How Jules Verne Invented Astronautics

A lot is made of how prophetic SciFi is supposed to be. And it certainly has seemed to hit the mark pretty often and pretty remarkably. But some of its most impressive hits depend on just what you mean by “prophecy.” There are, it seems, four ways in which SciFi can appear prophetic. 1. The…

The Beautiful Stones Created By Layers of Car Paint

These gorgeously striated pieces are called Fordite. They were created when, back when cars were spray painted by hand, the run-off would collect in tracks and other depressions in the shop floor. High heat used to seal the paint also hardened the run-off, layer by layer, until Fordite resulted. As the car-painting process changed, the…

Descendants Has Cast a Lot of Comedy Veterans as Classic Villains

The Disney Channel’s misguided live-action TV movie about the offspring of Disney’s most famous animated films has just added a lot of people with comedy backgrounds to its cast. Think Once Upon a Time meets High School Musical. According to TV Line, Kathy Najimy (currently on Veep) will play the Evil Queen of Snow White…

Nocturnal Transmissions: What Are You Up To?

For some, it’s the start of the long weekend. For others, it already is the weekend. Any thing interesting planned? Anything interesting you’ve already done and you’d recommend others take the time to do this weekend? C’mon in and tell us what you’re up to. You all came up with a ton of great names…

The Giant Insect Robot Had a Hidden Stinger

The machine operators called them “gas harvesters,” as if they were scything their way through sheafs of sweet-smelling grass. But where they went, grass wouldn’t be growing for a long time. In went the toxins and out came the fuels. We called them poison injectors. Wendy Yoon is a student at the Art Center College…

What Is This Giant, Swirling Hexagon At Saturn’s North Pole?

Something is going on at Saturn’s North Pole — something big, swirling, and shaped like a giant hexagon. So just what is it? Carolyn Porco, the leader of Cassini’s Imaging Team, explains it to us. Top Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI/Hampton University Porco joined us today to take our questions about life on other planets, the ocean on…

This Makes Us Happier Than Ever That Revolution Was Cancelled

Revolution was cancelled after two seasons of dystopian floundering. Still, we were tantalized by its moments of brilliant weirdness, promising a better show that never materialized. The season finale — filmed before cast and crew knew it was their final episode — made us glad the show is gone forever. There were so many great…

Killer Rack May Be The Wrongest Horror Film In The History Of Wrongness

Move over Herschell Gordon Lewis — a new horror movie, Killer Rack, may be the wrongest thing ever. Just wrong. So wrong. You know how in video games, the unrealistic breasts sometimes take on a life of their own? To the point where you get boobs that move like tentacles? The dreaded “breastopus”? This is…

Twentieth Century Futurism Looks Really Bizarre Now

What kinds of houses will we build in 100 years? Looking at these illustrations and movies about homes of the future, you realize how much the twentieth century vision of tomorrow differs from the twenty-first century one. Spherical houses from the September, 1934 issue of Everyday Science and Mechanics If spherical, the house of the…

These Unseen Photos From World War I Are Unbelievable

Typically, when long-lost photos are found and restored they’re a bit underwhelming. But this new series of images, captured by an unknown photographer, are just incredible — from their portrayal of life in the trenches to the intimate glimpses of famous leaders. All images: Collection Odette Carrez/Reuters. Above: German soldiers (rear) offering to surrender to…

This Weird-Ass Animated Documentary Is Like Creature Comforts For Food

In the stop-motion animated documentary Food, people don’t just talk about the foods they like to eat. They’re also animated to look like talking cheeseburgers, pretzels, and strawberries. CalArts student Siqi Song takes a page from Nick Park’s short film Creature Comforts, pairing real interviews with stop-motion animation. The results are delightfully odd, especially with…

The Star Trek: The Next Generation Finale, 20 Years Later

Did you realize that Ron Moore and Brannon Braga were writing the final TNG episode, “All Good Things…”, at the same time they were drafting the first TNG movie, Generations? That’s just one revelation in some fascinating interviews about “All Good Things,” 20 years later. It sounds as though the process of creating both TV…

Scientists Discover Area Of Brain Responsible For Loving Johnny Cash

Brains are funny things. Injure them or mess with them, and people change — they change personalities, they change languages, and sometimes, they change their opinions on the Man in Black, Johnny Cash. We know this because a journal in Frontier in Behavioural Neuroscience discusses a man who received an electrical implant in his brain…

A new malaria vaccine appears to be working in mice. A study of malaria-resistant children in Tanzania has turned up an antibody that traps the parasite in red blood cells, inspiring the creation of what looks to be a promising vaccine. (J. Kurtis)

Read an Excerpt from Karen Healey’s Cryonics Thriller While We Run

Karen Healey’s dystopian novel When We Wake was fantastic, and now she’s published a companion novel, While We Run. The Australian government’s cryonics experiments on teens are getting creepier, and our heroes are struggling to survive. We’ve got an excerpt. https://gizmodo.com/a-creepy-near-future-book-about-government-experiments-5984129 Here’s the plot synopsis, from publisher Little, Brown: Abdi Taalib thought he was moving…

Goblin Emperor Has One Of The Most Lovable Characters We’ve Met In Ages

The Goblin Emperor is a fantasy novel worth reading, though it’s hard to describe. It’s a story of court intrigue, in a steampunk world inhabited solely by elves and goblins. But they’re not Tolkien’s elves or goblins, they’re not Martin’s courts, and the steampunk does not involve a single pair of goggles. Sarah Monette, writing…

Oh Crud, Edgar Wright Is No Longer Directing Ant Man

We were looking forward to seeing what director Edgar Wright was going to do with the Paul Rudd-starring Ant Man—but now Wright is leaving the film. What on earth happened? Variety is reporting that Wright is no longer directing Ant Man, with Marvel Studios citing, “differences in their vision of the film.” So has Ant…

Crowdfund Cthulhu Ponies, Sex Toy Comics And Toy Swords That Keep Score

A couple of our favorite webcomics—one about an ex-superhero college student and another about sexy toys—are coming out in print and you can give them a crowdfunding boost. You can also help fund a line of horrifying pony toys, foam swords that keep score while you duel, and a video game that teaches coding. Little…

Does the Name-Letter Effect Prove That You’re Soooo Into Yourself?

Remember when you had to pick your favorite letter in elementary school, and you always picked your first initial? It turns out that little ego trip never wears off — or does it? Let’s look at the name-letter effect and decide if it’s narcissism or coincidence. What’s your favorite letter? And what’s your name? Chances…

A Never-Before-Seen Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight – Here’s How To Watch

Skygazers tonight will have a rare opportunity to witness the arrival of a brand new meteor shower. Astronomers aren’t sure what to expect, but many predict we could see the skies flood with hundreds of meteors per hour, which would make tonight’s far and away the most spectacular shower of the year. Above: Perseid Meteor…