All the Science Fiction and Fantasy Books You Can’t Miss in February!

It’s a frozen nightmare outside. Nothing but snowblindness and navigational hazards for miles in all directions. So it’s a perfect time to escape into a book. Luckily, we’ve got 20 amazing science fiction and fantasy books coming out in February — here’s your required reading list for the month! Top image: The Waking Engine cover…

Finally a 3D CG cartoon movie worth a damn: Chip ‘n Dale, Rescue Rangers

We’ve suffered through two Garfields, three godawful Alvin & the Chipmunks flicks, Yogi Bear, and other horrible 3D CG movie remakes of classic cartoons. But the whole irritating phenomenon may be redeemed by this news that Disney is making a new Chip & Dale: Rescue Rangers movie. Most kids of the late ’80s probably remember…

Have we found the key to the mysterious Voynich Manuscript code?

The mysterious, 15th century Voynich Manuscript is full of codes and bizarre illustrations. Most experts believe it’s a hoax, a nonsense book created to fire our imaginations. But now there’s new evidence that it may be written in a lost Aztec language, Nahuatl. Don’t get too excited — people have been saying they’ve unlocked the…

Benedict Cumberbatch is leaving Baker Street for Sesame Street

Benedict Cumberbatch will soon be headed to “where the air is sweet.” That’s right, Sherlock is visiting Sesame Street, and that is just totally awesome. Still no date yet, but we’ll be sure to let you know when he arrives. And post lots of endearing videos. [via PBS Twitter]

Scientists Feed Peanut Butter to Jellyfish, Make PB and Jellyfish

Researchers at the Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park in Dallas, TX were curious what would happen if they fed their jellyfish a mix of seawater and peanut butter. Why? Well… two reasons, really. Above: A moon jelly on day one of the experiment by Montoya and Christie via NatGeo According to aquarist P. Zelda Montoya…

We might be destroying the universe just by looking at it

It’s not often that astronomy goes well with the book of Genesis. But this is a theory that evokes the line, “But of the tree of the knowledge, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” In this theory, knowledge doesn’t just kill you —…

Check out the first complete globe of the planet Mercury

Attention fellow globe-enthusiasts: The good folks at Sky & Telescope Magazine have collaborated with members with NASA’s Mercury-mapping MESSENGER team to create the first complete globe of our solar system’s innermost planet, and it’s beautiful. Do want! Via Sky & Telescope: For centuries, our solar system’s innermost planet was shrouded in mystery. Now, for the…

This mathematician’s life could be an epic action movie!

It’s not often that a person’s life has the three-part structure of a perfect action movie. It’s even less often that that person is a mathematician. That’s why we need to really appreciate it when we see it. Enjoy the kickass action movie that was the life of Tartaglia Act One: The Boy in the…

All the screen-Caps you need from the new Captain America 2 trailer

If there was a winner for the best movie trailer that aired during last night’s Super Bowl, it would be the new Captain America: The Winter Soldier trailer, hands down. It was packed with new shots, new faces and new info — as you can see in our immense screencap breakdown below! The Winter Soldier’s…

The 8 Worst Mistakes Made by the Axis During World War II

The three major Axis powers — Germany, Japan, and Italy — committed a host of catastrophic errors during the war. But some of these miscalculations were considerably worse than others. Here are the most significant blunders made by the Axis during WWII. Above: German soldiers fighting in Russia. Late last year we told you about…

The Kentucky Senate has passed a bill that will allow computer programming classes to fulfill students’ foreign-language requirements. According to Senator David Givens, the goal is to equip Kentucky students with the language skills needed to compete for jobs in the tech sector. Comparative literature, indeed.

This Week’s TV: The Walking Dead is back! And an Arrow family reunion!

The Walking Dead returns after December’s brutal fall finale. What’s ahead for our survivors? Plus, the Person of Interest team is back together for a dangerous heist. Meanwhile, Alex Kingston’s Dinah Lance returns to Arrow and Stan Lee pops up on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. And check out clips from this week’s Almost Human, Helix, and…

A Disturbing Statue Commemorating Golden Age Comics’ Scariest Creator

Fletcher Hanks stands alone among Golden Age comics creators — his creations like Stardust the Super-Wizard and Fantomah the Jungle Girl are so odd and alarming, there’s nothing else quite like them. And now you can own a statue of Fantomah, pointing at your friends and coworkers with her skull face. Around the same time…

The Best (and Worst) Super Bowl Ads of 2014

Last night advertisers of all brands and commodities shelled out millions to get their ads in the coveted Super Bowl commercial break. So what did these million dollar spots produce? A whole lotta 80s nostalgia and a few tears. Here’s our list of the best and worst commercials from the 2014 Super Bowl. Personally, I…

Computer models show how Tatooine-like planets with two suns form

Over the past several years, astronomers have discovered a number of planets within so-called circumbinary systems, including Kepler-34(AB)b — a planet reminiscent of Star Wars’ Tatooine. Now, using computer models, scientists have finally figured out how these planets can form in such gravitationally hostile environments. Planetary formation in a single-star system is a relatively straight…

We’re writing some science fiction — in only six words!

Some of our very favorite science fiction is of the epic variety. But there’s also a special place in our hearts for science fiction that is shorter — in this case, only six words. We were big fans of the stories you wrote us last time, whether you were riffing on the theme itself (“Post…

Why the Earth is wobbling

The Earth is not the steady round rock we think it is, and it’s not turning the graceful circles we imagine. Every little-bit-more-than-a-year, we make a sort of wobble in space called a nutation. Why? Imagine a top spinning in front of you. At first, when it spins quickly, it’s steady on its tapered base.…

If you stopped watching Agents of SHIELD, Clark Gregg kind of hates you

The supremely affable Clark Gregg, star of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series, appears to be testing his affability. In an interview which he almost certainly already regrets, Gregg called those who have stopped watching the slow-burning show “losers.” Here’s the quote from his interview with The Salt Lake Tribune: If you’ve given up on…

Does the choice of writers for Thor 3 mean we’ll see Ragnarok?

A Watchman star could have a key role in Batman Vs. Superman. Game of Thrones could be delving deep into A Dance With Dragons for one character. And did a non sequitur in the Coven finale actually hint to the plot of American Horror Story’s next season? Plus, the Supernatural spinoff’s character descriptions. Spoilers now!…

New Captain America The Winter Soldier Trailer: Metal Arm Solid

If you had even the faintest doubts that Marvel’s followup to Captain America would be anything but a series of kickass fights and flying ships going boom, well, be at ease. The new trailer is here, and it looks incredible. It’s exciting to get a better look at Falcon, whose equipment looks badass however implausible,…