I Can’t Stop Listening to These Peruvians Cursing at a UFO

This UFO sighting over Peru isn’t going to bust any paradigms about whether life is visiting Earth from space. It’s the usual blurry light cam stuff. But listening to Peruvians cursing a blue streak as they watch will amuse the hell out of you. OK, North Americans — can you rise to the challenge and…

Afterparty Is A Cutting-Edge Story About How Science Will Change Us

Daryl Gregory’s Afterparty is a fantastic thrill ride, presenting an all-too-real future that upends our own world and replaces it with something far more strange. This is science fiction of the cutting edge, on par with stories such as William Gibson’s Neuromancer, McIntosh’s Soft Apocalypse and Orphan Black. Spoilers ahead… Consider, for a moment, the…

What Would Happen If You Turned Megalodon into Shark Fin Soup?

A group of marine biologists watched the new Syfy movie Mega-Shark vs. Mecha-Shark, which made them wonder what would happen if megalodon actually were alive today. Likely, it would be hunted to near-extinction for its fins — which would, they estimated, make 70,456 bowls of shark fin soup. They reached this estimate by looking at…

Is Salem Really Trying To Make Cotton Mather A Hero?

Really, Salem? Last week, the show about the Salem witch trials seemed off to a fun start as its witches plotted their revenge against the town’s Puritan leaders. But the second episode pushed some of the show’s more troubling aspects to the forefront. After last week’s recap of the pilot, there was a lot of…

Maleficent Can’t Possibly Be As Moody And Gorgeous As This Concept Art

There’s just a month left until we see Angelina Jolie as the classic Disney supervillain Maleficent — and here’s hoping for a fun dollop of weirdness. But it can’t possibly be as melancholy and lovely as this new concept art. Stitch Kingdom found this concept art on a Disney fashion blog, created to promote Maleficent,…

Recharge Your Cosmic Awe With These Images Of Galaxies In Deep Space

Monday is the cosmic wonder-killer. It’s really hard to remember that we live in a beautiful, insane universe, crammed with astonishing miracles of creation. So as a public service, we’re sharing some absolutely stunning images of galaxies in deep space. Look at these, and remember to reach for greatness! Arp 227 (a shell galaxy named…

What Does Superman Vs. Batman Tell Us About The Justice League Movie?

So, now we know that the upcoming Justice League movie is going to pick up right where 2016’s Superman Vs. Batman leaves off — but just what details about both movies can we take from that piece of information? In response to the news that not only would the Justice League movie be in the…

Shatner Unleashes His Live-Tweeting Powers on the CW’s Scifi Lineup

If you watch Supernatural, The 100, Star Crossed or The Others this week, William Shatner will be watching them with you. Since last month, The Shatastic One has been providing live commentary of CW shows on Twitter. What began as a fun pastime, he says, is now a dedicated effort to boost ratings of genre…

“That Movie Was Ridiculously Fun, And Now I Never Need to See It Again”

Some movies you love so much, you need to watch them over and over until you memorize every line of dialogue. Some movies you hate, but you need to keep hate-watching. And then there’s the movie that’s an amazing roller-coaster ride… that you know you’ll never need to take again. What’s your favorite one-time-only movie?…

Watch the First Episode of Penny Dreadful Right Now!

The entire pilot episode of Showtime’s new supernatural show Penny Dreadful is available online, for free, right now. Well, what are you waiting for? We’ve included the youtube version — but the show is also available on Showtime’s website and OnDemand. Behold Eva Green as Vanessa Ives! Also be warned this is most likely NSFW,…

What do filtered water bottles, a hospital robot, and some new body armor all have in common? All of them were developed using tech that came out of space research, as detailed in the new technological “spinoffs” report NASA just released, which you can check out here.

Monty Python’s Final Show Will Be Broadcast Live Around The World

Unless you were one of the lucky people able to buy a ticket to the reunited Monty Python’s stage show in the 44 seconds it took for them to sell out, you had no chance of witnessing the legendary comedy troupe’s swansong. Praise be to Brian! Their final performance will be broadcast live in 1500…

Check Out the Cipher from an Assassination Attempt on Queen Elizabeth

The Babington Plot was a famous conspiracy, in 1586, to assassinate Queen Elizabeth. It led to the execution of Mary Queen of Scots, whose weak cipher implicated her. Check out that cipher today, cryptography fans! In 1586, Europe was in a state of turmoil. Religious differences between largely Catholic France and Spain, and Protestant England,…

Make Way For Gamera, The Prince Regent Of The Monsters

Or maybe he’s the Prime Minister of the Monsters. Or the Duke. All I know is that Godzilla is King, but the giant flying turtle known as Gamera deserves his due. Celebrate Japan’s second favorite giant monster in this week’s home video releases (or just check out the goofiest anime concept I’ve heard in quite…

8 Awe-Inspiring Mass Transit Systems that Changed Their Cities

At the heart of many cities are its public transit systems, which help people get to work and get out of town. Some of the greatest public transit systems aren’t just large — they also offer their riders something extra, or reshape the cities they serve. Here are some incredible public transit systems around the…

At The Shining‘s Hotel, The Scariest Things Are Lurking In The Carpet

The animated short Mite may open with a view of The Shining’s Overlook Hotel, but it quickly dives into that iconic carpet and unveils another, more alien world, where microscopic beings are only indirectly affected by the horrors above. Walter Volbers spent ten years off and on working on Mite, although he says the animation…

Mesmerizing Data Visualization Reveals the Utter Chaos Of Lawmaking

Anyone who has spent more than 10 minutes watching C-Span (before falling asleep) knows that passing laws can be a drawn out, excruciating process. This data vis tool called the Legislative Explorer reveals exactly how insane this process can really be. Created by researchers at the University of Washington’s Center for American Politics and Public…

Here’s Why Squinting Helps You See Better

Ever wonder why squinting helps you focus when you’ve misplaced your glasses? Or why things appear clearer when viewed through a small hole? Here’s the answer in video form. This video was put together by the fine folks as MinutePhysics. Top animation via MinutePhysic, an interactive explanation of how convex lenses work.

New Evidence Reveals What a “Typical” Solar System Looks Like

Prior to the discovery of exoplanets, astronomers assumed that our solar system’s configuration was typical. But now, some 1,715 exoplanets later, we know that we’re far from ordinary. So what passes for “normal” in the annals of solar systems? Here’s what we know now. Top Image: Artistic impression of Kepler 186f by Ron Miller (used…

The Ender Quintet, Kindle Paperwhite, 50 Film Blu-ray Collection

Put everything Ender on your Kindle for just $17 today, re-read over and over until you forget the movie happened, then listen to the Dashboard Confessional song. The Ender Quintet | $17 The Best of Warner Bros. 50 Film Blu-ray Collection is one of our most popular media items ever. It features 50 award winning…