io9 | Page 4797 of 5933 | We Come From the Future

How gun silencers really work

When it comes to undesired noises, silencing guns is the same thing as silencing incessant yammerers. It all comes down to dealing with hot gas. When a cork pops out of a champagne bottle, a lid pops off an over-heated jar, or a bullet shoots from a gun; they all result in a sound. High…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Aug 28

How “The Hunger Games” might look as a comic

Now that Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy has come to a close, could we get a graphic novel adaptation? Cartoonist Faith Erin Hicks gives us a taste of what a comic Hunger Games might look like. Hicks, who created the comic Zombies Calling and most recently illustrated the summer camp horror Brain Camp, created this…

io9 Lauren Davis Aug 28

What if the Marvel vs. DC insanity of the Amalgam Universe never ended?

Amalgam Comics, DC and Marvel’s portmanteau-prone crossover line from the heady 1990s, featured patchwork characters like Dr. Strangefate, Ra’s-A-Pocalypse, and Shatterstarfire. The blog “The Amalgam Age of Comics” is dedicated to creating new (i.e. Photoshopped) half-and-half heroes. Here’s blogmaster Paul Cornish’s mission statement: In 1996 and 1997 DC and Marvel temporarily put aside their differences…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Aug 28

Watch Nikola Tesla’s robot gear up in the preview for Atomic Robo: Last Stop

Atomic Robo, Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener’s Eisner-nominated comic about Nikola Tesla’s paranormal-battling automaton, is receiving the cartoon treatment. Animation studio The Fictory has unveiled a teaser for Atomic Robo: Last Stop, an animated film based on the bot’s exploits. Here’s The Fictory’s description of the film: Atomic Robo: Last Stop will be a fully…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Aug 28

How to meticulously make a lightsaber out of spare parts

Do you want to build your own lightsaber at home but have no idea where to start? Bradley W. Lewis has created step-by-step guide explaining how to weld, screw, and paint a laser sword into existence, sans the Force. That’s Lewis’ recreation of Obi-Wan’s lightsaber from A New Hope up there. Here’s his impetus for…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Aug 28

Mystery Solved: How Some Women Have Perfect Group Smiles in Every Photo

One mystery that’s been baffling me for years is how some women stick their heads together and manage perfect group smiles for every single photo they’re in. Thanks to the newspaper’s funny pages, now I know: Hidden magnets. Next mystery to solve: How to get those magnets installed into my own head. [Pearls Before Swine…

Books & Comics Rosa Golijan Aug 27

How a caste system reshapes the bodies of ants

Two ants that begin life with the same genetic information can develop dramatically different body sizes, or a lifespan of 15 times their cohorts, depending on their place in ant society. What does ant caste teach us about humans? A group of scientists focused on “epigenetics” – the study of how environment shapes the way…

io9 Annalee Newitz Aug 27

Fuel up with coffee before you race back to the 1980s (Plutonium sold separately)

Support your local nerd businesses! This Chicago coffee shop The Wormhole celebrates all things 1984 and not only do they have vintage Star Wars mugs and Ghostbusters memorabilia but they’ve also put a real-life time-traveling DeLorean, front and center. This is a wonderful thing to see. Chicago readers: Think globally, geek locally. More entrepreneurs should…

io9 Meredith Woerner Aug 27

Heroes and villains of imaginary worlds: A quick primer

Why does science fiction have so many heroes and villains? Why are some heroes so much cooler than others, and why can’t villains be ruthless and competent? Here’s our introductory guide to the eternal struggle of good versus evil. So you may have noticed that a lot of our favorite science fiction TV shows and…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 27

This mysterious cosmic eye is two galaxies in one

This strange galaxy has puzzled astronomers for six decades. Its outer ring of bright blue stars is separated from an inner cluster of older stars by a massive void tens of thousands of light-years across. First discovered by Art Hoag in 1950, the galaxy is located some 600 million light-years away and measures 100,000 light-years…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins Aug 27

New fuel cell could power your gadgets with energy from calories

Another day, another breakthrough in battery technology, guaranteed to change our lives. This one is powered by mitochondria, tiny organelles inside cells which could suck the energy out of anything with calories — like soda or oil. Sure it would be awesome, but we constantly hear of amazing battery breakthroughs, and they never end up…

io9 Tim Barribeau Aug 27

All flashbacks are time travel

That’s basically author Frederick Reiken’s argument in this provocative post, about novels that approach time in unconventional ways. Why can we accept flashbacks so easily, even in the most conventional narratives? Because novels use “block time,” conceiving of time as space. That makes jumping between 2010 and 1986 as conceptually simple as a flight from…

io9 Kelly Faircloth Aug 27

Archaeology’s most famous murder victim might not have been murdered after all

Otzi the Iceman, the 5300-year-old frozen body discovered in the Alps in 1991, was thought to be a prehistoric murder victim. But a revolutionary map of his belongings overturns that theory, suggesting his “murder” scene is actually a ceremonial burial. Previous studies of the cause of Otzi’s death have focused on just his body. In…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins Aug 27

