Annalee Newitz, Author at Gizmodo

A New Calendar Can Solve World Problems, Says Galactic Research Institute

You’ve probably been wondering why you feel like your timing is always off. That’s because the law of time has been out of whack. Luckily the Galactic Research Institute has a plan – and a new theory of time and telepathy! The thing is, it will all make sense to you if you just understand…

io9 Annalee Newitz Sep 10

Commie-Lounge 60s Flick Shows the Horror of Gambling, Jewelry, and Western Decadence

This rare 1963 Czech scifi film – variously known as Ikaria XB1 and Voyage to the End of the Universe – gives us a glimpse into where communist scifi filmmakers thought America was headed last century. Into violent, trippy doom! Trekfancvg posted this excerpt on YouTube, explaining it was the then-Czechoslovakia’s first SF movie: The…

Movies Annalee Newitz Sep 9

Is There A Clone of Jesus in Dan Brown’s New Novel?

Dan “DaVinci Code” Brown’s latest Christian-themed thriller, The Lost Symbol, is about to drop next week. And Washington, D.C., is bracing itself: The city is featured heavily in the novel, which one Brown expert says may involve clones of Jesus. An article in the Washington Post today warns city residents to prepare for an onslaught…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz Sep 9

Scientists Prove Your Brain Still Contains Forgotten Memories

Even if you can’t consciously remember a face you’ve seen once before, your brain remembers it. Scientists interested in this phenomenon have proven that there’s strong evidence that our brains hold far more memories than we’re aware of. New Scientist has the story: [University of California, Davis, neuroscientists] Deborah Hannula and Charan Ranganath first trained…

io9 Annalee Newitz Sep 9

GMO Espionage Fuels Environmental Thriller “The Windup Girl”

Science fiction about the environment can get preachy, so Paolo Bacigalupi’s hard SF novel The Windup Girl is a welcome change. Set in Thailand’s future, the book follows scientist spies hunting good genomes in a world ruined by GMO diseases. In the tradition of politically-minded hard SF writers like Iain M. Banks and Ian McDonald,…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz Sep 9

Does It Really Get Any Better Than Dinosaurs vs. Robots?

Two of the solar system’s greatest enemies – dinosaurs and robots – are captured here mid-clash in all their fightastic glory. It’s claw against bolt; sinew against actuator; and metal against proto-chicken. Collect the whole set of paintings! Over on Etsy, you can see this delightful series of dino vs. bot combat scenes in Excape…

io9 Annalee Newitz Sep 9

Human Fat Could Provide An Infinite Supply of Stem Cells

Stem cells are versatile cells that can turn into almost anything – skin, organs, brain tissue. They could revolutionize medicine, but these cells are hard to get. Until now. New research proves human fat will yield an endless supply. This week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a group of researchers announced…

io9 Annalee Newitz Sep 9

io9 Seeks Interns for Fall!

io9 is looking for a new crop of interns to convert into brain-implanted science experiments. Are you obsessed with science fiction and/or science? Want experience with blogging? Check out our fall internship program. io9 is looking for interns who are obsessed with science fiction and/or science. An intern works 5 – 10 hours per week…

io9 Annalee Newitz Sep 8

Happy Labor Day

We’re celebrating the contributions of the labor movement to society by taking the day off. Maybe we’ll spend the day designing a sexy robot who will foment a workers’ revolution in the factories.

io9 Annalee Newitz Sep 7

Inventions That Will End Work As We Know It

In America, we like to celebrate Labor Day by ditching work. But one day you may never have to labor again. Here are four inventions that will eliminate working-class and professional jobs in the next 50 years. Emotional Robots What are they? Emotional robots are robots who can read human facial expressions, tone of voice,…

io9 Annalee Newitz Sep 5

“Gamer” Is a Sex and Violence Epic With Balls

The awesomeness of exploitation flick Gamer is going to surprise you. Packed with insane violence, decadent sex, and (yes!) musical numbers, the movie is a blood-dark satire of futuristic videogame culture that will push all your buttons. Spoilers ahead! Made by sleaze auteurs Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, who previously brought you the Crank series,…

io9 Annalee Newitz Sep 4

Artificial Intelligence May Emerge from Software That Recommends Movies

Last week I published an article in the Washington Post about a very real possibility for the emergence of artificial intelligence that we rarely consider. Here’s how the article starts: If machines ever become sentient, science fiction movies have conditioned us to expect one thing: Our new mechanical masters will try to take over the…

io9 Annalee Newitz Sep 4

Which Science Fiction Movie Gives The Best Corridor?

