Aliens

Trippy Lamps Capture Martians Going At Their Favorite Pastime

These UFO Abduction Lamps made by Jason Dietz sport some nifty tractor beam effects. Using a mix of glass, 10 gallons of water, and an air pump, cows float up along the base. See the video after the jump. [Make]

Tech News Kevin Lee May 6

Russia Investigating Whether or Not Regional President Gave State Secrets to Aliens

Russian regional president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov claims he was abducted by aliens. Now, a Russian MP has asked President Dmitry Medvedev to investigate his claims to make sure he didn’t give any state secrets to the space visitors. MP Andre Lebedev is not just asking whether Mr Ilyumzhinov is fit to govern. He is also concerned…

Space & Spaceflight Adam Frucci May 6

We’ll Only Find Extraterrestrial Life If We Know What We’re Looking For

Our probes and landers still look for life “as we know it.” But we’re already aware that even terrestrial life goes beyond what we once considered possible. We should use that experience, or we may literally step on alien life. Extraterrestrial life is a staple of SF and the focus of astrobiology and SETI. Yet…

io9 Athena Andreadis - Science In My Fiction Apr 28

The Classic Alien Won’t Appear In Ridley Scott’s Prequels At All

The acid-blood sleek-skinned aliens dreamed up by H.R. Giger and Ridley Scott are among the most memorable creature designs in movie history. But Scott says they’re “worn out” thanks to endless sequels, and they won’t be in his new prequels. In an interview with Screen Daily, the director revealed that he has plans to redesign…

Movies Meredith Woerner Apr 27

Will Spielberg’s New Alien Invasion Show Right The Wrongs Of War Of The Worlds?

Steven Spielberg is the executive producer for Untitled Alien Invasion Project, a one-hour TV drama slated to air on TNT. What’s Spielberg’s show about? ER’s Noah Wyle and Moon Bloodgood of Terminator Salvation, on the run from victorious alien conquerors. In the script for Spielberg’s upcoming alien show, intergalactic invaders have kicked humanity’s collective keister.…

Television Cyriaque Lamar Apr 27

Jazz Age Scientists Imagined Life on Mars on the Cover of the New York Times

Stephen Hawking is just the latest immensely respected scientist to posit life on other worlds: Back in 1912, Edmond Perrier, director of Paris’ Museum of the Jardin des Plantes, did the same thing in the New York Times Magazine. https://gizmodo.com/stephen-hawking-admits-that-aliens-will-probably-fuck-u-5524727 Here’s an introduction to Perrier and his work that one could easily find applicable to…

io9 Marc Bernardin Apr 27

What Sick John Carpenter Moments Will The Thing Prequel Explain?

After being called in to rewrite the prequel to John Carpenter’s The Thing from scratch, screenwriter Eric Heisserer had a huge task ahead of him. Find out what’s getting fleshed out about Carpenter’s snowy science lab, and what’s left out. While doing press for Nightmare on Elm Street, in theaters this Friday, Heisserer gave us…

Movies Meredith Woerner Apr 26

If Aliens Have Built Dyson Spheres Or Ringworlds Nearby, How Would We Detect Them?

The old approach to finding alien life, looking for radio signals, may be played out. New approaches are getting a lot more public attention, judging from a new Economist article and Paul Davies’ new book, The Eerie Silence. Sub-titled ‘Renewing Our Search for Alien Intelligence,’ Davies’ book is making accessible to the general public the…

io9 Paul Gilster - Centauri Dreams Apr 26

Stephen Hawking Admits that Aliens Will Probably Fuck Us Up

The world’s most famous living scientist has confirmed what science fiction filmmakers have postulated since the beginning of cinema: There is life out there in the cosmos, and it would most likely smash us to atoms. In film after film, novel after novel, first contact with an alien intelligence usually hasn’t ended particularly well for…

io9 Marc Bernardin Apr 26

Ridley Scott Plans Not Just One, But Two Alien Prequels

Ridley Scott won’t have enough room in just one Alien prequel to would solve the mystery behind the infamous Space Jockey and chill us all over again. He’s decided there should be two prequels, both of them in 3-D. https://gizmodo.com/ridley-scott-says-alien-prequel-will-have-a-new-female-5522667 While director Scott has been doing his interview rounds for Robin Hood, tons of Alien…

Movies Meredith Woerner Apr 26

Stephen Hawking’s Tips for Contacting E.T: Everyone Please Just STFU

Stephen Hawking, brilliant scientist, has a simple message for humanity when it comes to contacting E.T.: Shut up. No, really. The pessimistic view arrives alongside his new documentary, wherein he warns we’d be the Native Americans to aliens’ Chris Columbus. Unpleasant! But realistic, in Hawking’s mathematical mind, especially if we look inward when we imagine…

Space & Spaceflight Jack Loftus Apr 25

Ridley Scott Says Alien Prequel Will Have A New Female Hero — And Maybe New Giger Designs!

