Weird Science #3

In "Troppo umana!", a quiet romance blooms between Andrew Harmon and Miss Landers as they work together to teach an electronic brain. But when the machine starts developing its own feelings for Miss Landers, the line between human emotion and artificial intelligence begins to blur in unexpected ways.

In "Perchè papà se ne andò da casa," a young man named Raymond Williams Jr. finds himself suddenly thrust 25 years into the past, chasing a mystery that has shaped his entire life: why his father vanished shortly after his birth. As he uncovers long-buried truths about his family, the line between past and present begins to blur in ways he never expected.

In "Il baco salta," a stranded spaceship crew encounters a terrifying native predator on a colossal world—a monstrous space worm that preys on them with relentless, unsettling precision. As the crew struggles to survive, the youngest member, Vaughn, begins to grasp the deeper horror not just of the creature’s cruelty, but of the moral weight it forces upon them.

In the quiet chaos of zero gravity aboard the Polaris-B, Captain Dexter struggles to keep his composure—partly from the endless barking of Hawkins’ dog, and partly from the unsettling realization that this mission might be about to upend everything they thought they knew. As the crew approaches the second planet of Polaris, the true nature of alien life begins to unfold in ways no one could have predicted.

In "L'ultimo uomo!", a lone balloonist ascends toward the edge of the atmosphere, chasing a record that suddenly becomes a test of survival. At fifteen miles high, he witnesses an atomic blast that wipes out all life on Earth—only to descend into a silent, ruined world where he discovers a single, unexpected survivor: his sister.

In "L'androide!", a lonely man named Ronald Martin finds himself captivated by his new secretary, Ellen, unaware of her true nature. When a friend proposes building an android of Ron to replace him at home—so he can run away and be with Ellen—Ron agrees, but soon discovers the plan may not be as simple as it seems.

In "Masticati!", a well-meaning farmer’s amateur radio call to the stars sets off a chain of events that brings the military crashing into his quiet life. When alien signals begin to surface, the army scrambles to secure the site—only to discover the truth in the most unexpected way, buried in a brine-soaked hotdog.

In "Risparmiare per il futuro," Dr. Brewster’s revolutionary serum 129-A offers a way to freeze time—literally. When Lloyd and his lover, desperate to escape his wife’s refusal to divorce, use the serum to sleep through the centuries, they awaken to a future that seems perfect—until a hidden consequence begins to unfold, threatening everything they’ve come to know.

In the year 2963, Jerome Kraft lands on a distant planet with only four years of supplies and a mission to catalog life forms. As he heals the sick and feeds the hungry with his advanced knowledge, the local people begin to see him as a divine savior. When the high priest declares his miracles heresy and demands he serve only the wealthy, Jerome stands firm in his belief that science and compassion should be shared. Centuries later, a new expedition arrives to find a civilization built on the legacy of a man who once walked among them—his name now a sacred symbol etched into the necks of the faithful.

In "Dì le tue preghiere," two intelligent, human-sized preying mantises arrive on Earth to study the planet and plan an invasion—only to be utterly terrified when they encounter a photo of a bug collector’s pinned mantis specimens. Convinced that Earth is overrun by giant predators who hunt their kind, they hastily retreat, leaving behind their mission and their fear.

In "Ci saranno dei cambiamenti!", a group of space explorers lands on the mysterious planet Gastropodia, where they encounter its unique inhabitants—humanoid hermaphroditic snails who retreat into shell-like igloos when frightened. Commander Morrison, captivated by the graceful Luwana, finds himself torn between duty and desire as he contemplates staying behind to marry her, unaware of the planet’s true nature and the profound changes that await.

In "Crimine interno!", a string of bizarre deaths among notorious criminals—each found without a heart, lung, or stomach—mirrors the sudden recovery of critically ill patients whose ailments involved those same organs. When the authorities summon the enigmatic Smedley Throbbins, they learn the shocking truth: he manipulated the fourth dimension to perform miraculous, invisible surgeries, transplanting organs without a single incision. His solution? To vanish into another dimension, leaving no trace and no justice.

In the year 2152, a group of aliens abduct a man, steal his brain, and study his thoughts to plan Earth's conquest—only to be misled by his delusions. Believing he’s Napoleon Bonaparte, the man’s fractured mind paints a picture of a primitive, warlike Earth from the early 1800s, prompting the aliens to launch an attack. Earth’s defense forces respond with ease, dismantling the alien ship before they realize the truth: the man they studied was a mental patient, and their entire strategy was based on a hallucination.

In "Gli eredi della Terra," a nuclear leak transforms rats into intelligent, bipedal beings who speak English and wear clothes. As a pair of scientists experiment with a time machine, they uncover a future where these evolved rats have not only replaced humanity but also eliminated cats—leaving behind a world utterly reshaped by rodent dominance.

In "Marziani!", a team of Earth explorers lands on a desolate Mars, only to uncover an ancient city buried beneath the red sands. As they explore the ruins, they encounter a haunting hologram of an Earthman battling a Martian creature—only to realize, with growing unease, that they’re trapped inside a forgotten film.

In "Cattività," two mineralogists make a startling discovery in Monument Valley—uranium—only to be flung into a steamy prehistoric jungle after a generator explosion. Stranded in a world where ancient beasts roam and alien visitors arrive in a spaceship, they soon realize they’re not just lost in time, but trapped in a vast galactic zoo where their own ancestors are the prey.

In "Errore di calcolo," Melvin, a lonely man yearning for connection, receives a mysterious package from the year 2952—unasked for, unexplained, and utterly impossible. Inside lies a De Lux Personal Harem Kit, its five dehydrated companions a surreal promise of love and companionship from a future he never imagined.

In "Strada pericolosa!", a group of humans finds themselves imprisoned on a strange alien world, forced to eat endlessly by grotesque horse-like beings who treat them like livestock. When a cowboy among them warns his companions of their grim fate, they dismiss him—until they’re herded into a sealed room, realizing too late the truth of his words.

In "Bloccati a terra," a scientist uncovers a chilling truth behind the sudden wave of airplane crashes plaguing America—aliens are sabotaging human progress to keep us grounded. When he tries to expose their interference, they silence him with a swift, terrifying display of power, leaving the world wondering who—or what—is really in control.

In "Nato dallo spazio!", a newlywed couple’s interstellar honeymoon takes a shocking turn when Enid’s health fails during flight, forcing them to land on an alien world where she can’t endure another launch. While Lon returns to Earth for supplies, he encounters a mysterious being he fatally attacks—only to uncover a devastating truth about the creature’s nature.

In "Chi è l'erede," a desperate Seymour makes a dangerous deal with a mysterious relative from 2046, hoping to secure wealth and win Helen’s hand in marriage. With a twisted plan to alter the past, he sets in motion a chain of events that quickly spirals beyond his control.

In a bizarre twist of democracy, a nation disillusioned with politics catapults a beloved handpuppet named Allie—star of the children’s show *The Cuckoo, Fan, and Allie Show*—into the presidency. But when Allie’s puppeteer begins to lose control, the truth emerges: the puppet is a parasitic alligator creature using the show’s popularity to launch a secret invasion, turning a viral joke into a real threat.