Who’s The Coolest Fictional Assassin Of All Time?

Assassins are deadly and stealthy — so it’s no surprise that they have a certain mystique and glamor going on. Science fiction and fantasy are full of assassins who win our admiration while taking lives. But who’s the most badass fictional assassin of all time? Please include a picture, book cover or clip for your…

Smart Drugs Could Be Impairing The Brains Of Young People

It’s estimated that over a million students in the U.S. misuse prescription drugs and stimulants to boost their attention span, memory, and alertness. But a new study suggests some of these drugs are detrimental to developing brains, causing long-term impairments to cognitive function. As noted in the new study by Kimberly Urban and Wen-Jun Gao,…

Is Second Life about to die? Wagner James Au wonders about reports of the game world’s demise on his blog, while the rest of us wonder where we’ll go to act out Gor fantasies when all those Gorean islands are gone. Is it back to IRC?

Japanese Drink Company Plans To Put The First Advertisment On The Moon

One small step for can, one giant leap for advertising. The makers of Pocari Sweat are looking to send a can of their powdered drink to the moon. If all goes according to plan, it will be the first time an object has been sent to the moon specifically for marketing purposes. It’s official: nothing…

The Movies You Must Watch To Understand Godzilla

Since he first rose out of the Pacific Ocean to destroy Tokyo in 1954, Godzilla has been an icon. But he’s also changed with the times, morphing from a terrifying death monster into a kid-friendly pal and back again. Here’s what you need to know about the Big G’s cinematic past to understand this complicated…

Person Of Interest‘s Creators Had To Fight For The Show To Include A.I.

Person of Interest is one of the most fascinating explorations of artificial intelligence in pop culture. But executives originally pushed for the show to avoid mentioning where Finch’s “irrelevant” numbers came from at all, according to creator Jonathan Nolan. The show’s producers also told us what’s next in season four. We were lucky enough to…

Hurricanes Are Migrating Closer And Closer To The Earth’s Poles

We may need to revise our ideas of just where we expect hurricanes to land. A new study shows that the location where tropical cyclones hit their most powerful peak is shifting closer to the Earth’s poles. Top image: A visualization of the strongest tropical cyclone to hit each pictured are between 1980-2010 / Ken…

A Creationist Schism Is Tearing Apart A Christian College

The evolution-creationism debate has returned to Dayton, Tennessee—the site of the Scopes Monkey Trial. Except this time, the venue is not a courtroom but a Christian college, where faculty members have resigned and students have mounted protests. The issue? Whether Adam and Eve were the progenitors of humanity. The answer to that question depends upon…

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, Moonrise Kingdom, Dexter, Starcraft

Cosmos is great, and has inspired more than few great posts on io9. The blu-ray pre-order has been sticking to its $60 MSRP, but you can grab it for $30 today. Shipping June 10. [Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, $30] Here’s a new program to get book lovers excited. Every month, Amazon will offer Kindle downloads…

First Images From Veronica Mars Creator’s New Show iZombie

We’re looking forward to seeing Veronica Mars and Party Down creator Rob Thomas’ take on zombie tropes with his upcoming TV series iZombie. And here’s our first look at the leading lady as she gets ready to chow down on some brains. iZombie is based on the Vertigo comic book series by Chris Roberson and…

NASA Chief Charles Bolden has been asked to weigh in on Russia’s decision to sever space-science ties with the U.S. “We will need to step back and evaluate the costs and benefits of maintaining” the ISS “without our Russian partners,” House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith said today in a letter today to Bolden.

This 5-Minute Extended Flash Trailer Is The Justice League We Want

This five-minute extended trailer for the Flash TV show is basically the whole first episode boiled down to a series of highlights — and it’s a thing of pure beauty. They completely nail the heart of the superheroic origin story, in which the hero gets powers randomly — but chooses greatness. The one reservation I…

Arrow Serves Us Up a Finale Full of Fascinating Mistakes

In last night’s Arrow, nearly every character made a huge mistake, but all those mistakes will add up to one hell of a great season next year. Let’s talk about a finale that delivers a lot of action, and the promise of another crazy year. The Arrow finale, “Unthinkable, “was quite a ride. Specifically, it…

Your Gluten Sensitivity May Be In Your Head

In 2011, gastroenterologist Peter Gibson published the results of a study that provided some of the strongest evidence to date that gluten can cause stomach problems in people without celiac disease. But Gibson has since called the results of his first study into question, with a rigorous followup investigation. Ross Pomeroy sets the scene over…

10 Comics That Can Help You Understand Mental Illness

Comics don’t always have the best track record when it comes to portraying mental illness. In superhero stories, mental illness is often associated with violence and villainy. There are, however, other, often personal, comics that can open your eyes to real human experiences with mental disorders. Just a heads up: many of these comics deal…

Watch The First Teaser Trailer For Disney’s Live Action Cinderella

Here is the very first teaser trailer for Disney’s Cinderella movie, which we have seen a preview of and—trust us—what we’ve seen is amazing. Cate Blanchett plays the Evil Stepmother and she walks in with A CAT ON A LEASH. Speechless. Oh, and Robb Stark is Prince Charming. This isn’t much, but we’re giving you…

Drive Director’s Next Movie Inspired By Water Tank Death Hotel

Nicolas Winding Refn’s next movie will be inspired by the tragic events that keep circling the Los Angeles Cecil Hotel—which was pushed into the public light last year when the body of a guest was found in the hotel’s water supply. THR is reporting that Refn is in negotiations to direct a Sony horror movie…

Japan had its very own version of Spider-Man in the 1970s, and, of course, it included a giant robot. The series, which premiered in 1978, only lasted a year. Still, it was popular enough at the time of its release that it got its own theatrical feature tie-in.

“Surprising” Breakthrough in Multiple Sclerosis Mouse Study

In a recent experiment, mice with MS-like symptoms were able to walk and run again just two weeks after being injected with human neural stem cells. Even the researchers were unprepared for these incredible results. Though we’re still far from a cure, it’s a remarkable finding that hints at similar therapies for humans. Multiple sclerosis…

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Is Shrinking

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot may need to come up with a new moniker—not only has the spot shrunk down to its smallest measure ever, its shape is changing. In the 1800s, the spot was measured at over 25,000 miles across. Today, that measure is at 10,250 and falling. Since 2012, Jupiter’s red spot has been…