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Why Invader Zim‘s GIR should be your favorite robot sidekick

Science fiction has portrayed its fair share of glitchy and bumbling robots over the years, but none hold a candle to Invader Zim’s GIR. Quite possibly the most erratic and unhelpful robot to ever hit the screen, GIR has become one the most loved and oft-quoted characters to appear in a sci-fi cartoon in years.…

Television George Dvorsky

The Most Alarming Things We’ve Learned About True Blood Season 5

To awaken your inner fangbanger, HBO has been slowly releasing a collection of extended clips from the fifth season of True Blood. We’ve rounded them up, along with a healthy dose of images and leaked items, to create a massive spoilery guide to the new season. One thing stands out right away, there are a…

io9 Meredith Woerner

Why Physicists Need Philosophers

There’s a spat brewing between some theoretical physicists and philosophers of science recently, and NPR’s Adam Frank has all the details. It started when one philosopher of science, David Albert, questioned the notion that the universe came “from nothing,” as the title of Laurence Krauss’ new book claims. This quickly escalated into a debate over…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Wikipedia’s founder will help make academic research available to all

The wealthiest university of Earth can’t afford its academic journal subscriptions. Why not? Because academic journals are expensive. Now, the British government is doing its part to change that. Yesterday afternoon, Science Minister David Willetts outlined the details of a plan that would make publicly funded research available online. Free of charge. They’re even enlisting…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Here’s a few dozen superhero movies smushed into five minutes

There’s just about everything you’d want here, namely Condorman, Jet Jaguar, and Meteor Man. I’ve been looking for absolutely any excuse to post more Meteor Man-related stories. Did you know that Big Daddy Kane was in Meteor Man? And Naughty By Nature! Those were the days. Sadly, there’s no scenes from Darkman, Darkman II: The…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar

Could garlic extract prevent food poisoning?

Diallyl sulfide is what gives garlic its characteristic smell and flavor, and is a latter day miracle compound, linked to everything from stopping colon cancer to blocking mold. Now you can add another use to that list. It’s been discovered to be an incredibly effective way to fight Campylobacter, the bacteria that cause a huge…

io9 Tim Barribeau

Nature goes ahead and publishes study explaining how to create deadly mutant bird flu

After months of controversy, the journal Nature has published the details of an experiment describing how the avian flu can be modified into a human-contagious form. The publication has prompted critics to warn of a possible human disaster, should the details of study get into the wrong hands or the mutant virus accidentally escape the…

io9 George Dvorsky

Which villain is making a return in the Buffy comic books?

Come August, Buffy will face off against an antagonist we haven’t seen lately. Who is it? None other than the evil interdimensional law firm of Wolfram & Hart. These nefarious attorneys will be making their return in an upcoming issue of Dark Horse Comics’ Buffy series penned by Dollhouse writer Andrew Chambliss. As Dark Horse…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar

Designing The Avengers: The Art of Marvel’s Most Ambitious Movie

The Avengers isn’t just the culmination of five big superhero movies over a four-year period — it’s also the culmination of years of design work. When Marvel started preparing to bring its marquee heroes together in one giant adventure, some of the industry’s most talented designers had to spend years working on everything from their…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Paging Michel Gondry: Here is your next project, Cardboard Mecha Girl!

Michel Gondry, we’ve found your new muse. Check out this video, in which one little mecha warrior fights a pack of local bullies with beautiful cardboard shielding. Director Ryan Patrick made a music video set to Cut Copy’s tune “Take Me Over.” In it, a little girl builds her own rickety defense system in the…

io9 Meredith Woerner

Jane Rogers wins the 2012 Clarke Award!

This year’s Arthur C. Clarke Awards had a slightly controversial shortlist, but the winner seems likely to make a lot of people happy: It’s the Booker-longlisted novel The Testament of Jessie Lamb by Jane Rogers. Here’s the novel’s synopsis: Women are dying in their millions. Some blame scientists, some see the hand of God, some…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

10 Insanely Awkward Superhero Romantic Subplots

Superhero romance is a bit like unstable nitroglycerine, in that A.) it’s very rarely handled well; and B.) it often blows up in everybody’s face. Here are ten times your favorite crime-stoppers experienced relationship foibles mere mortals like you and I can barely comprehend. Remember when Superman made an adult movie and Colossus had a…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar

All the Ways Travel Can Drive You (Literally) Insane

Everybody knows travel is stressful — but it can also drive you bonkers. Literally. There are a thousand ways that we can lose our marbles while traveling from place to place, depending on the method of travel. Some ways of getting around can drive you mad with fear — while others can destroy you with…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Holy crap, these bees will DRINK TEARS FROM YOUR EYES

