Annalee Newitz, Author at Gizmodo

The first pictures of a methane rainstorm and floods on Titan

Titan’s thick atmosphere, sand dunes, and methane lakes make it a world whose geography could be very Earthlike – albeit cold and poisonous. And now astronomers believe this moon of Saturn has seasonal rainstorms and flooding, too. Here’s the evidence. What you’re seeing in this picture is most likely the aftermath of an enormous rainstorm…

io9 Annalee Newitz Mar 17

Why do birds collide with power lines?

Birds often run into objects that seem obvious to humans, like poles or wind turbines. In France, it’s estimated that 25 percent of young storks die from running into power lines. Why does this happen, and what’s the solution? Ecologist Graham Martin, an expert in bird vision, wanted to find out. He examined the problem…

io9 Annalee Newitz Mar 17

How to make a book fetishist fall in lust with an e-book reader

I am a book fetishist. I love the feel of an old book, its soft pages and slightly musty smell. The frayed edges of its hard cover. And I love the starchy slab of a new paperback. How can decidedly unsexy e-book readers ever quench my book lust? Well, it turns out that they can…

io9 Annalee Newitz Mar 16

The explosions that never stop, in our galactic neighborhood

The stellar nursery NGC 6729 is packed with young, super hot stars that blow huge jets of material far into space, creating this insane, illuminated cloud that is shaped by shock waves. This picture was taken by the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope, and is color-enhanced. Hydrogen is shown as orange and glowing ionized…

io9 Annalee Newitz Mar 16

Where to get a cheap unicorn in the Pacific

One of the big questions you’ve probably had recently is where you’ll get a decently-priced unicorn. They’re essential, but who can afford one? Ed Geronia, who took this shot in Manila’s Mandaluyong City, tells io9 via email: We have so many unicorns in the Philippines, sometimes we pawn them for cold hard cash. Well, there…

io9 Annalee Newitz Mar 16

io9 Book Club Reminder: We’ve got free epub copies of God’s War, this month’s selection

The io9 Book Club meets once per month to discuss a book, then chat with the author. In March, we’re meeting on the 29th to discuss God’s War by Kameron Hurley. We also have free epub copies of the book for you! Watch for a post on the 29th announcing the book club, and jump…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz Mar 15

A throbbing morass of meaninglessness on The Event

Last night on The Event, we learned many things that we already knew, watched people not tell each other things, and saw that President Martinez has really weird bondage dreams about Sophia. Narrative train wrecks and spoilers ahead! Let’s just get the bulk of the episode out of the way by enumerating . . .…

io9 Annalee Newitz Mar 15

The most extraordinary view you’ve ever seen of a supernova’s destructive power

Hubble telescope has captured this incredible, highly-detailed shot of the Tarantula Nebula, which is an enormous, many-legged cloud of dust created by multiple supernovae – one of which was visible from Earth back in the 17th century. Many new, hot stars burn in the heart of the nebula, ionizing its gas and giving it that…

io9 Annalee Newitz Mar 15

“Tornado Alley” will take you to the eye of the storm, in IMAX

Ever wanted to drive a death-proof tank into the middle of a tornado and film the whole thing from behind a layer of safety glass? That’s just what happens in forthcoming IMAX extravaganza Tornado Alley, filmed mostly in Kansas during storm season. Now you can see it in eye-peeling IMAX in New York’s American Museum…

io9 Annalee Newitz Mar 15

Now you can watch Isaac Asimov’s unaired science show

In the two years before he died, Asimov was prepping a TV series about the thin line between science and science fiction – and how we need to embrace the future. Now you can see footage from it for free online. According to Maria Popova on Brainpickings: Two years before his death, Asimov recorded a…

io9 Annalee Newitz Mar 15

A beautiful but creepy vision of the “smart glass” future

Materials mnufacturer Corning put together a futurist video last month called “A Day Made Of Glass,” which has spiraled into stratospheric popularity on YouTube. The premise of the video is that we’re about to live in an era of ubiquitous touchscreens (made with glass) and smart windows (made of glass) as well as appliances like…

io9 Annalee Newitz Mar 14

What can science fiction tell us about the future of social media?

Right now, you are reading a piece of social media. That means it’s designed to be passed around on social networks – though it appears on io9.com, can easily be transplanted to Facebook, Twitter, Stumble Upon, and dozens of others. Or it can be converted to email or a text message you can pass along…

io9 Annalee Newitz Mar 14

Does “Source Code” live up to Duncan Jones’ first movie, “Moon”?

