Annalee Newitz, Author at Gizmodo

Sexy, Scary Undeath Done Right

Twilight’s undead romance between vampire and teen already looked bad, but it looks downright spaztastic when you compare it to this intense, gothic-ghetto death scene from Candyman. One of the best horror flicks of the 1990s, Candyman is about the vengeful ghost of a black man who was brutalized and murdered when he and a…

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 24

Treatment Could Make Women Live 30 Percent Longer, and Stay Fertile Too

It turns out that having children at an advanced age won’t kill you – instead, it might mean you’ll live up to 30 percent longer than average. A group of researchers at the University of California discovered this odd fact by studying the genetic makeup of flies who lay eggs late in their lives. There’s…

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 24

Make Your Own Thought-Screen Helmet and Prevent Alien Abduction

If you suffer from alien abductions and have a craftsy streak, we’ve got the perfect project for you this holiday season. The helpful folks over at StopAbduction.com have put together a simple how-to for crafting your own “thought screen helmet” (pictured) from just $30 worth of materials. No, we’re not kidding – and neither are…

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 24

Harbingers of the Cute-o-pocalypse

When you see these tiny metal “Apocalypt-Ephunts” you’ll know the truth about the end of the world. It will be signaled by the arrival of cute, miniature elephants bearing cannons. These intriguing and bizarre creatures made by Los Angeles artist Amanda Visell go on sale today, and you can get them in a variety of…

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 24

Tibetan Glaciers Melting Faster Than Expected

Glaciers high in the Himalayan mountain range are melting faster than their counterparts at ground level. Geologists taking samples from the remote glaciers discovered that they had melted all the way down to ice that hadn’t been exposed to air in over half a century. Over at Discovery News, io9 pal Michael Reilly has a…

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 24

The Tidal Wave That Destroys Us At Last

A surreal tidal wave as high as a skyscraper is about to bear down on this city and destroy it forever. No it’s not ripped from the pages of a climate change report – it’s one of the many worlds designed by British design student Jon McCoy, who revels in the apocalyptic. Though McCoy has…

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 24

US National Intelligence Council Predicts Decline of America in New Report

Lefty types have been predicting the demise of America for the last century, but in 2008 even the most conservative elements of the US government are predicting it too. Every four years, the US National Intelligence Council issues a future-looking report about global trends, and this year one of those trends is the decline of…

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 22

Sexy Adventure Pulps That Leap Off the Page

Nothing like an adventure tale of sea monsters and lust to make you feel like the action is leaping off the page and straight into your credulous brain. Photographer Thomas Allen knows that too. He creates these images by carefully cutting book covers apart, posing them, then shooting the results to create a strange, dreamy…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz Nov 21

I Voted for the Lizard People Too!

Minnesota Public Radio has a great feature on contested ballots from the recent U.S. election. Here is everybody’s favorite, which opponents of liberal candidate Al Franken challenged as an “overvote” since the person voted for Franken AND wrote in a vote for Lizard People. [via MPR]

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 21

Paralyzed Man Speaks Again Using Brain Implant

A man suffering from “locked in” syndrome, where a fully-conscious person is completely paralyzed except for some eyelid movements, is speaking again using a computer. Doctors report in Nature today that he’s using a brain implant to control speech synthesizing software with his mind. Though it is often difficult to tell when somebody with locked…

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 21

Make Your Own Hellboy Gun

This is the Samaritan gun, the big-barreled shooter that Hellboy uses only after muttering “Ohhh crap.” When you’re fighting elementals or underworld devils, you’ll want one of these at your side. And now you can make one – out of paper. ToyCyte calls our attention to the amazing papercraft design for this gun, which isn’t…

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 21

Genetically-Engineered Cows Produce 20% More Milk

In a few years, dairy farmers will be able to order special genetically-modified cows that produce 20% more milk than common cows. Researchers in Argentina have developed a strain of cow that produces extra bovine growth hormone, which apparently leads to the greater milk production. [via SciDevNet]

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 21

Where You’ll Wash Your Hands on Your Spaceship

The International Space Station may have a tiny bathroom and endless toilet problems, but future spaceships will have artificial gravity so you can run water over your hands in a gleaming receptacle. These futuristic water basins, like this curvy one by Kohler (pictured), will be to today’s sinks the way videogames are to shuffleboard. We’ve…

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 21

Why Hostie from “The Host” Is the Best Giant Monster Ever Who Totally Kicks Your Ass

