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Orphan Black‘s Amazing Dance Party Scene Recreated By Mini-Clones

In the season finale of Orphan Black, we met Charlotte, the first child clone, and got an incredible scene where all the clones played by Tatiana Maslany danced together. Now the young actress who played Charlotte has recreated the dance scene, clone-for-clone, and it’s as awesome as it is adorable. OH MY GOD THE MINI-HELENA…

Which Science Fiction Or Fantasy Book Do You Want Read At Your Funeral?

Sometimes, a work of fiction can be so powerful, it can speak for you and help you to sum up your own life. Some works are so profound, they become emblematic. And even help speak for you, to the people you’ve left behind. So which work of fiction would you like someone to read from…

Gas Prices, Hurricanes, Bike Porn: What’s Ruining Our Cities This Week

A hurricane is poised to ruin the Atlantic Seaboard’s barbecues this weekend. Gas prices might ruin the rest of the country’s road trips. And over in Madrid, some, ahem, questionable images are ruining the city’s brand-new bike share kiosks. It’s What’s Ruining Our Cities. Happy Independence Day. Hurricane Arthur is ruining North Carolina The first…

Our distant hominid ancestors were far more human-like than we thought. A revision of the human origins timeline shows that many traits, like long limbs, a large brain, and the ability to craft tools, did not arise at the same time. Surprisingly, some traits appeared as long as 3 to 4 million years ago.

It’s not about ideology. It’s about thirst. Analysts in Baghdad say that the outcome of the conflicts in Syria and Iraq may come down to who controls the water supply. The water wars may be just beginning.

Researchers Translate the Meaning of Over 60 Gestures Used by Chimps

In the first systematic study of a non-human primate language, scientists from St. Andrew’s University have deciphered the meaning of 66 wild chimpanzee sign language gestures. Ranging from flirting requests to grooming instructions, the gestures may reveal how language evolves. Top image: Catherine Hobaiter The study, which now appears in Current Biology, shows that wild…

5 Surprising Facts About America’s Favorite Exploding Pastime

Firecrackers are essentially un-American, even though we associate them our most deeply patriotic celebration, the Fourth of July. The fact is that firecrackers are foreign-born novelties, and have been as long as Americans have lit them for a noisy salute to the nation’s birth. As it turns out, firecracker history is as colorful and complicated…

Best Of Science Fiction and Fantasy Art: The Chesley Award Finalists!

Every year, the art world chooses the best science fiction and fantasy illustrations — providing a visual feast for the rest of us. The Chesley Awards just chose its 2014 finalists, and there’s an astonishing wealth of beautiful artworks to spend your afternoon admiring. See for yourself, below. Top image: The Scroll of Years, artwork…

I’m Watching Parts Unknown As a Faux Vacation and So Should You

I’m hooked on Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. It’s the best show on Netflix let alone broadcast TV. It’s as entertaining and escapist as any other garbage fictional show you watch but is actually comprised of real-life, incredibly shot documentary content. Learning was never so much fun. The series focuses on the adventures of the very…

Which Dalek Is Speaking In The New Doctor Who Teaser?

There is a familiar croaking in the latest teaser for Doctor Who’s new season. It sounds like Peter Capaldi will be facing down the Daleks very soon. There’s already some speculation as to who this particular Dalek-sounding character it is. Is it creator of the Daleks, Davros? The Dalek Emperor? The Prime Minister of the…

Endless flood of people looks like real life World War Z

This time-lapse was shot earlier this week in Hong Kong during a demonstration in support of democracy. It shows thousands of protesters walking down one of the main streets of the city in what seems an endless flood of people. SPLOID is a new blog about awesome stuff. Join us on Facebook

This Is How the U.S. Navy Celebrates the Fourth of July

Forget your home-grown fireworks: the U.S. Navy will celebrate with missiles and rockets and guns explosives and flames and smoke. Happy Independence Day! [YouTube]

​And All Of A Sudden, Defiance Is Bonkers Again

You know, for a show with umpteen alien races, crazy metal tentacle gods and psychotic albinos, I still feel like I know where Defiance is going most of the time. But I did not have this problem in last night’s episode. Let’s begin with the boring announcement that Alak has managed to impregnate Christie McCawley,…

Are Cities Evolving Into Hive Organisms?

Today, more than half of the human population lives in hive-like warrens called cities. Does this mean we are on the tipping point of becoming colony animals the way bees and ants did? It’s not entirely impossible. We talked to scientists to find out whether urban humans are evolving into superorganisms. Illustration of hive world…

The Best Fireworks in NYC Might Be This Beloved Illegal Display

Sure, there will be big, corporate-sponsored firework displays tonight in New York City, but the most entertaining show might be found in a neighborhood on the far northwestern tip of Manhattan. A documentary has been made to capture this dramatic display that pits block against block in the ultimate pyrotechnic spitting match. The Incredibly Spectacular…

This Stop-Motion Short Will Take The Pain Of Transformers 4 Away

Worried that you may never enjoy the Transformers again after the inexorable bore that was Age of Extinction? Watch this fantastic stop-motion battle between Optimus Prime and the classic, testicle-free Devastator by Harris Loureiro. You’ll remember why you love these robots in disguise. [Via Geeks Are Sexy]

Nowhere Under the Sea Is Safe from Britain’s Newest Nuclear Submarine

Russia isn’t the only nation launching a nuclear sub hunter after two decades of development. The UK recently rolled the third of seven £1 billion Astute Class nuclear submarines, the HMS Artful, out of its cavernous dry dock for a year of demanding sea trials and a quarter century of service beneath the seas. BAE…

Chrome Will Now Let You Surf In Virtual Reality

Today’s not only a great day for barbecue lovers, it’s also a red letter day for anyone who loved 1992’s The Lawnmower Man and has lamented a future without virtual reality everywhere. According to Google’s Brandon Jones, Chrome, at least the Windows and OS X versions, now support WebVR letting you use virtual reality headsets…

Dominion’s Angels Are All About Pudding And Sex

After two very fast episodes, Dominion slows down to do a little character work, and talk about pudding. Angels like pudding. It’s official: I really like this weird angel show. Spoilers ahead… Okay, so after the big reveal that angels look like humans now — and then the additional reveal that angels are in Vega…

Oklahoma Now Has More Small Earthquakes than California

Oklahoma now produces more small magnitude three earthquakes than California. A new study links four massive injection wells in Oklahoma to a swarm of earthquakes. For once, the wastewater is not related to fracking, the controversial resource extraction technique. Fracking is a petroleum industry technique where high-pressure fluids are used to fracture the bedrock. Afterwards,…