Annalee Newitz, Author at Gizmodo

How to create the biggest mudslide you’ve ever seen

It’s landslide season. Just in time for the mud rampages, a group of geophysicists have released a series of videos showing how to create the worst mudslides imaginable. The key? Water pressure. Image by Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press A team of researchers used an outdoor lab called the USGS Debris-Flow Flume, which is a 95-meter-long slide.…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 20

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Tron

The only things we’ll be thinking about this weekend are light cycles, Quorra’s glowing latex outfit, and bio-digital jazz, man. Want to know more about the Tron: Legacy back story, special effects, and what the filmmakers told us? Start here. Reviews and backgrounders 7 Awesome Facts You Need To Know About Tron: Legacy https://gizmodo.com/7-awesome-facts-you-need-to-know-about-tron-legacy-5709777 Positive…

Movies Annalee Newitz Dec 18

“Rare Exports” is the most disturbingly awesome Christmas movie ever

Finnish flick Rare Exports is one of those dark, weird monster movies that keeps getting more hilarious – and more evil. The fact that it’s about Santa Claus makes it all the more awesome. Set in the bleak, snowy landscape at the border between Finland and Russia, the movie starts as a simple tale of…

Movies Annalee Newitz Dec 17

Totally Radical: A Microhistory of 1980s Science Fiction

In the 1980s, science fiction ruled over everything. Most of the biggest movies and books of the decade were scifi, and cyberpunk became the era’s pop aesthetic. Here’s how the 1980s changed the genre forever. Image above is from the 80s film Liquid Sky. Cyberpunk When people look back on science fiction aesthetics from the…

Movies Annalee Newitz Dec 17

Cyborg bees, and 100 more of the coolest science stories of the year

Discover magazine has just compiled its annual overview of 100 great science stories from the past year, highlighting everything from these cyborg bees, to robotic skin and a lost city discovered in China. You can read the full list via Discover.

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 17

Reports of pyrokinesis in a Chilean town

Fires have been breaking out mysteriously in the home of a Chilean family, and affecting other people in their neighborhood too. Officials say they saw a wallet burst into flame for no apparent reason when they visited the house. Inexplicata reports: Residents of a house in the locality of Chiñigue are completely dumbfounded by the…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 17

The glowing shell that remains after a binary star supernova

This delicate red bubble of gas floats in a small galaxy about 160,000 light years from Earth. Its the result of an extraordinary supernova, caused by a binary star system where one star consumes the other – then explodes. According to NASA: The pristine shell, or bubble, is the result of gas that is being…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 17

Relish 33 tales of dystopia in the new anthology “Brave New Worlds”

What better time to reflect on the many faces of dystopia than during this season of forced cheer and celebratory masks? That’s why we’re reading io9 podcast host John Joseph Adams’ latest anthology, Brave New Worlds. Here’s an excerpt. John’s put up a website where you can learn more about the book, as well as…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz Dec 16

Unshocking news about Tron Guy

Apparently, Tron Guy absolutely loved Tron Legacy. Hey, at least one person liked it.

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 16

The little show that came back from the dead

Cult favorite CW show Supernatural was only supposed to have five seasons, ending with Lucifer and the archangel Michael in an Apocalypse smackdown. But it came back for a sixth season coda. Here’s why you should be watching. Spoilers! Last Friday, Supernatural’s mid-season finale “Appointment in Samarra” was a perfect example of what this show…

Television Annalee Newitz Dec 16

Why the future needs danger

In a tremendously interesting essay, futurist Jamais Cascio argues that fear of the future is crucial to predicting what will come next. In fact, we can’t think meaningfully about tomorrow without acknowledging that it might spell our doom. Cascio writes: In religious study, an explanation of how an all-powerful deity that claims to love us…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 16

New advice on how to deal with a terrorist nuke attack

The Obama Administration has some simple advice for Americans, who could be subject to a surprise nuke attack from terrorists at any time. Says the New York Times: The government has a surprising new message: Do not flee. Get inside any stable building and don’t come out till officials say it’s safe. The advice is…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 15

io9’s Ultra-Futuristic Science Fiction Gift Guide

The holidays are coming right up, and you’re still trying to figure out what the heck to get for friends and family. Don’t panic! We’ve got gift guides for everything from the best DVD sets, to the coolest nerd t-shirts. Image by the incredible Dan McPharlin (text added by io9). Know somebody with a Star…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 15

How can a combination of two great things – sex and space – be so awful?

