Lucid Dreaming Can Be Induced By Zapping Brains With Gamma Waves

By administering mild electric currents to the brain, neuroscientists from Frankfurt University have successfully induced self-awareness in sleeping volunteers. Amazingly, the technique could be used to help people take better control of their dreams. But it’s also a discovery that’s offering critical insights into the very nature of consciousness itself. Gamma waves have been linked…

Harley Quinn Is Even More Fun Dressed As A Real Medieval Court Jester

Concept artist Claire Hummel has been dressing Disney princesses in obsessively researched historical garb, but here she takes a break to imagine what the villainess Harley Quinn would look like as a real medieval fool. Here Hummel places Harley in the 14th century, though she still has her oversized mallet. She has also drawn Harley…

Half Of The U.S. Is Now In A Drought

It’s now just as likely for an area of the U.S. to be in drought as not. This drought map showing which half of the country is currently in drought and by how much was put together by the U.S. National Drought Monitor, who points out that not only is the scale unusual, it’s also…

Why You Can Never, Ever, Ever Make The Biggest Fans Happy

Or, “Why The New Power Rangers Movie Will Never Make Power Rangers Super-Fans Happy, For A Specific Example.” It’s a more accurate headline, but it was a little wordy, don’t you think? Fight the Power x84jdh: Dear Post-Apocalyptic Postmaster General, I don’t know if you noticed, but seconds before the temporal anomaly that allows you…

Universal’s New Harry Potter Gringotts Ride Looks Amazing

Universal has been rapidly expanding the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and can now reveal the excellent new ride, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts. Behold this massive undertaking, complete with gigantic guard dragon. The ride plunges into the depths of the Gringotts’ vaults, and then the run-in with the dragon (the 60-foot beauty…

The Ultimate Proof That Keeping Orca Whales In Captivity Is Monstrous

The oldest known orca whale was spotted this past weekend off the coast of British Columbia. Named “Granny,” the grand matriarch is estimated to be 103 years-old. So given the extreme lifespan of these creatures, why do we still insist on locking them up in veritable goldfish bowls? Formally known as J2, the orca was…

Is Quicksilver the Best Part of X-Men? And Details From Arrow‘s Finale!

We may know who Adam Driver’s playing in Star Wars after all. Check out another Lucy trailer. There’s another hint that the Amazing Spider-Man sequelscould involve the Clone Saga. And season two of Sleepy Hollow is going to be much bigger. Spoilers now! Top image: Arrow Star Wars The latest plot rumor has Adam Driver…

One Of Doctor Who‘s Creepiest Stories Is Now On DVD

The 1967 Doctor Who story “The Web of Fear” is best remembered as the first appearance of Colonel (later Brigadier) Lethbridge-Stewart, the Doctor’s steadfast friend. But now that it’s finally on DVD, the thing you’ll remember most about it is how skin-crawling the whole thing is. It was a huge big deal last fall when…

When Toothless And Stitch Have Sleepovers, They Dress Up As Each Other

These two animated scamps get cozy with their double cosplay act in this sweet painting by Eric Proctor. Incidentally, both Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon were directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois. Also, be sure to check out Proctor’s Grumpy Disney series, in which Grumpy Cat takes the place of…

Europa Crisis: Read The First Chapter Of Jeff Carlson’s Frozen Sky 2!

Last year, we brought you an exclusive look at Frozen Sky by Plague Year author Jeff Carlson — and now, here’s the first chapter ofthe sequel, Frozen Sky 2: Betrayed — in which the situation with the alien sunfish on Europa is only getting more drastic. Plus some exclusive illustrations! BETRAYED 1. The ice shook…

Why Scientists Won’t Talk To The U.S. Government

Roughly 90% of scientists in a recent survey said that scientists and policymakers don’t communicate enough. But only about 60% said they were sure of the names of their elected federal representatives. What explains this paradox? That question was the focus of a forum held earlier this week by the American Association for the Advancement…

We May Have Solved the Mystery of the Dying Bees

For over a decade, a disease called colony collapse disorder has been destroying bee populations worldwide. Because bees pollinate many of our staple crops, their deaths threaten our food supplies. Now, new evidence is solidifying a case against the likely culprit in their deaths. Photo by Alex Wild Researchers have previously argued that colony collapse…

Glee Meets Game of Thrones In The New Musical Series Galavant

ABC has just just released a bunch of new series trailers and we are very excited about some of these shows, including the singing comedy Galavant, which looks ridiculous. But maybe in a great way. Up top is Galavant, which feels like ABC hired the cast of rogue writers from Once Upon A Time who…

The Whispers Is Officially The New TV Drama We’re Most Excited About

Starring the WONDERFUL Lily Rabe (of American Horror Story fame) this new drama totally took us by surprise with this new trailer. Seriously, just watch it—it’s VERY intense. Now that’s a great build-up, and dear me did that escalate quickly. Here’s the basic premise: “Aliens have invaded Earth by using our most unlikely resource to…

The Strange, Post-Soviet Architecture of Astana, Kazakhstan

In 1991, Kazakhstan became the last Soviet republic to declare independence. Six years later, the government moved from the Almaty to Astana (formerly known as Aqmola). There, with the help of architects like Norman Foster, they built a futuristic city on the remains of old buildings from the Soviet era. Here are the results. Bayterek…

The Makers Of Gotham Explain Why They Don’t Need Batman

In other Bat-news, a new featurette for Fox’s pre-Batman show Gotham has been released, offering new footage, new information, and most of all, a new, better glimpse of what the show is trying to go for. First of all, the show looks great. Gotham’s doing Gotham City right, and the city feels like it does…

Antarctic Ice Sheets Are Collapsing — But When Will Sea Levels Rise?

Yesterday, newly-published scientific evidence revealed that the west Antarctic ice sheet is “collapsing.” In fact, this ice melt is pretty much inevitable, and will mean up to 4 inches of sea level rise. What most news stories left out, though, was the timeline for this change to our shorelines. Writing at DotEarth, environmental journalist Andrew…

Will Batman’s New Suit Also Include A New Palette?

We’ve gotten our first look at just what Ben Affleck will be wearing when he assumes Batman’s cowl, but what color should that costume be? The picture gives us a pretty good idea of the outlines of the costume, but the greyscale still leaves the palette a bit of a mystery. While a dark, monochromatic…

Deep Sea Probe Accidentally Uncovers Unique ‘Graveyard’ Ecology

The unexpected discovery of four unique deep sea fish-falls off the coast of Angola has revealed a feeding ecosystem considerably different than those typically associated with large animal carcasses. Without sunlight, most creatures in the deep ocean are dependant on detritus from the surface as their primary source of food, such as dead plankton and…

Last year, we told you about Bartkira, a project to remake Ōtomo Katsuhiro’s manga Akira using characters from The Simpsons. Part of the project is now available as a limited edition book from Floating World Comics featuring 80 pages from 19 of the artists.