When Duncan Jones’ indie SF tale of a lonely clone on the Moon hit theaters back in 2008, it was a revelation. It proved that science fiction didn’t need elaborate special effects to pack a punch – great ideas and inspired acting worked better than millions of dollars of CGI. The big question was whether…

io9 Annalee Newitz Mar 14

The 10 best tweets from South By Star Wars

The South by Southwest festival started over the weekend with events devoted to the world of interactive media, which meant a lot of tweeting and foursquaring and other verbs based on annoying startup names with too many consonants. But luckily there was a conference on another world that we could escape to – a conference…

io9 Annalee Newitz Mar 14

What orchids and corpses have in common

Though orchids are considered some of the most beautiful flowers in the world, their scent has evolved over eons to precisely emulate the smell of a dead body. In fact, according to biologists, orchids emit an odor extremely similar to roadkill. Why would flowers need to stink of death? Photo by Maroš Markovic/Shutterstock In a…

io9 Annalee Newitz Mar 14

“Red Riding Hood” director Catherine Hardwicke: Werewolves create Homeland Security

This afternoon we had a chance to sit down with director Catherine Hardwicke at the South by Southwest conference. She was here to talk about her new film Red Riding Hood, and she spilled a few hints about science fiction projects she’s working on next. io9: One of the elements of Red Riding Hood that…

io9 Annalee Newitz Mar 12

A sneak peek at Temeraire author Naomi Novik’s first foray into superhero manga

We’ve loved Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series, an alternate history where the Napoleonic Wars fought with dragons. Novik continues to work on Temeraire books, but she’s also taken some time out to create a manga-style superhero high school comic book series. We’ve got 9 exclusive pages from the first volume, “Will Supervillains Be On The Final?”…

io9 Annalee Newitz Mar 11

Red Riding Hood is a mean, naughty fairy tale that’s fun as hell

Red Riding Hood, the new film from Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke, retells the classic story with dysfunctional medieval families and werewolves. Spiked with a witty, goth-girl bitchiness, this flick goes over the top into awesome. Sometimes this flick feels like a love letter to Team Jacob. At last, the girl can be alone with werewolf,…

io9 Annalee Newitz Mar 11

Two new building materials that could defend cities against earthquakes and floods

Imagine if bridges were made with cement that could repair itself in an earthquake. And ships were coated in a protective shell that could patch itself if damaged by debris. We’re closer than you think. Here are two kinds of self-healing materials that could revolutionize the way we build cities and vehicles. Illustration by Sergey150770/Shutterstock…

io9 Annalee Newitz Mar 11

What the aliens had to say to Woody Allen about his movies

In classic Woody Allen flick Stardust Memories, the comedian plays a famous comedian who is sick of doing funny stuff and starts making serious art movies. Unfortunately, the only reason anybody ever liked his work was because he was funny. Including these aliens that he meets out in the woods, who remind him that not…

io9 Annalee Newitz Mar 10

Annalee Newitz

The first pictures of a methane rainstorm and floods on Titan

Why do birds collide with power lines?

How to make a book fetishist fall in lust with an e-book reader

The explosions that never stop, in our galactic neighborhood

Where to get a cheap unicorn in the Pacific

io9 Book Club Reminder: We’ve got free epub copies of God’s War, this month’s selection

A throbbing morass of meaninglessness on The Event

The most extraordinary view you’ve ever seen of a supernova’s destructive power

“Tornado Alley” will take you to the eye of the storm, in IMAX

Now you can watch Isaac Asimov’s unaired science show

A beautiful but creepy vision of the “smart glass” future

What can science fiction tell us about the future of social media?

Does “Source Code” live up to Duncan Jones’ first movie, “Moon”?

The 10 best tweets from South By Star Wars

What orchids and corpses have in common

“Red Riding Hood” director Catherine Hardwicke: Werewolves create Homeland Security

A sneak peek at Temeraire author Naomi Novik’s first foray into superhero manga

Red Riding Hood is a mean, naughty fairy tale that’s fun as hell

Two new building materials that could defend cities against earthquakes and floods

What the aliens had to say to Woody Allen about his movies

Artemis 2 Day 6: Follow the Mission With Our Live Updates 🔴

Anonymous Sources Detail Sam Altman’s Alleged Untrustworthiness in New Report

Steven Spielberg Still Wants to Make a Horror Film ‘Someday’

Waymo Has Stopped Testing Its Robotaxis in New York City and No One Knows What Happens Next

Samsung Pushes Monitor Deals Further, the 34″ ViewFinity Hits a Record Low at Nearly 40% Off

The Best Anti-Meta Smart Glasses Are About to Have Tough Competition

The Artemis 2 Mission Is Leaning in on the ‘Project Hail Mary’ Love

Here’s How Many Americans Have Ever Thought About Shooting Someone Else

As Meta Flounders, It Reportedly Plans to Open Source Its New AI Models

Insignia 65-Inch 4K UHD Smart Fire TV Matches Black Friday Pricing at Nearly 40% Off, Big Screen at Portable Monitor Prices

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound