Transcendence Has Some Of The Dumbest Smart People We’ve Ever Seen

What went wrong with Transcendence? This movie was supposed to be the new science-fiction hotness. An original storyline about artificial intelligence and brain-uploading, the directorial debut of Chris Nolan’s cinematographer Wally Pfister, a great cast… and yet, it’s getting widely panned. Why did the A.I. revolution fail? It’s really sad, because you have to respect…

Meet the real-life version of Walter White, a man who transported meth so he could afford treatment for his critically ill son. Unlike the famous Heisenberg from Breaking Bad, this guy has languished in jail for decades. Guernica has a great story about the effort to get him released.

Concept Art Of The Sandmen From The Logan’s Run Remake That Never Was

There have been several recent attempts to remake the 1976 dystopian film Logan’s Run, with directors like Oblivion’s Joseph Kosinski and Drive’s Nicolas Winding Refn attached to the project at various points. It appears that at least one of those attempts made it to the concept art stage, giving us these 21st century Sandmen. The…

3-Million-Year-Old Landscape Found Beneath Greenland’s Ice Sheet

Scientists have found organic soil 10,000 feet beneath the ice sheet that stretches across 80 percent of Greenland. The discovery reveals that the central region of Greenland’s tundra—once covered with forests—was locked away and preserved, as if in an icebox. “The traditional knowledge about glaciers is that they are very powerful agents of erosion and…

NASA’s LADEE Spacecraft Just Crashed Into The Moon

After 8 months in space, the LADEE spacecraft mission came to a close last night when the spacecraft crash-landed into the moon’s surface — just like scientists intended. Since its launch in September of last year, LADEE has been sending back new information about the lunar atmosphere, as well as images of the moon itself.…

This Ridiculously Cool Hexapod Can Transform Into A Roving Ball

Norwegian engineer Kåre Halvorsen has unleashed his latest creation, a spider-like robot called MorpHex MKII that can retract its six legs and transform into a rolling ball. Halvorsen’s previous spiderbot could only roll around in circles, but this one can move in straight lines thus improving its stalking capabilities. It may also be the first…

It’s Friday! Welcome To Your Party, GIFs.

It’s the end of week, you know how this works: Your GIF Party is here! We want to hear all your week’s news, stories, and updates all through our favorite medium of the interpretive GIF. Let the party begin!

The Curiosity Rover’s Tracks Across Mars, As Seen From Space

The Curiosity Rover keeps on trekking. An image captured by the NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter offers a spectacular view of Curiosity’s journey of discovery as it winds its way across the Red Planet. With faint impressions of tracks from its six metal wheels trailing behind, Curiosity appears as a bright blue dot in the in…

Military blogger CDR Salamander is perplexed by the breathless news coverage of the Navy’s effort to turn seawater into fuel. Not only is the story two years old, there are lots of unanswered questions, such as the power requirements to make it happen, and what the EPA will say about the unspecified chemical leftovers.

Will Kristen Bell Play Her Frozen Character On Once Upon a Time?

There are more rumors from Star Wars’ Abu Dhabi set. Reviews are mixed for The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Robopocalypse may happen soon. And the Orphan Black writers already have the endgame for the show in mind. Plus, details about the season finales of Arrow and Game of Thrones. Spoilers now! Top image: Orphan Black Star…

Let’s Rob This Damn Hydrogen Station

Xerxes figured that if they wanted to rob the Himalayan hydrogen station, all they’d need would be one gun, one tank, and a lot of gumption. Which — at least one of those things was true. This illustration is by Jan Ditlev Christensen, a Danish concept artist and the founder of MOOD. You can see…

This Italian Indiana Jones Rip-Off Has A Way More Exciting Ending

We love Raiders of the Lost Ark… but in the end Indiana Jones just wins by closing his eyes. Check out the climax of Ark of the Sun God, the Italian Raiders knock-off, in which shit just gets crazy. In Ark of the Sun God, David Warbeck is a burglar who’s hired to go inside…

One of the World’s First Statements About the Scientific Method

Sometimes it’s a good idea to remember the wisdom of the ancients, especially when they are criticizing the wisdom of the ancients. The famous scientist Ibn al-Haytham, or Alhazen, lived for most of his life in Cairo during the tenth and eleventh centuries. There, he did research that established him as the world’s first theoretical…

Why Are Bats So Good at Spreading Disease?

Worldwide, bats are responsible for spreading an unusually wide variety of diseases that infect other animals and humans. What makes these small mammals such efficient viral incubators? According to one new study, their immune system gets a metabolic boost whenever they fly. Bats possess an extraordinary portfolio of scary viruses, including Ebola, Marburg, Nipah and…

Watch Superman Fly Through His 75-Year History

Superman turned 75 last year, and he celebrated by starring in this short animated tribute. He flies through his media history, from his first appearance in Action Comics to Man of Steel. Man of Steel director Zack Snyder and animation producer Bruce Timm developed this short with Jay Oliva, who served as director. Folks who…

Your Penis Is Getting in the Way of My Science

Earlier today, scientists announced they’d discovered an insect with a new kind of female sex organ. It looks a bit like a penis, and is called a gynosome. But almost every news outlet covered the story by describing the insects as “females with penises.” This isn’t just painfully wrong — it’s bad for science. Photo…

Incredible Feats of Engineering in Formula 1 Racing

Wanna see something cool? Check out the moves on this pit crew. I don’t care if you’re not a Formula 1 person, a car person, or even a transportation person – if this video comparing F1 crews past and present doesn’t blow you away your spark plugs may need changing. The point of the video…

Concept Art Writing Prompt: The Robotic Tinkerer

In a dimly lit workroom, a robotic artisan goes about its daily task of working on other robots. Tell us your tale about this tinkerer. This week’s piece is titled “The Tin Tin Maker” and it was made by artist JP Targete, via r/ImaginarySteampunk. As always, we invite you to come up with a story…

It’s Worth Reading One More Essay About The Women Of Doctor Who

At this point, the strange dynamic between Doctor Who’s time-traveling loner and his endless series of female compatriots has been dissected in a thousand essays, rants and blog posts. But you still have to read Katherine Murray’s new essay, for her incisive observations about one of spacetime’s most dysfunctional dynamics. Writes Murray: Part of the…

These Movies Don’t Exist — But They Should

That these movies — featuring Oscar the Grouch taking the Hulk as a mentor, Gene Kelley fighting the matrix with dance, and Indiana Jones taking a Ferris Bueller style day off — don’t really exist is a box office travesty. Fortunately, we still have the posters. Today, we asked you to mock up posters and…