Ubernerd Martin Anderson argues in a surprisingly persuasive essay that corridors – from trippy to utilitarian – are crucial to great scifi concept design. Check out these famous scifi corridors and tell us which corridor rules them all. Let us consider the following images. Above, we have the classic corridor that started it all in…

io9 Annalee Newitz Sep 4

Five New Clips From “The Road” Are Disturbing, Religious

Ten minutes of new clips from “The Road” bring on the post-apocalyptic family bonding as a father and son flee scary truckers, evade cannibals, and eat cheetos in a bomb shelter. Also included are God talk and prayer. In these clips, it appears that the allegorical feeling of “The Road” is going to include a…

Movies Annalee Newitz Sep 4

The Churning Heart of Hurricane Jimena

A few days ago, megastorm Jimena was a category 4 hurricane in the Pacific, bashing its way to Baja California. As these satellite photos show, Jimena still looked awe-inspiring even when it diminished to a tropical storm. By the time Jimina hit Mexico, it was no longer technically a hurricane, though it still did huge…

io9 Annalee Newitz Sep 4

Are the Triffids A Uniquely British Monster?

James Bradley, author of The Deep Field, has just written a fascinating essay about Day of the Triffids. He calls the monster-plant novel a Darwinian end-of-the-world scenario, and then points out how it’s very different from an American apocalypse story. Bradley writes: Just as much of the power of 28 Days Later comes from its…

io9 Annalee Newitz Sep 3

Meet the Next Generation at Locus Magazine

The science fiction community recently mourned the death of Charles N. Brown, who turned Locus into the SF book industry’s publication-of-record. Now it’s time to look to the future. We talked to new Locus editor-in-chief Liza Trombi about what’s next. I sat down with Trombi and managing editor Kirsten Gong-Wong at the busy Locus booth…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz Sep 3

What Is Happening Here?

These creatures may remind you of something lurking in your memory . . . a movie about a strange alternate world, filled with bizarre landscapes and even more bizarre aliens . . . what is it? I stumbled across this image on Journey Round My Skull, which reminded me of the amazing 1972 movie it…

io9 Annalee Newitz Sep 3

Two Technologies That Could Make You Superpowered Tomorrow

There are two basic things you need if you are going to be superpowered: Mega strength and a giant brain. Two new university lab inventions – superfast robot hands and injectable brain tissue – could give you both. At the Ishikawa Komuro Lab at Tokyo University, a group working on superfast robotic motion has invented…

io9 Annalee Newitz Sep 3

Greatest Hits of Hudson Valley UFO Sightings, 1982-2008

Hudson Valley, New York, has always had more than its fair share of bizarre UFO sightings, many of which have been captured on (fuzzy) tape. Now you can experience the best of these sightings, set to ambient music. [via LeSpock]

io9 Annalee Newitz Sep 3

Annalee Newitz

A New Calendar Can Solve World Problems, Says Galactic Research Institute

Commie-Lounge 60s Flick Shows the Horror of Gambling, Jewelry, and Western Decadence

Is There A Clone of Jesus in Dan Brown’s New Novel?

Scientists Prove Your Brain Still Contains Forgotten Memories

GMO Espionage Fuels Environmental Thriller “The Windup Girl”

Does It Really Get Any Better Than Dinosaurs vs. Robots?

Human Fat Could Provide An Infinite Supply of Stem Cells

io9 Seeks Interns for Fall!

Happy Labor Day

Inventions That Will End Work As We Know It

“Gamer” Is a Sex and Violence Epic With Balls

Artificial Intelligence May Emerge from Software That Recommends Movies

Which Science Fiction Movie Gives The Best Corridor?

Five New Clips From “The Road” Are Disturbing, Religious

The Churning Heart of Hurricane Jimena

Are the Triffids A Uniquely British Monster?

Meet the Next Generation at Locus Magazine

What Is Happening Here?

Two Technologies That Could Make You Superpowered Tomorrow

Greatest Hits of Hudson Valley UFO Sightings, 1982-2008

Ozempic Shreds Bones? How a Small Study Turned Into a Big Health Myth

Anker’s Soundcore Translation Earbuds Are Now Nearly 7x Cheaper Than AirPods Pro 3 After a Sudden Price Drop on Amazon

Volkswagen Shuts Down Tennessee Plant’s EV Production at the Worst Possible Time

Using Emojis at Work? You’re Not Going to Like This Study 😮

A Terrifying Invasion Feels Eerily Familiar in This Short Horror Story

Shark AI Ultra Robot Vacuum at 51% Off Quietly Undercuts Dyson’s Stick Cleaner Prices

Tubi Manages to Turn People Against Recommendations With Bad AI Branding

Gizmodo’s Favorite Photos From NASA’s Artemis 2 Mission

Lucasfilm Keeps Telling Authors Not to Bring Back Mara Jade

As Mass Drownings Add Up, Emperor Penguins Officially Join the Endangered List

Asus Zenbook A16 Review: Start Considering Snapdragon on PC, for Real

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

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