Want to know about the future of drones in America? Here’s the official US Federal Aviation Administration report on how they plan to integrate UAVs into US airspace over the next few years. [PDF]

These people will learn why King Midas’ corpse is the ultimate weapon

Three space travelers arrive at the long abandoned planet Earth only to discover the entire planet turned to gold. Then they discover the corpse of King Midas, whose powers remain. It’s a bizarre tale only Ryan North of Dinosaur Comics and the amazing Adventure Time comics could do! Or would, probably! And yes, that is…

How IMAX Makes Movies Sound as Big as Their Screens

It takes more than just overwhelmingly humongous visuals to create the immersive “IMAX Experience” that moviegoers have come to expect. The film’s soundtrack plays an equally vital role. Here’s an in-depth look at how IMAX engineers develop and deliver a sound big enough to match the on-screen action. As you can see in the incredibly…

Scientists invent the perfect coffee mug

Scientists love coffee. More than anyone else, by some surveys. So in a way, it makes perfect sense that they would be responsible for what could be the greatest coffee-related invention since coffee-alcohol: a mug that keeps coffee hot – but not too hot – for hours on end. https://gizmodo.com/here-are-the-fifteen-professions-that-drink-the-most-co-5948206 https://gizmodo.com/researchers-make-alcohol-from-coffee-change-everything-1053355598 Above: A 3-D printed…

Who’s the most unfairly overlooked comic-book hero?

Some heroes get all the attention. Batman’s featured on TV and at the movies all the time, and has 10 comics a week. Even Aquaman had a pilot filmed. But which comic-book hero deserves more appreciation and exposure? Please include a picture or clip of your chosen underappreciated hero. And mention his/her name, where they’re…

Great Concept Art for the Science Fiction Museum We Desperately Want

We’ve told you before about the Museum of Science Fiction in Washington, DC, which is currently trying to raise money to open in 2017. But now Wired has posted some fantastic concept art, showing just how astonishing the exhibitions could be. Above is the proposed atrium, featuring a replica of a tripod from H.G. Wells’…

Someone is finally going to make 6-inch Firefly action figures

And that someone is Funko, who we previously told you would be making 6-inch, articulated Game of Thrones figures. And they’ll be releasing new Buffy the Vampire Slayer figures too, all due in 2014. I highly suggest saving any cash you might receive as gifts during the holidays — gonna be an expensive year. https://gizmodo.com/winter-is-coming-and-so-are-game-of-thrones-action-fig-1473159615…

Scientists say vitamins and minerals are “a waste of money”

Americans spend more than $20 billion a year on supplements in hopes of staving off cancer, heart disease, and dementia. Trouble is, the latest research shows they provide no benefit — and they may even be hazardous to our health. But given our nutrient-deprived diets, should we really stop taking these pills altogether? These are…

Here’s how massive packs of penguins move as a single unit

Penguins have evolved a really neat way of staying warm. To conserve energy, they form densely packed huddles with a triangular lattice structure. What’s amazing is that these packs — which can include thousands of individuals — actually move. A recent physics study shows how it’s done. Male Emperor penguins have it rough. As keepers…

This Space Adventure Cobra anime trailer will make your afternoon

The 1980s anime series Space Adventure Cobra is finally getting a decent DVD/Blu-ray release from RightStuf, with English subtitles. And to celebrate, here’s a brand new trailer, full of laser battles, space action, and scantily clad ladies. Written by Buichi Terasawa based on his manga series, Cobra follows a space rogue who’s very much in…

Welcome to Yesterday is like The Chronicle, but with time travel

Everyone is calling Welcome To Yesterday the next Chronicle. Which is a pretty steep comparison. This time-traveling adventure centered around a pack of teens may look like Chronicle, but will it be as dark as that brilliant superhero film? Here’s your very first look at the film, penned by Jason Pagan and Andrew Stark and…

Christmas 2019: I watched reindeer glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time… like tears in rain… Time to die. “Christmas 2019,” via Last Exit to Nowhere.

Weinsteins refuse to release Snowpiercer without cuts AND voiceovers

Apparently negotiations between Snowpiercer director Bong Joon-Ho and producer Harvey Weinstein have broken down, because Playlist is reporting that Weinstein refuses to release the movie in North America at all unless he gets to give it what many in the industry call “the full Blade Runner.” The irony that Weinstein would be cutting 25 minutes…

Happy Holidays! Have a free copy of my book!

I’m celebrating winter by giving away ten free, signed copies of my science nonfiction book Scatter, Adapt and Remember: How Humans Will Survive a Mass Extinction. Everybody wants apocalypse and extinction at the holidays! Here’s how to get it. At noon PST, I’ll tweet a very easy question from io9’s Twitter account, and the first…

A Map of the Weirdest Sex Laws in the United States

Is your sex life against the law? Better make sure. We’ve painstakingly compiled a map of all the most biarre and unnecessary laws regulating what you do, with whom, and where. Check out our complete map of all the weirdest laws regulating sex in America below. You’ve probably seen lists of freaky sex laws before…

Scientist sets out to pen futuristic novel, ends up drowning your town

Scientist Andrew David Thaler decided to write a novel set in the future, in a “post-sea-level-rise world.” To make Fleet as scientifically realistic as he could, he needed to model the actual flooding that could result from climate change. And thus, a meme that reached 10 million people was born. Thaler, who writes at Southern…

io9 Book Club reminder: Meeting 1/7 to discuss Ancillary Justice

In December, the io9 Book Club is reading Ann Leckie’s Ancillary Justice. We’ll meet January 7 to discuss it, and we hope Leckie will join us later that week for a chat! Ancillary Justice is Leckie’s first novel, an incredible space opera wrapped in an a hive mind mystery, and it was one of our…

​11 Insane Things You Didn’t Know About Santa Claus

Santa Claus might be a right jolly old elf, but he’s a jolly old elf with a bizarre past. St. Nicholas. Sinterklaas. Odin. Santa Claus has used all of these pseudonyms at one point or another, and committed acts so bizarre that the fact Santa has an army of indentured elf servants making all his…

VFX reel breaks down Thor 2’s epic prologue battle

The creators of the stunning Girl with the Dragon Tattoo title sequence were also the masters behind Thor: The Dark World’s prologue battle. And now Blur Studio has unleashed a fantastic VFX that shows how the stunning battle between Malekith and Odin’s father, King Bor. Watch the almost entirely CG creation come to life! Narrated…

The colors on this digitally restored ancient statue are unreal

It’s considered a Japanese national treasure, but the colors on an 8th century statue of the Buddhist deity Shukongojin have all but faded. Now, using computer graphics technology, a joint team from Tokyo has brought its vivid colors back to life. The 68-inch (173 cm) tall statue is only displayed to the public once a…