Earlier this week, Francois Englert and Peter Higgs were awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work on the theory of the Higgs boson. Many of us are still trying to wrap our heads around the dynamic duo’s discovery. These three cool GIFs from TED-ed will help.

X-Men: Days of Future Past‘s Quicksilver WILL have silver hair

Good news for X-Men fans who really want Bryan Singer’s new X-Men movie to adhere to the comics: Quicksilver will appear on film with his trademark silver locks. We spoke with the new Quicksilver, Evan Peters, about life as a 1970s mutant. He told us about filming in Singer’s crazy new 3600 frame-per-second cameras. Bryan…

What on Earth created this bizarre jellyfish-cloud outside the ISS?

The astronauts on board the International Space Station saw a strange and unexpected view out their windows yesterday. “Saw something launch into space today. Not sure what it was but the cloud it left behind was pretty amazing,” tweeted NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins. Above: A strange but amazing cloud seen from the International Space Station.…

Screenwriter alleges Neill Blomkamp stole his story for Elysium

The basic idea of Neill Blomkamp’s Elysium, with the have-nots on Earth and the haves in space, seems almost too basic to steal. But screenwriter Steve Wilson Briggs is alleging Blomkamp took way more than that, including characters, scenes and motifs. Briggs, whose one writing credit is for a movie called The Amazing Mr. Excellent,…

Be careful whose body you download your brain into… In Selfless, a dying billionaire has his consciousness transferred into the body of a younger man (Ryan Reynolds), only to be hunted by the thugs who murdered his host body originally. Victor Garber will play the billionaire’s best friend.

First Look at Game of Bones, the X-Rated Version of Westeros [SFW!]

We’ve got a long wait until Game of Thrones returns next March… but fear not! Episodes of Game of Bones, the porn parody from director Lee Roy Myers, will start appearing on the Web in just a couple of weeks. (Including a female Joffrey!) We’ve got the first exclusive teaser and cast photos, plus an…

LIFE unveils unpublished photos of pioneering astronaut Scott Carpenter

NASA legend Scott Carpenter – a member of America’s original Mercury Seven – died yesterday at the age of 88, after suffering a recent stroke. Today, LIFE Magazine marked his passing by unveiling a trove of rare photographs showcasing Carpenter’s public and private life. Above: Astronaut Scott Carpenter and kids, 1962 // Ralph Morse—Time &…

Biologists Deliberately Hold Back Details on Deadly New Toxin

For the first time in over 40 years, scientists have discovered a new form of the toxin responsible for botulism. But they’re keeping many of the details about it a secret for fear that it could be turned into a deadly bioweapon — prompting some scientists to warn that this action can only hold further…

Vampire Academy is actually A LOT funnier than we expected

The biggest draw for the latest vampire movie isn’t the hot young things starring it it, it’s the two middle-aged Waters Brothers. The director from Mean Girls and writer of Heathers combined their powers to steal the thunder from the baby vamps on stage at New York Comic-Con. And thank god for it. Based on…

11 Most Prolific Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors of All Time

When you discover a new favorite author, you want to dive in and read all of his or her works — but sometimes, that means a paltry stack of five or six books. And then there are some authors whose output would take years to read. Here are the 11 most prolific science fiction and…

Bob Orci is reportedly talking to CBS about a new Star Trek TV series

Take this with a reasonably sized grain of salt, but Sky News Entertainment reporter Joe Michalczuk says that Star Trek movie co-writer and producer Roberto Orci has discussed bringing the franchise back to TV with CBS. On the other hand, Michalczuk says Orci told him this directly, which is much better than coming from an…

This remarkable sand sculpture will make your face melt

Behold “Bleeding,” an absolutely incredible sand sculpture by Quebec City-based artist Guy-Olivier Deveau. It’s so freakishly good it makes us not want to pick up a shovel and pail ever again. Deveau’s piece finished third at the recently concluded Sandcastle Days 2013 in South Padre Island, Texas. Which makes me wonder what the two other…

More People Would Camp If All Trailers Had Home Theaters

Heading into the great outdoors is supposed to be about getting away from it all. And for the most part, the campers and trailers from Germany’s Dethleffs let you do just that, and in relative comfort. But at the Dusseldorf Caravan show the company showed off its Mini Movie Campy concept; a portable home theater…

Tom Hiddleston’s impression of Owen Wilson as Loki is surreally fun

I don’t know why someone would ask Tom Hiddleston to do an impression of Owen Wilson as Loki in from The Avengers, but I do know the internet is a better place now because of it. By the gods, could this man get any more likable?

Another remarkable example of how smart elephants are

Elephants are widely regarded as one of the world’s most intelligent creatures, able to use tools, show grief and exhibit remarkable memory. New research now shows African elephants can do something no other wild animal has been shown to do: They can understand human pointing gestures without any kind of training. When someone looks and…

Zero Charisma is an awkward but honest love letter to nerds

Upon seeing the latest trailer for Zero Charisma, I worried that it was laughing at nerds, not with them. I am happy to report this is not the case. Zero Charisma is a film about nerds for nerds (and presumably by nerds), to the point where I’m not sure how much “normal” audiences would get…

This crosswalk is the result of scientific testing

Here’s a story about how a little coat of paint save thousands of lives (and probably many more). Before World War II, there weren’t too many automobiles in Britain. But after the war, when cars started taking over the world, things started getting unacceptably fatal. Scientists had to invent a new kind of crosswalk. In…

Astronomers Find Water on the Remnants of a Destroyed Planet

For the first time ever, scientists have found actual chemical evidence of water on a rocky object outside of our solar system. The water wasn’t found on a planet, but rather the remains of one shredded to bits by its dying parent star. Top illustration: Mark A. Garlick/space-art.co.uk/University of Warwick/University of Cambridge). The sopping wet…

Helium balloons don’t float all the time

If you’d like to make a point about the physics of helium balloons, just stick one in a vacuum. One of the earliest physics demonstrations that I ever witnessed was a simple one explaining the motion of a helium balloon in Earth’s atmosphere. It involved a clear plastic bucket full of unpopped popcorn kernels –…

The BBC has made eleven lost episodes of Doctor Who—nine of which haven’t been viewed in 46 years — available for purchase exclusively on iTunes. Go get ’em!