point from where the darkness of space and the curvature of Earth can be seen. The successful flight of the test vehicle, called Tycho, happened…

Who’s Bigger Than Thanos In Guardians? And Is Tom Cruise In Star Wars?

There are more rumors about the villains of Star Wars: Episode VII. Another actor is in talks to join Doctor Strange. Norman Reedus promises a “badass” season five of The Walking Dead. Plus, new photos from Avengers: Age of Ultron and Constantine. Spoilers now! Top image: The Walking Dead Star Wars The latest rumor comes…

It’s a weed whose height rivals that of many NBA players, it’s increasingly herbicide-resistant, and it’s spreading. The Des Moines Register has the story of “superweed” Palmer amaranth’s spread through Iowa which they say could knock out 2/3 of the state’s corn and soybean crops if it continues.

Use These Stickers to Show How You’re Conserving Water

You may have noticed that half of the United States is currently suffering from drought. Some whole states are drought-stricken. Katie McKissick, author of the webcomic Beatrice the Biologist, has noticed that people in her home of Los Angeles are not really acting as if there’s a massive water shortage in the state. So she…

With This Giant Trampoline, Wales Is Officially My Summer Vacation

A network of three giant trampolines has been built in a quarry cave in the Welsh town of Blaenau Ffestiniog. You have to wear white overalls and helmets in it, so we’re stupidly close to getting the world’s largest game of Kosho going here. Trampolines are awesome: it’s all the fun of jumping on your…

MGM Is Still Trying to Reboot WarGames

The latest in proof that Hollywood is out of ideas is MGM’s dogged pursuit of remaking the 1983 classic WarGames. To which we say: Stop it. MGM’s been trying to get this project off the ground for years, having once had Seth Gordon (Horrible Bosses) attached to direct. Now, MGM is negotiating with Dean Israelite…

Spider-Man‘s Upside Down Kiss Is Vastly Improved By Adding a Dog

This is adorable. Everything should just be made with dogs and cats instead of people. I would watch them all. [via Tastefully Offensive]

Did This Ancient Civilization Avoid War for 2,000 Years?

The Harappan civilization dominated the Indus River valley beginning about five thousand years ago, many of its massive cities sprawling at the edges of rivers that still flow through Pakistan and India today. But its culture remains a mystery. Why did it leave behind no representations of great leaders, nor of warfare? Archaeologists have long…

You Must Watch This Stop-Motion Short, If Only For The Handcrafted Sets

While it takes place in a spacefaring era, the sets and characters in the stop-motion short film Retrograde are crafted from decidedly low-tech materials. One human and one alien find themselves stranded on a cardboard space station with handwritten displays, just minutes from annihilation. George Metaxas directed Retrograde, and there is clearly a lot of…

Bart Is Kaneda In The Perfect Akira/Simpsons Couch Gag

Sadly, this isn’t from an official Simpsons title sequence, because now we really want to watch an animated Bart bike through Neo-Springfield. Inspired by the Bartkira project, in which artists remake pages from the manga Akira with characters from The Simpsons, animator Stephen Loveluck made this gif of Bart-Kaneda sliding into the Simpsons’ living room.…

Jurassic World Set Visit Reveals The Jurassic Park Of The Future

The Today Show got to go to the Jurassic World set, which means we are treated to lots and lots of looks at the new dino theme park and many jokes about Chris Pratt’s abs. You guys, his character works with raptors. Will no one ask about the raptors? The whole thing looks great, and…

Scenes From The World’s Northernmost Big City—A Polluted Hell On Earth

Located in Siberia, Norilsk is the world’s northernmost city with a population of more than 100,000, and it’s not just one of the coldest cities of the world—it’s also one of the filthiest. Nickel ore smelting has transformed the landscape into one of the ten most polluted places on Earth. https://gizmodo.com/not-chilly-enough-yet-here-are-some-of-the-worlds-col-1500135113 The average monthly temperatures…

In Kick, A Bollywood Superhero Rides A Motorcycle AND A Bicycle

Plus one of those three-wheeled tuk-tuks. Basically, anything with two or three wheels, this superhero is a demon on. I love that one of the huge “wow” stunts in this trailer is him riding his bicycle in front of a speeding train… then jumping off the bike and walking out of the train’s path. In…

Iron Man 3‘s Shane Black Is Somehow Rebooting The Predator Franchise

Fox is already rebooting the Predator franchise after its more-or-less failed 2010 movie Predators, but that’s not the big news. The big news is that they’ve somehow given control of the franchise to Shane Black, the writer/director behind movies like Iron Man 3, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and Lethal Weapon. Since Black is known for…

“They Had To Keep Reinventing This Character Until They Got It Perfect”

Sometimes a character goes through so many reinventions and reimaginings, it feels as though they’re just being chewed up by the machine. (See Hawkman.) But sometimes, the 20th version of a character is just… perfect. Which character actually benefited from endless redesigns and reboots? https://gizmodo.com/the-10-hilariously-confusing-origins-of-hawkman-1451537031 Please include a picture or clip for your chosen character.…

Scientist Offers $10,000 To Anyone Who Can Disprove Climate Change

Outraged by the unsavory tactics of climate change deniers, physicist Christopher Keating says he’ll give $10,000 to anyone who can use the scientific method to prove that human-instigated climate change isn’t real. Keating has been involved in one way or another with climate change for the past three decades. He’s been a professor of physics…

Utopia is back! If you’re as obsessed as we are with the colorful British conspiracy show Utopia, then check out the first trailer for season 2, coming in July. It’s full of hilarious lines and insane moments. [Thanks Adam!]

Are We At The Dawn Of A Golden Age Of Comic Book TV Shows?

There have been TV shows based on comics for decades, but this is the first time it feels as though the full diversity and strength of comics is getting represented on U.S. television. Why is this happening now, and will these shows actually live up to their source material? Top image: Constantine There are definitely…

Is This Who Nathan Fillion Is Playing In Guardians Of The Galaxy?

We know that Nathan Fillion has a small cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy, but who is he playing? Take this rumor with the usual heaps of salt, but if it’s true, it’s a huge spoiler for the movie. DO NOT READ AHEAD unless you’re willing to risk ruining one of the movie’s big surprises.…

This Comic-Con Exclusive Features Classic Transformers At Their Cutest

Hasbro’s final Transformers Comic-Con exclusive has arrived, and fans of the original cartoon (as well as adorable robots) will be delighted. This “Kreon Class of 1984” set features 30 classic G1 Autobots and Decepticons in SD form, with extras including ’80s must-haves like a boom box, floppy disk, and a mullet. My personal favorite is…