Would you let this woman keep her dead husband’s sperm?

In February 2012, Beth Warren’s husband Warren Brewer died of a brain tumor. His sperm was stored in 2005, prior to radiotherapy, and Brewer made it clear that his wife could use the samples following his death. Now, legal regulations could prevent Warren from using the samples to conceive a child, should she choose to…

What a Habitable Planet Twice the Size of Earth Would Be Like

To date, astronomers have catalogued over 1,000 exoplanets — some of them rocky and parked within their host star’s habitable zone. But a good portion of these planets are bigger than Earth, prompting us to ask: What would it actually be like on a habitable planet twice the size of ours? Structure A first complication:…

​Why do we hate so many female characters so much?

I seem to recall in 2013 there was a big deal about Thanksgiving and the first day of Hanukkah coinciding. Well, since the post-apocalypse happened so soon after that, I guess that’s why we kind of ended up merging Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas into a month-long celebration of gift-giving, drinking, and good cheer (because of…

Watch an entire building transform into a playable Rubik’s Cube

Spanish artist and designer Javier Lloret has managed to convert Austria’s Ars Electronica Center into a gigantic and functional Rubik’s Cube. Called Puzzle Facade, it works by sending signals to a ready-built LED-lit wall using a 3D-printed interface-cube. The six-floor building is located in Linz, Austria, and is often referred to as the “Museum of…

Humans are becoming more carnivorous

Ever wondered just where humans fall on the food chain? Wonder no more. Researchers have calculated our precise location (somewhere right next a pig or an anchovy, apparently), along with another surprising trend: While we’re firmly omnivores, we’re also becoming more and more carnivorous. Top image: mayhem. In a study published in PNAS, researchers took…

The inept mind-control experiment that led to 20 years of CIA funding

Ewen Cameron was the doctor in charge of the infamous CIA mind-control project MKULTRA, which drugged and tortured unwitting subjects. How does a guy get a job dosing people with LSD for a CIA brainwashing experiment? Turns out it’s a pretty weird story. Cameron, a psychiatrist working at a hospital in Montreal, started his career…

Is Doctor Who‘s Twelfth Doctor getting a brand new companion?

Ben Affleck says why he changed his mind after turning down the role of Batman. There’s a real reason why Wolverine is the time traveler in Days of Future Past, and there’s a new featurette for Star Wars: Rebels. Plus Alex Kingston returns to Arrow, and Bret Michaels plays himself on Revolution. Spoilers now! Batman…

He only dreamed when his bed was on fire

When the mattress crumbled into charcoal, he woke up. His skin was covered in a layer of ash, but his mind was clear. This incredible image (a detail of the larger work) was created by photographer/artist Christopher McKenney. You can see more of his work on his Flickr page.

Why did this invasive species suddenly take over Maine’s coastline?

This scary looking beastie is the European Green Crab. It’s not native to Maine, but they started coming over attached to the hulls of wooden trading ships a hundred years ago. But it’s only just in the last two years that there’s been a massive spike in the crabs’ population, devastating the local clam-fishers. According…

Own Han Solo’s blaster! Up for auctionis a blaster prop used by Harrison Ford (and maybe also Mark Hamill) in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Based on a German C96 Mauser pistol, it’s a lightweight non-firing prop. Valued at just $200,000 to $300,000!

File sharing locker Hotfile has agreed to shut down, paying the MPAA $80 million in a settlement. It’s the final culmination of a lengthy battle that was set to go before a jury this week. [MPAA via GigaOM]

A Bizarre Alternate History. The Onion points to a strange work of far-fetched science fiction in which North America was occupied by millions of so-called “Native Americans” before Europeans arrived. Sounds like someone’s ripping off Avatar again.

The io9 Book Club is in session! Let’s talk about Neptune’s Brood.

Welcome to the monthly meeting of the io9 Book Club. In November, we read Charles Stross’ Neptune’s Brood. Jump into comments to get started talking about it! For those unfamiliar with the io9 book club, here’s how it works: You read the book. We create a special book club post on io9 when the meeting…

​Peter Parker returns to Spider-Man. ‘Nuff said.

Those people jonesing for the original, non-Dr. Octopus-inhabited Spider-Man will have a good day tomorrow, as The Amazing Spider-Man #700.1 hits comic store shelves tomorrow. It’s set before the switch, so it’s not technically in modern continuity, but at least Peter Parker will be webslinging across New York City in his one body for the…

Here’s how to decorate the house of the future, right now

Today we asked you totell us what was the most futuristic thing about yourself, and you responded by telling us about your jobs, your personal tech, and with an idea about just how to decorate the house of the future, right now, from commenter eideticex: Well my current endeavor with augmented reality using QR codes…

Why Science Fiction Readers Shouldn’t Just Cling to the Golden Age

Author Gareth Powell recently attended a book group where nobody had read any authors who came along in the past 50 years. Ina bracing essay for SF Signal, he talks about the peril of focusing only on “golden age” science fiction, and neglecting how the genre has changed. Powell writes: Some fans will always cling…

How does your country rank in reading, math and science?

The results for PISA 2012 are in. PISA is an international survey done every three years to assess the competencies of 15-year-olds from 65 countries in key subject areas. Here’s what they found. The survey, called the Programme for International Assessment (PISA), is organized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Some 510,000…

Anonymous Donor gives $200K to Oregon’s School of Comics & Cartoons

An Anonymous benefactor has donated $200,000 (over 4 years) to sustain The University of Oregon’s Comics & Cartoon Studies program. Wonderful news for the University of Oregon,- via Steve Duin.

These Buildings Could Be The Food And Drink Of Giants

These might not be the most extreme buildings ever, but they could certainly make giants hungry and thirsty. These are some of the most bizarre food- and drink-shaped structures you’ll ever see. The 53 ft (16.1 m) tall Pineapple pavilion in Dunmore, Scotland, built in 1761 by John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore as a…

British Think Tank Revives 40-year-old Plan to Build Space Colonies

The esteemed British Interplanetary Society is resurrecting an ambitious idea for creating giant orbiting homes in space. But to make it economically and technically feasible, it will have to rely on a plan devised by Gerard O’Neill back in the 1970s. The BIS, as some of you may know, came up with a plan back…