Incredible Ways People Deal with Overloaded Transit Systems in Asia

Overcrowded public transit systems are a fact of daily life around the world. But in many Asian countries, dealing with them has become something of an art form. In these photos, you’ll see the creative ways that people cope with crowding on buses, trains, boats, and more. Public transportation jeepney on a dusty road in…

What dangling plot thread would you kill to see resolved?

Science fiction and fantasy thrive on unanswered questions and strange riddles. And sometimes, going down the rabbit hole can be fun in its own right. But sometimes, you just never get the resolution you desperately crave. What’s the most annoying unresolved plot thread in science fiction and fantasy? Please include a picture or clip so…

Enjoy scifi maestro Judith Merril’s Doctor Who science lessons

In the late 70s and early 80s, scifi author Judith Merril did a series of educational spots for Canadian TV, which aired right after Doctor Who. Dubbed the UnDoctor, Merril dissected the science in each episode, offering loopy humor along the way. Merril is best-known for editing over a dozen “year’s best” science fiction anthologies…

Another young adult novel, The Fifth Wave, heading to the movies?

Director J. Blakeson’s debut film, The Disappearance of Alice Creed, has an 81 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and he almost directed a Wool film. But now, instead, he seems primed to direct the movie of The Fifth Wave, Rick Yancey’s exciting alien invasion novel. According to Variety, Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich) is working on…

Jodorowsky in the sky forever. He may not have gotten to direct a movie version of Dune, but at least comics creator and filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky has gotten an asteroid named after him.

How Almost Human does for robots what Fringe did for mad science

Welcome to Fall TV Week at io9, where we’ll be giving you the inside scoop on some of the upcoming TV shows. First up: Almost Human, the new show from Fringe’s Joel Wyman and J.J. Abrams. We talked to stars Karl Urban and Michael Ealy about how the show makes you root for androids the…

The Cybertronic Spree is the Transformers band you never knew you needed

A band dressed as Transformers singing the music from Transformers: The Movie? YES PLEASE. Above, you can hear them perform Stan Bush’ iconic anthem “The Touch” last month at the Nerd Noise Night 2013 at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto. From the official website: HOT ROD, ARCEE, RUMBLE, UNICRON, SPIKE, AND A QUINTESSON HAVE BEEN…

The next season of True Blood will be its last

It was announced today that True Blood will die the true death in 2014. The 7th season of True Blood will be its last. We are not taking this well. Entertainment Weekly is reporting that HBO has announced that True Blood will end its run after the seventh season in 2014. The final 10 episodes…

We demand Stripper Shoes for Tinkerbell on Once Upon A Time

Earlier today we revealed the first look at Once Upon A Time’s live action take on Tinkerbell. And to our horror, she’s being presented SANS MANDATORY LUCITE FAIRY STRIPPER HEELS. Therefore by the laws of Once Upon A Time, she’s obviously not a real fairy. The latest image shows Tink walking with young Queenie (before…

This wistful astronaut story will seriously mess you up

Now that the Hugo Awards have recognized the greatness of Clarkesworld Magazine, it’s time to celebrate — with a fantastic story by James Patrick Kelly. “The Promise of Space” is a tear-jerking story about a woman visiting her astronaut husband in the hospital — and talking to the A.I. that now speaks for him. Top…

The bizarre life forms that cannot be categorized

You may have learned in biology class that every life form has a taxonomic designation, but that doesn’t make it true. Many life forms, especially ancient ones, are so hard to categorize that scientists don’t even know whether they are plant or animal. They call these organisms the “Problematica.” Dealing with Problematica is just a…

This is why scurvy is one of evolution’s greatest mysteries

Scurvy used to be the scourge of the navy, killing sailors on long voyages. Now it’s a blight to evolutionary biologists. They just don’t know why it exists in humans. After too many months at sea on rations of salt pork and hard tack and rum, sailors began to drop. First they’d break out in…

Watch the first-ever footage of spontaneous ejaculation in a dolphin

WHOA. Did you know dolphins have wet dreams? Be honest – you probably didn’t. Hardly surprising, though, given that this is the very first footage of a wild dolphin ejaculating completely spontaneously. No overt socio-sexual activity. No direct genital stimulation. Nada. Dude was swimming lazily along when he suddenly became aroused and… well… see for…

9 Vital Questions to Ask Before Destroying a City in Your Movie

Everybody loves blowing up major cities in widescreen action movies. Wholesale municipal destruction looks great in 3-D and even better in IMAX, and every movie needs those “trailer moments” regardless of story or plot. But are are nine questions we wish film-makers would ask before destroying another city. All images from Transformers: Dark of the…

Here’s a deleted scene from The Walking Dead‘s best episode ever

Turns out the greatest scene from The Walking Dead’s greatest episode ever — season 3’s “Clear” — was only part of the story. Here’s an extended version of Morgan’s troubled tirade to Rick, and it’s a powerful reminder of how amazing TWD can be when the show completely gets it right. I’m not sure if…

We’ve been looking at ant intelligence the wrong way

Looking at it the right way could help uncover the mysteries of their alien complexity. Top photo of battling ants byAlex Wild. How intelligent are animals? Despite centuries of effort by philosophers, psychologists and biologists, the question remains unanswered. We are inclined to tackle this question using a top-down approach. It seems intuitive to start…

This massive Lego Masters of the Universe line needs to be real

Alex Jones, a.k.a. “Orion Pax”, is a well-known Lego customizer who’s just finished his magnum opus as far as I’m concerned — a nearly complete, shockingly accurate, and thoroughly awesome Lego version of practically the entire Masters of the Universe toyline, including the figures, vehicles and even the playsets! Here’s the full set in classic…

Lovecraft sketch shows the author’s vision for Mountains of Madness

Still trying to wrap your head around H.P. Lovecraft’s mysterious Elder Things and collection monsters who lived below the ice of the Antarctic? Well, now you can see exactly what these mysterious beasts looked like from the author’s point of view, thanks to a few pages of recently discovered doodles right out of Lovecraft’s notes.…

We have absolutely no clue what built this crazy-complex structure

It’s incredible, really. It features a central spire and an encircling picket-fence that’s been reinforced by horizontal rails, and is strung together by a series of radially oriented guy wires. An impressive edifice at any scale, the structure measures less than 2 cm across. And here’s the real kicker: nobody knows what made it. Rainforest…

Two new trailers show the magical twists added to 47 Ronin

Check out more footage from Carl Erik Rinsch’s long-delayed feature which reworks the classic Japanese story of the 47 Ronin. Various adaptations of this story are common, however this could be translation with the most artistic liberties, as it’s set in a fantasy world. The visuals are stunning, that’s undeniable. But whether or not this…