The Most Eye-Popping Futuristic Concept Art We’ve Seen in Weeks

This amazing concept art apparently belongs to a nameless, mysterious video game from Double Helix, the studio behind Silent Hill Homecoming and Killer Instinct. But more importantly, it’s some frickin awesome futuristic worldbuilding. Check out more below. This artwork was posted on CGHub and his blog by user James Paick and described as belonging to…

This study shows how a good metaphor can change the world

Stirring rhetoric is a celebrated aspect of art, and a controversial part of politics. But one study indicates that it could be something more. Metaphors might be able to affect the way our brains perceive the world, and the power of a good metaphor may actually have a scientific basis. Every election season people ascend…

It’s official: Emilia Clarke is our new Sarah Connor. Deadline reports that the Game of Thrones star has been cast in Alan Taylor’s Terminator reboot, which is rumored to involve a trip to the future.

This real-time global wind map will completely devour your weekend

It’s high time you met earth, a plainly titled, interactive datavisualization that offers visitors a realtime glimpse of global wind patterns. WARNING: If you’re into this sort of thing, this visualization is a major, major time-suck. Seriously, it’s utterly hypnotic. The stunning interactive visualization was designed by software engineer Cameron Beccario, and while it bears…

The Most Magnificent Ice Castles in the World

In the northern hemisphere, it’s the season for building things out of snow and ice — including enormous castles and buildings. Here are some of the most impressive. The first ice palace, built in St. Petersburg, Russia for Empress Anna Ivanovna as a part of the celebration of Russia’s victory over the Ottomans in 1739-1740.…

Scientists have created remote controlled cyborg sperm

Looking to take advantage of sperm’s awesome swimming ability, researchers have cyborg-ized bull semen by positioning them inside tiny metal cylinders that can be steered with magnets. This means we now have a way to control a cell’s direction inside the body — a breakthrough that could lead to efficient microscopic robots. To make the…

What’s the sexiest science fiction or fantasy movie of all time?

Escapism is sexy. There’s something beguiling and enticing about the idea of stepping into other worlds and having larger-than-life adventures. So it’s no surprise that so many science fiction and fantasy movies are hella sexy. But which is the sexiest? Please post a picture or clip of your pick for the sexiest science fiction or…

Everything changed on Wonderland but you only need to see this one clip

Two very important things happened on Wonderland. One involves a female Rabbit character with breasts — voiced by Whoopi Goldberg. Oh and the whole plot flipped, which we think can be summed up in this one, very spoilery, clip. And we thought the White Rabbit looked weird, behold the White Rabbit’s entire family. We met…

Does The Vampire Diaries laugh at any notion of absolute morality?

Last night’s episode of Vampire Diaries asks a pretty simple question: Why can Damon be forgiven over and over, for being a serial-killer and bad friend, when Katherine is beyond forgiveness? The answer seems to be: moral relativism is sexy, dammit. Spoilers ahead… It’s worth remembering that Vampire Diaries started out as a show with…

If Santa Claus were scientifically accurate, he’d destroy the world

Excuse me, Fox ADHD’s “Scientifically Accurate” video series, you forgot one very important fact: Santa is magic, and that’s how he doesn’t explode while traveling house to house. But at least you got another very important Santa fact correct. http://gawker.com/megyn-kelly-both-jesus-and-santa-were-white-so-stop-c-1481842503

Forget feathers — this dinosaur had a rooster’s comb on its head

When scientists discovered that some dinosaurs had feathers, it completely changed our perception of what the ancient animals looked like — and pissed a lot of people off. Now, in another twist, researchers have found that the duck-billed dinosaur Edmontosaurus regalis had a fleshy crest similar to a rooster’s comb. https://gizmodo.com/dinosaur-feathers-discovered-in-canadian-amber-5840854 The Duck-Billed Dinosaurs The…

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty could make you rethink your life

In The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Ben Stiller uses a familiar framework of romantic comedy to reach for something more ambitious. The day-dreaming hero Walter Mitty could make you want to broaden your perspective on the world. https://mattunderwood.kinja.com/the-secret-life-of-walter-mitty-review-1482422988

What causes propellers to make this gorgeous helical pattern?

Just when you think you’ve seen all the gorgeous helices in the world, here comes another one. This one trails behind propellers underwater. What causes this helical structure to form? And why is it a problem? This beautiful structure is probably unfamiliar to you unless you’re a manatee or a mermaid. These helices trail behind…

The elevator paradox proves your elevator always goes the wrong way

Does it occur to you, when waiting for an elevator, that elevators always seem to be going the wrong way? It occurred to two physicists, too. And, with a little work, they proved that this wasn’t just Murphy’s Law, it was reality. George Gamow was a physicist who worked had a celebrated, and action-packed career…

What would you get an io9 reader for the holidays?

Our sister site Gawker wants to know what to get for their science-loving, geeky friends. Now you can tell them! http://gawker.com/gawker-gift-guide-io9-edition-1481430415

Soft Paternalism, or the Future of Authority and Obedience

As humans, we’re always making bad choices. At the same time, we really hate to be told what to do — even if what we’re being told is a good idea. This conundrum could be solved with a futuristic concept called “soft paternalism.” Here’s how public and private institutions could nudge us in the right…

Your oldest living relative is a jelly, not a sponge. An active debate among zoologists as to which ancient creature is the first true animal was just settled after an analysis of the comb jelly genome. Turns out we are descended from these ctenophores — a species that emerged 700 million years ago — and…

Fight for your throne with the Song of Ice and Fire RPG

The Song of Ice and Fire RPG doesn’t just allow you to have adventures in Westeros – it lets you inhabit Westeros, creating your own noble house to vie for control of the Seven Kingdoms and play the Game of Thrones. I’ve played dozens of RPGs and read dozens more. Very few have fired my…

This dog and cheetah are best friends and it is the best thing

What’s more fun than watching a cheetah romp around in freshly fallen snow? Watching a cheetah romp around in freshly fallen snow with her best friend WHO ALSO HAPPENS TO BE A DOG. Oh wow, am I seriously tearing up right now? This footage was shot at the Cincinnati Zoo’s “cheetah yard,” where Savanna the…

New calculations suggest the Universe could collapse at any time

All things being equal, the universe is set to continually expand, eventually ripping itself to shreds in about 22 billion years. But Danish scientists say an expanding bubble of existential doom could crush the Universe into a tiny ball. And crazily, the odds of this collapse is higher than previously thought. https://gizmodo.com/will-the-universe-end-in-a-big-rip-476467549 This theory isn’t…