That's not a happy rocket-launch picture. South Korea lost contact with its Naro-1 rocket right after launch, and the Koreans believe it exploded at 43 miles. The Koreans were attempting to launch a scientific satellite to cope with climate change. More »Source : io9 (subscribe)

On the west coast of India, near the city of Mumbai, lies a tortured landscape. Faults score the ground, earthquakes are rife, and boiling water oozes up from below forming countless hot springs.These are testaments to a traumatic history. More »Source : io9 (subscribe)

A 1973 letter from Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry to a fan is worth reading. He explains that Trek had no "magic formula" other than focusing on people. And Spock looked like the Devil because it was "provocative to women." More »Source : io9 (subscribe)Explore :...

Even though we heard reports last week that the Voltron movie had been put down, the producers say there's still life in this old mecha kitty yet. In fact they claim they're very close to hiring a screenwriter. [ MTV ] More »Source : io9 (subscribe)Explore : Screenwriters

Now that young-adult fiction is where most of great dystopian stories are being told, there are two awesome discussions going on. Kaitlin Ward asks what's the difference between dystopian and apocalyptic fiction . And Angie Smibert wonders where the utopias are . More »Source : io9 (subscribe)

The family of a 17-year-old teenager has accused the Oscar-winner of being rough with the boy after he snapped photographs of the actress and her sons outside a movie theater.Source : MSNBC.com (subscribe)

When it comes to special events and family entertainment in Denver, the word is value. That fact has become abundantly clear lately, at least to promoters whose job is to pinpoint what we will go for here.Source : Denver Post (subscribe)

Dennis Antinori's guide to Larry Niven's Ringworld teems with information about its specs, but that's not all. There's also the equivalent of Google maps for Ringworld — it even lets you zoom in on key locations. Awesome. [ Ringworld , via Metafilter ] More »Source : io9 (subscribe)Explore :...

Before you watch Sunday's season premiere of True Blood , you may be wondering who all these sexy new faces are? Here's a round up of all the new supernatural characters who are ready to take their clothes off. Spoilers ahead... More »Source : io9 (subscribe)

Space might be the final frontier, but science fiction has always harbored a fascination with worlds under the waves. Here are 11 great examples of scifi's submerged cities. More »Source : io9 (subscribe)

Sharks are already scary enough, what with their razory teeth and evolutionarily honed hunting mojo. But this monster has a retractable jaw. A retractable effing jaw. You're welcome, nightmares. More »Source : io9 (subscribe)

McG made one truly great movie — Charlie's Angels is a masterpiece, one I'll defend with my dying breath. And after watching The A-Team , I was reminded that Hollywood could still take some lessons from McG on making nostalgia porn. More »Source : io9 (subscribe)Explore : Charlie's Angels,...

Studio Ghibli, founded by beloved animator Hayao Miyazaki ( Spirited Away, Ponyo ), has just released this teaser for its adaptation of Mary Norton's classic novel The Borrowers . It's about miniature people who survive by "borrowing" food and shelter from oblivious families. More...

While we're sad Guillermo Del Toro left The Hobbit , we're excited to see what he'll make next. People are speculating that GDT's next move might be a Van Helsing picture, only not horrible like the previous Helsing flick. More »Source : io9 (subscribe)Explore : Cinema, Directors, Guillermo del...

A box recently sealed in a vault in the Swiss Alps contains tools for future users to reconstruct defunct file formats and retrieve otherwise lost information. But how does it work? We spoke with the project's leaders to find out. More »Source : io9 (subscribe)

Godzilla has been a classic for years, but now he finally gets classical in this mashup by artist Andrew Leipzig, aka Zig. From Stormtrooper Mona Lisas to zombie pastorals, Zig has specialized in putting geek icons into fine art. More »Source : io9 (subscribe)

For an Absolut-sponsored mural in Rome, artist Ron English took another look at Pablo Picasso's landmark commentary on the horrors of the Spanish Civil War, by reimagining it as an x-ray. Still horrific, in a whole new way. [ Geekosystem ] More »Source : io9 (subscribe)

Sad that you never got a chance to properly say goodbye to Better Off Ted ? Well you may have your chance after all. If the NBA finals end in the next two games, ABC will air the never-before-seen final episodes. More »Source : io9 (subscribe)Explore : Basketball, NBA Finals

Thanks to a deft faux trailer edited together by Jaron Pitts — using footage from Avatar , Resident Evil , and The Island — Warner Bros. hired the writer of Shutter Island to adapt this little-seen Serbian animated scifi thriller. More »Source : io9 (subscribe)Explore : Warner Bros.

Here's a little bit of lunacy to round out your week. We give you Batman, pregnant with Superman's child. [via Eat Liver via TheDailyWhat ] More »Source : io9 (subscribe)