This is the worst and weirdest article about sex in space you’ll ever read.

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 15

Polar bears may survive global warming after all

Many have mourned the plight of polar bears, whose habitat is literally melting away as the ice caps shrink. But several new predictions from geophysicists show that the bears may be frolicking on huge regions of ice for centuries. Nature News reports from this week’s Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco: Stephanie Pfirman, an environmental…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 15

This is the material that future sunglasses will be made of

This glowing green shell belongs to a species of “clusterwink snail” that lives in the ocean. Its special molecular composition makes it the perfect material to filter light. Already, scientists are thinking about ways to manufacture it for this purpose. The snail that lives inside this shell has the power to glow, and it illuminates…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 15

Hackerpocalypse reveals that io9 commenters like scifi in their passwords

While we scramble to change our passwords and get accounts working again in the wake of the massive security breach at Gawker Media, the Wall Street Journal has turned our pain into an infographic. I’m one of those people who deals with trauma by making jokes, and this list is actually pretty funny. But please…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 14

HIV Cure?

Has this man been cured of HIV? Doctors say yes. [via AIDSmap]

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 14

The ships of the air are dilapidated but graceful

These ships float over the cities and seashores scouting for anything that can be turned into fuel. They may not look like much, but you’ll be glad to have one when you run into trouble – or need gas. Ian McQue is a concept artist in Edinburgh who has created a series of images featuring…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 14

Hey, why not try the Necronomicon?

This hilarious short film is a cross between Lovecraftian madness and a pharmaceutical ad or a Mormonism commercial. It will have you snickering for days. This movie was created by writer/director Joseph Nanni, curator of the aptly-named Bad Advice For Good Times production company. Check out Nanni’s YouTube channel to see more of his work.…

Movies Annalee Newitz Dec 13

Annalee Newitz

How to create the biggest mudslide you’ve ever seen

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Tron

“Rare Exports” is the most disturbingly awesome Christmas movie ever

Totally Radical: A Microhistory of 1980s Science Fiction

Cyborg bees, and 100 more of the coolest science stories of the year

Reports of pyrokinesis in a Chilean town

The glowing shell that remains after a binary star supernova

Relish 33 tales of dystopia in the new anthology “Brave New Worlds”

Unshocking news about Tron Guy

The little show that came back from the dead

Why the future needs danger

New advice on how to deal with a terrorist nuke attack

io9’s Ultra-Futuristic Science Fiction Gift Guide

How can a combination of two great things – sex and space – be so awful?

Polar bears may survive global warming after all

This is the material that future sunglasses will be made of

Hackerpocalypse reveals that io9 commenters like scifi in their passwords

HIV Cure?

The ships of the air are dilapidated but graceful

Hey, why not try the Necronomicon?

Crypto Project Details Alleged 6-Month North Korean Intel Op Behind $285 Million Hack

Crypto Investment Scams Were the Most Costly Type of Fraud in the U.S. in 2025

This $1.78/mo VPN Shouldn’t Be This Good: Surfshark’s Deal That Feels Illegal

Dropbox Is a Joke: Get pCloud Family at $1,550 Off With Free Password Manager

Someone Finally Took a Good iPhone Photo of the Moon. Good Luck Copying Their Trick

In Letter, OpenAI Reportedly Says Elon Musk and Meta Are Coordinating ‘Attacks’ Against It

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

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