The Absolute Best Cosplay of 2013

This was an amazing year for creative costumes and clever tributes — so it was a lot of work to do all of it justice. We looked through a whole year of costuming at every convention, Halloween outing or simply talented people messing around online and we found a massive collection of exceptionally talented costumers.…

In the December issue of New Space, planetary scientist Christopher McKay rallies for a permanent, inhabited NASA research base on the Moon. National Geographic has distilled McKay’s argument into a six-point list. Complement with io9’s 185-point argument for a NASA lunar base.

Biggest Scientific Breakthroughs of 2013

From intergalactic neutrinos and invisible brains, to the creation of miniature human “organoids,” 2013 was a remarkable year for scientific discovery. Here are 17 of the biggest scientific breakthroughs, innovations and advances of 2013. Voyager I Leaves the Solar System Escaping the solar system is no mean feat. For 36 years, NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft…

These are National Geographic‘s favorite images of the year

After sorting through 7,000 images taken by photographers from over 150 countries, National Geographic has chosen the cream of the crop for it’s annual photo contest. As always, the year’s best are simply sensational. All photos and captions via National Geographic. Above: Julie Fletcher gets honorable mention in the places category for this photo taken…

Project Management Do’s and Don’t’s from Science Fiction Movies

Over at The Fast Track, Carol Pinchefsky has some hilarious lessons for project managers from science fiction films: both things to copy, and things to avoid at all costs. Best part: Why Darth Vader is not a good motivator of his underlings. [via Slashdot]

Who needs RoboCop when you can have cops in robots?

The first trailer for the live-action Patlabor movie has arrived, and boy howdy am I excited. Based on the classic anime series by Mamoru Oshii (director of Ghost in the Shell), Patlabor is about Tokyo Metropolitan Police Special Vehicle Section 2, which handles Tokyo’s giant robot-related crimes — with their own giant robots. The movie…

The A.I. uprising will be romantic, according to Spike Jonze’s Her

Spike Jonze has built his career on unsettling journeys into the uncanny, from Being John Malkovich to Where The Wild Things Are. But his latest film, Her, is unsettling for a different reason — because it’s so sweet and moving in depicting a romance between a human and a computer. Spoilers ahead… Films ranging from…

Search for life is top priority in NASA’s 30-year astrophysics plan

NASA has published its 30-year plan for astrophysics, and its first priority is to look for habitable planets and life on other worlds. It will also focus on learning more about the origins of life and the structure of the universe. Image via ESA/NASA You can read the entire document online. It’s full of gorgeous…

Gorgeous Smaug concept art shows all the scaly details from The Hobbit

Get an insanely close-up look at the massive dragon (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Plus we’ve got concept art of Beorn in Bear form, a gaggle of hideous orcs and the Mirkwood spiders. Behold the great beasts of The Hobbit! Created by artist Andrew Baker, we cannot pull our…

Scientists develop an ‘elixir’ that reverses a known cause of aging

To date, we know of only two things that can reverse the effects of aging: caloric restriction and extensive exercise. But in a recent experiment, researchers applied a new compound to 2-year old mice, causing their muscles to regenerate to 6-month old levels. Incredibly, human trials may start next year. The new compound, nicotinamide mono…

These pictures of the “Necochea Beach Humanoid” will creep you out

This eerie humanoid figure has shown up in two different photos taken near large bodies of water in Argentina. Dubbed the Neocochea Beach Humanoid, this creature appears to float above the ground, towering over the other people in the image. Here’s the latest photo, un-enhanced, taken on a Neocochea beach in late November: Over at…

​The ALF Christmas Special may be the root of all holiday depression

I recently learned that suicide rates don’t peak during the holidays, but in the spring. This was a surprise to me for two reasons — 1) I presumed the bleakness of winter combined with the inevitable disappointment that accompanies any major joyous event would be the most major inspiration for people to kill themselves, and…

We’re having a Gif Party! For Science.

That’s right — we’re having a Gif Party! But not just any Gif Party, nope, this one is for Science. Have a gif of a favorite science experiment or perhaps a gif of a pair of cat lungs at the moment they inflate? Well, this is the place for it. We want to see all…

Imagining the Earth through the eyes of China’s Yutu rover

The Yutu rover is now scouring the lunar surface on a three-month mission to explore the dark lava plains of the Bay of Rainbows. The Chinese probe is also set to leave behind a powerful telescope. Here’s what Yutu will see when it peers towards Earth — and what the eclipse of April 15th, 2014,…

Stephen Chow’s Journey to the West is delightfully insane

When we last showed you footage of director Stephen Chow’s adaptation of China’s classic fantasy epic Journey to the West, it had Chow’s trademark cartoon-ish lunacy, but still seemed indebted to the fantastic literary classic. This new trailer is nothing but pure insanity… and somehow that only makes u want to see it more. https://gizmodo.com/bow-down-to-the-monkey-king-by-watching-the-first-trai-5980026…

Why you should quit your New Year’s resolutions right now

We’re facing another stinking year, people. Some of you will be tempted to make some kind of promise to yourself for the new year. Don’t do it. According to the “willpower paradox,” the determination to do something weakens your will. One study uncovered what seems to be a “willpower paradox” — the very act of…

New Hints for X-Men: Apocalypse, Warcraft, Doctor Who and Walking Dead!

Why is Matt Smith doffing his costume in his final Doctor Who story? Hugh Jackman’s in talks to play a surprising villain for Peter Pan’s origin story. Bryan Singer reveals which X-Men MVPs will script X-Men: Apocalypse. The Strain casts a key character. Stargate Atlantis’ Jewel Staite and David Hewlett reunite. Spoilers now! X-Men: Apocalypse…

When Did There Become Too Many Books to Read in One Lifetime?

We’ve all done it: stood in a library, looking around, we’ve been confronted by the fact that there are way, way too many books in existence for us to ever read. But when in history did that happen? Randall Munroe has tried to answer that question over on his What If? site. Sadly, it’s not…

The line between species can become permeable

What separates two species? Sometimes the answer is simple, but sometimes the lines are blurred. That’s what’s happening in this image of a tiger and cheetah, by Spanish artist Jaume Montserrat, whose series “Empty Land” is a set of illustrations where the boundaries between two species are not quite what they seem. See more of…

The Biggest Video Game Disappointments Of 2013

There was a lot to love about 2013’s video games — but also a lot of wipe-outs and things that didn’t go according to plan. Here’s Kotaku’s list of the biggest letdowns of the year in gaming. https://kotaku.com/the-biggest-disappointments-of-2013-1486725094