Look, fans of the ALIEN franchisewe need to have a chest-to-chest for a minute. Its getting harder and harder to love the movies if youre a giant science nerd, like me. For the last 40 years,the movies have been getting more and more hung up on the biology of the original xenomorph (yes, small x), as have we nerds, and now its all a mess. What is the black goo? Where did the first facehugger come from? Alien: Covenant is the latest film to try and sort it all out, but audiences are still confused. So lets fix that. Lets look at every ALIEN film ever madelook to the quotes from the people who actually made the moviesand produce the longest-ever Because Science to create the definitive, conclusive xenomorph life cycle. Maybe. I hope. In my latest Because Science, Ive gone a bit crazy trying to link every chestburster with every hybrid with every egg. If you look at the original conception of the monsters from ALIEN and ALIENS, the life cycle was very straightforward. ALIEN writer Dan OBannon and director Ridley Scott were fascinated by the biology of parasitoid waspsparalyzing prey, laying eggs on/in them, and cocooning bothand so … Continue reading →

On Sunday night's episode of Last Week Tonight, John Oliver targeted the coal industry. Now they are striking back. In the episode, he pleaded with President Trump to "stop lying to coal miners" about his ability to revive the shrinking industry. Oliver also targetedBob Murray, the notoriously litigious CEO of Murray Energy, even though he knew he was likely to be sued for doing so, as the company sent the show a cease-and-desist order before the episode even aired. Murray runs the country's largest privately owned coal company, Murray Energy Corporation, and has sued media companies in the past, including recently filing a libel suit againstthe New York Times.Despite that cautionary tale, on the June 18 episode of Last Week Tonight,Oliver said Murray doesn't do enough to protect his miners' safety. He illustrated that point witha government report that concluded thatthe collapse of one of Murray's mines in Utah, which killed nine people, was due tounauthorized mining practices, while Murray claims the collapse actually happened because of an earthquake. A legal complaint filed on June 21 in the circuit court of Marshall County, West Virginia, states thatOliver and his team "executed a meticulously planned attempt to assassinate the character of … Continue reading →

UPDATED: Thu., June 22, 2017, 5:37 p.m. Rogers High School. Members of the class of 2017 who failed the biology assessment test but had all other requirements to graduate will get their diplomas, after lawmakers agreed to de-link that test from graduation requirements through 2021. (Colin Mulvany / The Spokesman-Review) OLYMPIA High school seniors who failed to pass a biology assessment test this year are likely holding their breath and crossing their fingers, wondering if their diplomas will materialize. The verdict is in, and they can breathe out and uncross. Odds are pretty good theyll be full-fledged high school graduates in a couple weeks, thanks to a deal legislators announced Thursday that makes changes to the testing system. If you havent passed your math or English language assessment test, however, youll still need to do more to get that diploma. Members of the class of 2017 who failed the biology assessment test but had all other requirements to graduate will get their diplomas. Lawmakers agreed to de-link that test from graduation requirements through 2021. Those who didnt pass the math or English assessment test will have more chances to demonstrate they are proficient in those subjects. Starting in 2019, those … Continue reading →