Understand that when I say “this creeps me the hell out,” it’s coming from somebody who is usually pretty okay with bees. Hell, I like bees. But this? This is just… well, see for yourself. The insects you see pictured here belong to various families of bees native to Thailand that actually consume tears, both…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Watch a little girl fight off Ice Age creatures in the stunning trailer for Beasts of the Southern Wild

We called Beasts of the Southern Wild beautiful, operatic and [filled] with rampaging Ice Age creatures — and the trailer delivers on every point. Watch the first ever public trailer for the the much-buzzed-about Sundance movie. In a forgotten but defiant bayou community cut off from the rest of the world by a sprawling levee,…

io9 Meredith Woerner

Is Game of Thrones‘ gratuitous sex worse than the gratuitous violence?

One of the biggest things people noticed about Sunday’s episode of Game of Thrones was something that wasn’t there: nudity and explicit sex. The show totally failed to meet whatever quota you might imagine it would have for naked skin and heaving bosominess. This was especially noticeable because in the past week or so, we’ve…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Give us your burning questions for the creative forces behind Sherlock

Later today, our Baker Street correspondent will hop a hansom cab to a unique sort of drawing room tonight: an event to kick off the U.K. miniseries Sherlock’s second season debut stateside May 6th on PBS Masterpiece. Expected in attendance are actor Benedict Cumberbatch (who plays the title role), alongside series co-creator (and Doctor Who…

io9 Kaila Hale-Stern

NBC’s “Free” Olympics Livestream Is Misleading and a Bummer

The ad for the NBC Olympics Live Extra service is so awesome it turns me on. 3500 live hours of sports online or on my tablet or smartphone? Incredible! But like a clever temptress, NBC neglects to mention one thing: Unlike primetime NBC, NBC Olympics Live Extra isn’t free. Remember how excited we got right…

Television Mario Aguilar

Shape-shifting animals inspire camouflaging artificial skin

Wouldn’t it be awesome to be able to morph your body and change your skin colors at will, the way encephalopods and zebrafish can? There are so many potential benefits… and now we may have the next best thing. Inspired by these shape-shifters, researchers at the University of Bristol have developed two different techniques that…

io9 George Dvorsky

Which Buffy alum is responsible for birthing out the antichrist?

A few months back we teased the short movie Reverse Parthenogenesis starring Buffy’s Amber Benson (Tara) and Adam Busch (Warren). The short was penned and directed by Javier Grillo-Marxuach (The Middleman, Lost), and thanks to him, the whole shebang has been released online! Watch as sweet innocent couple banter turns into crazy antichrist finger pointing!

io9 Meredith Woerner

Why Invader Zim‘s GIR should be your favorite robot sidekick

The Most Alarming Things We’ve Learned About True Blood Season 5

Why Physicists Need Philosophers

Wikipedia’s founder will help make academic research available to all

Here’s a few dozen superhero movies smushed into five minutes

Could garlic extract prevent food poisoning?

Nature goes ahead and publishes study explaining how to create deadly mutant bird flu

Which villain is making a return in the Buffy comic books?

Designing The Avengers: The Art of Marvel’s Most Ambitious Movie

Paging Michel Gondry: Here is your next project, Cardboard Mecha Girl!

Jane Rogers wins the 2012 Clarke Award!

10 Insanely Awkward Superhero Romantic Subplots

All the Ways Travel Can Drive You (Literally) Insane

Holy crap, these bees will DRINK TEARS FROM YOUR EYES

Watch a little girl fight off Ice Age creatures in the stunning trailer for Beasts of the Southern Wild

Is Game of Thrones‘ gratuitous sex worse than the gratuitous violence?

Give us your burning questions for the creative forces behind Sherlock

NBC’s “Free” Olympics Livestream Is Misleading and a Bummer

Shape-shifting animals inspire camouflaging artificial skin

Which Buffy alum is responsible for birthing out the antichrist?

‘Scream 7’ Comes Home With Deleted Scenes We Hope Will Improve the Movie

A QR Code Too Small to See Hints at a New, Non-Annoying Use for the Format

Andy Weir Apologizes After ‘Star Trek’ Comment Backlash

Scientists Discover Hidden Behavior in Water That Helps Explain Why Ice Floats

The ‘Paradise’ Season 2 Finale Paved the Way for a Wildly Sci-Fi Season 3

A $1 Samsung Galaxy Smartphone Lands at Mint Mobile With Unlimited Data at 50% Off in a Clearance Push

Your Wimpy Workouts Aren’t Cutting It, Scientists Say

Anker Prime Power Bank Drops to an All-Time Low (200W, 20,100mAh, 3-Port) as Amazon Clears Out Remaining Spring Sale Stock

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

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