Annalee Newitz, Author at Gizmodo

Where the octopuses roam

Last year, a group of artists called Nevercrew created this gorgeous octopus pool, which they dubbed “Big Pink.” Here’s how they made it. Here’s a closer look at the pool: And a video showing the whole process: Octopus (Nevercrew 2009) from Christian Rebecchi on Vimeo. via Fubiz

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 12

The bizarre “ring UFO” that people have been seeing since 1957

Are they errant smoke rings or alien-controlled ships from Circleworld? Watch these videos of the “ring UFO” phenomenon and judge for yourself. Photograph by Paul Sonne. Here’s a 2008 ring sighting in the Rocky Mountains, right in the middle of the day: And another day sighting in Arizona, from an airplane window: Here’s a California…

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 12

What killed Caprica?

Unceremoniously canceled last month, Battlestar Galactica prequel series Caprica dared to offer audiences a truly alien world. That’s probably what caused the show’s downfall, but could also help it endure as one of the most literary scifi shows ever aired. By literary, I mean that the series dealt with many themes that until now have…

Television Annalee Newitz Nov 11

Galactus loves rainbows, but Dr. Doom loves unicorns more

The weekend’s coming, and you’ll need some cool nerd duds if you’re going to look right. Allow me to suggest these tees from Mighty Fine, each showing the rainbows-and-unicorns side of our favorite superheroes and villains. I can’t decide whether I need the Galactus tee, complete with Pegasus, rainbows, and what looks like a crushed…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz Nov 11

You don’t need CGI to make a cool giant monster

Back in the mid-1950s, if you wanted to make a giant monster you worked with a basic toolkit: Stock footage, dim lighting, and editing tricks. And yet somehow this mega-spider from 1955’s Tarantula is more convincing than today’s CGI mega-whatevers. Maybe it’s just because tarantulas move in such a creepy way that they can’t help…

Movies Annalee Newitz Nov 10

It’s September, 2038. What’s the biggest news coming down the feeds?

Science fiction author and livewriting fiend MCM is back with a new novel, Typhoon. He’s livewriting a sequel at the end of November, and he wants your help. Suggest a futuristic news item, and go down in literary history! MCM is the creator of awesome scifi kids show Rollbots, and he loves nothing more than…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz Nov 10

A blimp was on fire at the edge of the atmosphere platform

It was a surprise attack. Martian separatists hit A.I. passenger blimps with cannon balls, and wrecked the space elevator with napalm. Small towns that had once been home to sheep farmers and geoengineers were torn apart. The colonists worked frantically to fabricate defense ships – and pilots to fly them – in time to protect…

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 10

Europeans learned to farm by marrying Eastern farmers 8,000 years ago

Anthropologists have long debated how farming spread from parts of Asia to Europe. Was it cultural transmission, or did farmers immigrate and settle down with European hunter-gatherers? A new study of ancient DNA reveals that intermarriage created agrarian Europe. An international group of scientists compared the DNA of contemporary Europeans with 7,500 year old DNA…

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 9

Vast, mysterious structure discovered at the heart of our galaxy

Two enormous, gamma-ray-emitting structures are bubbling out of the center of our galaxy. And astronomers have no idea what caused them. These bubbles, which stretch an astonishing 25,000 light years above and below the galactic plane, are invisible to the naked eye. But astronomers working with data from the Fermi space telescope, which detects gamma…

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 9

“The Event” redeems itself with freaky conspiracies and romantic spies

One of the weird things that I’ve realized about The Event is that this series really shines when it comes to doomed romance stories. Last night’s episode delivered emo love with a startling Sterling backstory. Plus batshit insane conspiracies. Spoilers! The other thing that The Event does well is that it captures the explosive insanity…

Television Annalee Newitz Nov 9

How to build an artificial reef out of 400 human bodies

We’ve written about the underwater sculptures of Jason deCaires Taylor before, but this is his most awesome project yet. In La Evolución Silenciosa (silent evolution), he created 400 lifelike human sculptures to become an artificial coral reef. The sculptures are designed using materials that will attract sea creatures and eventually become a coral reef. You…

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 9

An important update on the secret alien war in America

If you’re wondering what the Draconian secret government is up to, and what it has to do with Obama and the warm weather we’re having in North America this winter – well, let Colleen Thomas explain it all to you. I am still saying “whoa” and it’s been at least 10 minutes since I re-watched…

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 8

On Supernatural, everybody just wants a piece of those monsters

Friday night’s Supernatural, “Family Matters,” managed to pack a hell of a lot into one episode. Now we know the secret connection between Grampa, Sam, and the monsters. And the answer will send the brothers on a quest. So what’s the deal with Sam having no soul? As we learned in the teaser for this…