Douglas Adams returns to television with new Dirk Gently show

Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy creator Douglas Adams’ other great work of anarchic science fiction, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, comes to the BBC this fall/winter, as a one-hour pilot. But what happens if Dirk gets an ongoing series? From the sound of things, the first 60-minute Dirk Gently episode will be an adaptation, at…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 27

Classic comic Calvin & Hobbes rebooted as “Joker & Lex”

If you read the “Superman/Batman” comic this week, you may have noticed a special little treat from Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo. It’s a “Calvin & Hobbes” strip redone, with DC villains Lex Luthor and the Joker. Check it out. [via Comics Alliance and High Definite]

io9 Meredith Woerner Aug 27

Is anybody planning on seeing the extended Avatar this weekend? Anyone at all?

Over at io9’s Facebook page, we asked if people were going to see the new re-release of James Cameron’s Avatar, with the nine extra minutes of footage. The response? An overwhelming shrug. As Prince-Toddy English put it, “If nine minutes were edited they were cut for a reason.” What do you think? Are you stoked…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 27

Win 6 Angry Robot books — and get on the cutting edge of science fiction!

Britain’s most exciting new science fiction publisher, Angry Robot, is launching in the U.S. next week — and you can win all six of their U.S. launch titles. All you have to do is answer one simple question. Angry Robot launches the Stateside arms of its shiny metallic empire on Tuesday. Soon all of your…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 27

Marvel responds to pressure, says they’ll cast Runaways hero Nico as Asian-American in the film

Weeks ago, the Racebending folks discovered a casting call for Marvel’s upcoming Runaways movie didn’t specify they wanted an Asian-American to play Japanese-American character Nico. But after a letter-writing campaign, Marvel promised the character would stay true to the comic. This is good news to fans of the books, where Nico’s racial background is portrayed…

Movies Annalee Newitz Aug 27

6 Legends of TV Inventions

There’s not much better than a good infomercial—except maybe a really bad one. But these days there’s no better innovation hotbed than basic cable paid programming. Here we separate product from pitchman, and celebrate the brains behind As-Seen-On-TV. Chia Pet Hard as it is to imagine that one man’s mind could be so fertile, both…

Television Brian Barrett Aug 27

Test your vision (and your geek knowledge) with this science fiction eye chart!

Part optometrist’s chart, part geek quiz and part typography nerd poster, this Sci-fi Eye Test features 36 letters pulled from the logos of games, comics and movie titles. We dare you to try and guess them all. This post by Steven Anderson originally appeared over at Bite.Ca. You can join his Facebook group or follow…

io9 Steven Anderson Aug 27

How gun silencers really work

How “The Hunger Games” might look as a comic

What if the Marvel vs. DC insanity of the Amalgam Universe never ended?

Watch Nikola Tesla’s robot gear up in the preview for Atomic Robo: Last Stop

How to meticulously make a lightsaber out of spare parts

Mystery Solved: How Some Women Have Perfect Group Smiles in Every Photo

How a caste system reshapes the bodies of ants

Fuel up with coffee before you race back to the 1980s (Plutonium sold separately)

Heroes and villains of imaginary worlds: A quick primer

This mysterious cosmic eye is two galaxies in one

New fuel cell could power your gadgets with energy from calories

All flashbacks are time travel

Archaeology’s most famous murder victim might not have been murdered after all

Douglas Adams returns to television with new Dirk Gently show

Classic comic Calvin & Hobbes rebooted as “Joker & Lex”

Is anybody planning on seeing the extended Avatar this weekend? Anyone at all?

Win 6 Angry Robot books — and get on the cutting edge of science fiction!

Marvel responds to pressure, says they’ll cast Runaways hero Nico as Asian-American in the film

6 Legends of TV Inventions

Test your vision (and your geek knowledge) with this science fiction eye chart!

Wearables Are Getting Very Messy

Trump Wants to Start Privatizing TSA in Latest Budget Proposal

Lost Warship From Battle of Copenhagen Found After 225 Years

These One-of-a-Kind Objects Are in the Wrong Museums

Two Songs We Really Wish Were the Anime Outros for ‘Steel Ball Run’

AI Training Data Giant Mercor Is Reportedly Looking to Buy the Work You Did at Your Old Job

Utah Is Giving Dr. AI the Power to Renew Drug Prescriptions

Here’s the Perfect Excuse to See ‘Project Hail Mary’ Again

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

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

Let us help find what you are looking for...