Ridley Scott says his new prequel to his seminal 1979 space-horror film Alien is definitely happening, and he’s going to talk to venerable designer H.R. Giger about some new creature designs. And he drops some plot details. Spoilers ahead… According to Scott, he’s looking at the fourth draft of the movie’s script now, and the…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Apr 23

Cameron’s Next Project May Not Be Avatar 2 Or Battle Angel

James Cameron’s keeping his options open, according to his longtime producer Jon Landau: He may not direct an Avatar sequel or Battle Angel next. Landau also explained to us how Cameron might do underwater motion-capture for Avatar 2’s ocean scenes. We were lucky enough to get several minutes on the phone with Landau, who’s doing…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Apr 22

Teens Survive Weird Ordeal With UFO That Levitated Their Car

Two teens in New Hampshire claim they were sitting innocently in their car, when a UFO levitated their entire vehicle, moved it 180 feet, then dropped it. The car does look beaten up. But was it aliens? Here’s their story. The encounter took place earlier this week. Above, you can see a picture of the…

io9 Annalee Newitz Apr 22

Professor Campaigns For UFO College Courses

Anthropology Professor Haseley at Niagara County Community College wants UFO courses taught in college. As long as the class meets in a giant field in the middle of the night, we’re registering. Will the school provide night vision goggles? [AOL]

io9 Meredith Woerner Apr 21

The iPad vs. Alien Apocalypse

I’m not sure how to respond to this other than: I can only hope that the iPad destroys us all, painfully. [xkcd]

Tech News Mark Wilson Apr 16

Finding Aliens With a Continent-Spanning Observatory

LOFAR, a network of 44 stations of antennae spread across Europe, is only half complete, yet it’s already giving researchers unparalleled images of distant black holes. Soon it’ll be used by SETI to search for aliens on rarely-explored superlow frequencies. LOFAR’s far flung stations independently collect data that is then composited by a supercomputer. The…

Space & Spaceflight Kyle VanHemert Apr 15

Topher Grace And His Tiny Knife Vs. The Predators: Who Wins?

The latest character video for Robert Rodriguez’s Predators is out. This time it’s all about Topher Grace’s psychotic character Edwin, who’s armed only with a scalpel. How is this guy not Predator kibble? Predators So let’s sort this whole video out — warning, spoilers ahead. If Edwin is a doctor and stuck on a planet…

Movies Meredith Woerner Apr 13

Great Moments In Alternate History: First Contact

Alien fleets, rayguns and…Winston Churchill? Sure, we haven’t met any aliens yet in our timeline (or they’re being very discreet about close encounters), but alternate history authors won’t let that stop them. First contact isn’t just for the future anymore! Harry Turtledove is, as usual, all over this alternate history trope and his Tosev timeline…

Books & Comics David Daw Apr 11

V Actor Promises The Resistance Will Get More Competent Soon

Are we going to be witnessing the last temptation of Father Jack soon? Actor Joel Gretsch talked to us about fighting aliens, struggling with his faith, and being tempted by the fruit of another. Spoilers ahead… We were huge fans of Gretsch from his role as Tom Baldwin on The 4400, the previous show from…

Television Charlie Jane Anders Apr 9

Trippy Lamps Capture Martians Going At Their Favorite Pastime

Russia Investigating Whether or Not Regional President Gave State Secrets to Aliens

We’ll Only Find Extraterrestrial Life If We Know What We’re Looking For

The Classic Alien Won’t Appear In Ridley Scott’s Prequels At All

Will Spielberg’s New Alien Invasion Show Right The Wrongs Of War Of The Worlds?

Jazz Age Scientists Imagined Life on Mars on the Cover of the New York Times

What Sick John Carpenter Moments Will The Thing Prequel Explain?

If Aliens Have Built Dyson Spheres Or Ringworlds Nearby, How Would We Detect Them?

Stephen Hawking Admits that Aliens Will Probably Fuck Us Up

Ridley Scott Plans Not Just One, But Two Alien Prequels

Stephen Hawking’s Tips for Contacting E.T: Everyone Please Just STFU

Ridley Scott Says Alien Prequel Will Have A New Female Hero — And Maybe New Giger Designs!

Cameron’s Next Project May Not Be Avatar 2 Or Battle Angel

Teens Survive Weird Ordeal With UFO That Levitated Their Car

Professor Campaigns For UFO College Courses

The iPad vs. Alien Apocalypse

Finding Aliens With a Continent-Spanning Observatory

Topher Grace And His Tiny Knife Vs. The Predators: Who Wins?

Great Moments In Alternate History: First Contact

V Actor Promises The Resistance Will Get More Competent Soon

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