Television Annalee Newitz Nov 8

Its body was eyes, mouths, and tentacles

Jon Schindehette, a creative art director at Wizards of the Coast, issued a challenge to art students at the Rhode Island School of Design: Make creatures based on H.P. Lovecraft’s stories. These are just a handful of the awesome results. You can see more eldrich horrors on Schindehette’s blog ArtOrder. By Craig J. Spearing By…

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 8

Support free science fiction short stories online by donating to Strange Horizons

It’s the ten-year anniversary of Strange Horizons, one of the longest-running and best science fiction magazines online. If you like to read quality SF short stories online, please consider donating to them! Image by Malcolm McClinton, via Strange Horizons Strange Horizons’ new editor-in-chief, Niall Harrison, writes: Since its inception in 2000, Strange Horizons has sought…

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 6

Walk through this portal with me into another world

The “portal fantasy,” where somebody walks through a magical door (or wardrobe) into a fantasy world, has become a terrible cliche. So why do we keep walking through those portals and loving the hell out of it? I heard a lot of grumbling about portal fantasies last weekend at the World Fantasy Convention in Ohio,…

Movies Annalee Newitz Nov 5

What caused global warming 40 million years ago?

Whatever you think about today’s prognosis for global warming, there’s no denying that the planet has been a lot hotter in the past. Now we know some of that heat was generated by carbon dioxide emissions 40 million years ago. At that time, called the Middle Eocene, the Earth was going through a long phase…

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 5

Leaked cover of new Buffy comic gives major spoilergasm

The Buffy comics have gotten so weird it seems like nothing could happen that would top the last few issues. But as Jo Chen’s cover for upcoming issue #39 reveals, things can always be weirder. Take a peek. Spoilers ahead! Thanks to Dark Horse for providing us with this exclusive look at the new cover…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz Nov 5

Improve your math skills by strapping this simple device to your head

Having a little trouble in your number theory class, or just want to be able to add up a bill in your head? Scientists have discovered they can boost math ability just by applying mild electrical current to your skull. Image of TDCS via MAPrc. A study published today in Current Biology explains that researchers…

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 5

The weirdest crop circles you’ve ever seen

This land formation is an example of what happens when natural and unnatural geological features come together. And if you think that looks strange, check out the rest of our gallery. Over at the freaking awesome geology blog Pathological Geomorphology, October was the month for discussing images of landscapes where human-made features overlap with, and…

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 5

Annalee Newitz

Where the octopuses roam

The bizarre “ring UFO” that people have been seeing since 1957

What killed Caprica?

Galactus loves rainbows, but Dr. Doom loves unicorns more

You don’t need CGI to make a cool giant monster

It’s September, 2038. What’s the biggest news coming down the feeds?

A blimp was on fire at the edge of the atmosphere platform

Europeans learned to farm by marrying Eastern farmers 8,000 years ago

Vast, mysterious structure discovered at the heart of our galaxy

“The Event” redeems itself with freaky conspiracies and romantic spies

How to build an artificial reef out of 400 human bodies

An important update on the secret alien war in America

On Supernatural, everybody just wants a piece of those monsters

Its body was eyes, mouths, and tentacles

Support free science fiction short stories online by donating to Strange Horizons

Walk through this portal with me into another world

What caused global warming 40 million years ago?

Leaked cover of new Buffy comic gives major spoilergasm

Improve your math skills by strapping this simple device to your head

The weirdest crop circles you’ve ever seen

Astronomers Found the Closest Thing Yet to the Universe’s First Stars

Samsung’s 55″ 4K Smart TV (2025) Comes Without the Pricey Tag in Amazon’s Clearance Sale, Skip Smaller Budget Displays

KAMRUI’s High-Performance Hyper H2 Mini PC Hits Its Lowest Price for Amazon Prime Members Only (32GB RAM, 1TB SSD)

Marvel’s ‘X-Men’ Movie Has Found Some New Writers

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

LEGO Botanicals Artificial Wildflower Bouquet Quietly Drops to Record Low Earlier Than Expected Ahead of Mother’s Day

Artemis 2 Day 7: Follow the Mission With Our Live Updates 🔴

Blumhouse Wants You to Remember Brendan Fraser Isn’t in This ‘Mummy’

Amazon Cuts Fire TV Stick 4K Plus Back to 40% Off in a Clearance Push, Cheapest Smart TV Upgrade

Sony Soundbar With Bass Reflex Speaker Is Now as Cheap as Budget Earbuds After a Sudden Price Drop

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