There was some heated debate over the merits of Korean kaiju flick The Host in comments yesterday – so allow me to retort. This clip shows why you should love Hostie, our weird, fish-shaped, bumbling monster who eats humans by the fuckton. This scene is from early in the film, when toxic dumping off the…

Movies Annalee Newitz Nov 20

Pop Culture Diplomacy

During this weekend’s Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Peru, a very important question will be discussed. Japanese Prime Minister Tarō Asō and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will begin preliminary overtures on a joint anime production between the two nations. The possible result of these highly-sensitive talks would star the Japanese manga character Doraemon, a…

Movies Annalee Newitz Nov 20

Live Piracy Map Reveals Seas Are Still a Pirate’s Paradise

Want to know where you’re most likely to have your ship hijacked by pirates this year? Now you can, with the help of the International Maritime Bureau’s “live piracy map,” a Google map mashup that gives you quick, real-time details on all the acts of piracy taking place on the Earth’s high seas. Just drill…

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 20

Google Creates Plague Prediction System

Google doesn’t just help you find the nearest pizza place anymore – now it helps doctors find where flu epidemics are going to strike next. Working with a group of epidemiologists, the tech megacorp has revealed a new system for tracking disease outbreaks by checking what people are searching for. By tracking the rise in…

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 20

The Texture of Martian Geography

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), a satellite spinning over the surface of Mars, has revealed the tremendous variations in Martian geography. Here you can see slices of the bizarre surface features created by atmospheric conditions that don’t exist on Earth. Want to see more? The textures above are colorized images taken by the MRO. According…

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 20

Walter and Peter Do Some Badass Bonding on Fringe

I know I’m in danger of becoming a rampant apologist for Fringe, but goddamn it I really like this blood-soaked, dorky show. It’s like a horror comic that I can’t put down because just when the dialog or plot get completely preposterous, the writers throw in an exploding brain or conspiracy parasite or a kid…

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 19

China and U.S. Fight Over Reboot of Korean Giant Monster from “The Host”

Not only is America in debt to China for tons of cash, but also apparently for giant monster movie ideas. After Korean giant monster flick The Host took the world by storm, a Chinese film crew set to work making what they called a “localized” sequel to the saga of a toxic beast defeated by…

io9 Annalee Newitz Nov 19

Annalee Newitz

Sexy, Scary Undeath Done Right

Treatment Could Make Women Live 30 Percent Longer, and Stay Fertile Too

Make Your Own Thought-Screen Helmet and Prevent Alien Abduction

Harbingers of the Cute-o-pocalypse

Tibetan Glaciers Melting Faster Than Expected

The Tidal Wave That Destroys Us At Last

US National Intelligence Council Predicts Decline of America in New Report

Sexy Adventure Pulps That Leap Off the Page

I Voted for the Lizard People Too!

Paralyzed Man Speaks Again Using Brain Implant

Make Your Own Hellboy Gun

Genetically-Engineered Cows Produce 20% More Milk

Where You’ll Wash Your Hands on Your Spaceship

Why Hostie from “The Host” Is the Best Giant Monster Ever Who Totally Kicks Your Ass

Pop Culture Diplomacy

Live Piracy Map Reveals Seas Are Still a Pirate’s Paradise

Google Creates Plague Prediction System

The Texture of Martian Geography

Walter and Peter Do Some Badass Bonding on Fringe

China and U.S. Fight Over Reboot of Korean Giant Monster from “The Host”

How to Watch Bayern vs Real Madrid Online for Free

UGREEN’s Bluetooth Tracker (4 Pack) Crashes to $5 Each, Nearly 6x Cheaper Than Apple’s AirTag

Some Locals Are Using AI to Protest Against Data Centers

‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Season 2 Filming Has Been Canceled By a Storm

Garmin Forerunner 965 Goes on Clearance, No More Premium Price Tag for This Running Smartwatch

A Crew of Worms on the ISS Aims to Help Scientists Unlock the Secrets of Space Travel

Galaxy Buds 3 FE (2025) Are Now Cheaper on Amazon Than Buying Direct from Samsung, but Only for Prime Members

Lego’s Big New ‘Star Wars’ Set Comes Just in Time for ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ to Replace It

The Case for Tracking Everything

Ring Small Solar Panel Makes Powering Your Outdoor Camera Easy and Affordable, Now Below Black Friday Prices

Sony Inzone H6 Air Review: A Perfect Case for Open-Back Gaming Headsets

Anker’s EufyMake E1 Finally Brings Printers Out of the Dark Ages

The Soundboks Mix Is Going to Make You the Most Popular Guy at the Park

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