Annalee Newitz, Author at Gizmodo

Are we in a “Gutenberg moment” with science writing online?

Newspapers may be dying, and television may be turning science into Megalodon specials, but there is one place where stories about science are exploding: on the web. MIT science journalism professor Tom Levinson has a terrific essay explaining why it’s a great time to be reading about science online. In this excerpt, Levinson talks about…

io9 Annalee Newitz

How a “cloaking device” led to an amazingly powerful new microscope

As we move into a future where we want to build materials from the atoms up, we need better microscopes to see what we’re doing. Right now, we can’t even watch DNA building proteins in real time. We only get muddy snapshots. But that may be about to change. Photo courtesy of Henri Lezec Over…

io9 Annalee Newitz

The four types of people most likely to murder their families

Since the 1980s, there’s been an appreciable rise in people killing their families, and researchers have started to see a pattern. In a new study, British criminologists have identified four personality types that are common among people who commit this horrifying crime. There’s a great article on the BBC today about the study. Apparently the…

io9 Annalee Newitz

This is why the ocean is full of dead zones

Every year, a massive “dead zone” develops in the Gulf of Mexico — a region where algae destroys almost all the oxygen in the ocean. No fish or other life forms can survive there. This year’s dead zone is roughly 5,840 square miles (see above map). It’s almost twice as big as last year’s. What…

io9 Annalee Newitz

Here’s how Shark Week wrecked shark science

I’m not sure whether Shark Week was ever really a great moment in science communication with the public. But after last week’s Megalodon special and fake shark facts on Discovery Channel, we know for sure that sharks have joined UFOs in the annals of Great Pseudoscience. Shark researcher David Shiffman breaks it down for you.…

io9 Annalee Newitz

7 Security Measures That Were Doomed From The Start

Some security measures, no matter how high-tech and futuristic, are doomed to fail. Governments and corporations spend billions of dollars on these systems, but never actually protect any of their assets. Here are seven of the worst security fails in human history. 1. Enigma codes used for Axis communication during World War II This is…

io9 Annalee Newitz

Human test flights begin on extraordinary jetpack, on sale in 2015

Remember how we all thrilled to see this test flight of the Martin jetpack a few years ago? It remained aloft, with a dummy in the driver’s seat, for over 7 minutes. Now humans are going to start testing this jetpack, which the manufacturer says could be on the market as early as 2015. According…

io9 Annalee Newitz

Under the Dome has become Lost, and guess what? I love it.

I think it was probably last week when Under the Dome turned into Lost — right around when Nerd Boy Joe and Goth Girl Norrie found the Cadbury Creme Egg of Doom in its own mini dome. It was also right around that point that I realized the show was starting to become my new…

io9 Annalee Newitz

Here’s what Elysium did wrong — and what it did right

Reactions to Neill Blomkamp’s first film after his sleeper hit District 9 have been mixed, to say the least. Elysium is a movie with a lot of aspirations to greatness, but it fails miserably to live up to its promise. Still, it has some incredible scenes and ideas. Here’s the breakdown. There are major spoilers…

io9 Annalee Newitz

A straw that will prevent you from ever being roofied

Now you don’t have to worry whether somebody has slipped roofies into your drink. A group of engineers have founded DrinkSavvy, a company that makes cups and straws that change color in the presence of common date-rape drugs GHB, Rohypnol, and Ketamine. It’s far too common for people to be unwittingly drugged at a bar…

io9 Annalee Newitz

io9 Book Club reminder: On 8/27 we discuss The Shambling Guide to NYC

In August, the io9 Book Club is reading Mur Lafferty’s goofy-smart urban fantasy novel, The Shambling Guide to New York City. We’ll meet August 27 to discuss it, and we hope Lafferty will join us later that week for a chat! Still not decided? You can read io9’s review of the book here. https://gizmodo.com/now-this-is-the-urban-fantasy-heroine-we-want-513271146 What…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz

The video that revealed the black hole at the center of our galaxy

This video may not look like much, but it’s the most definitive evidence we have that our Milky Way galaxy is orbiting around a seriously massive black hole. Created by a group at UCLA, it shows the orbits of stars around that black hole — and it shows us a little something else, too. For…

io9 Annalee Newitz

Could you really have a space colony like the one in Elysium?

Over at Slashdot, former International Space Station director Mark Uhran talked about whether the amazing space habitat we saw in Elysium is realistic. It turns out the biggest problem isn’t what you’d expect. The space habitat in Elysium is rotating around a central axis, which likely creates enough centrifugal force in the torus to prevent…

io9 Annalee Newitz

Here’s what to expect from Elon Musk’s Hyperloop super train

Elon Musk is coming out about his Hyperloop. He’s revealed plans for this super train, after teasing the public for months about a revolutionary technology that could send a train hurtling from San Francisco to Los Angeles in 30 minutes. Here’s how it would work. First of all, to make this train cost-effective, it would…

io9 Annalee Newitz

This is why you aren’t sleeping right

Why can’t you get a good night’s sleep? The problem is that you probably don’t realize what makes you fall asleep in the first place. Photo by ostill via Shutterstock Despite what it might feel like, sleep isn’t something that you can “turn on” using the power of your own will. It’s actually something that…

io9 Annalee Newitz

This is a picture of a shark eating another shark. That is all.

You are looking into the jaws of a shark — inside the jaws of another shark. It was just going to be another day of shark monitoring for the researchers at the University of Delaware’s ORB LAB. Among other tasks, the group keeps track of shark populations in the ocean, catching and releasing the large…

io9 Annalee Newitz

Author Nathaniel Rich is here answering your questions, 12-1 PT today!

In July, the io9 book club read Nathaniel Rich’s near-future disaster novel Odds Against Tomorrow. Now, Rich is here today from 12-1 to answer your questions about this book, his previous work, and anything else (on topic!) you want to ask. https://gizmodo.com/io9-book-club-is-in-session-lets-talk-about-odds-agai-965016402 Start posting your questions in comments below, and Rich will get to as…

io9 Annalee Newitz

12 Movies and TV Shows That Commit Crimes Against Neuroscience

Science is abused in a lot of Hollywood movies and TV, but perhaps none worse than neuroscience. Movies get it all wrong, from mental illness and brain damage, to psychoactive drugs, memory, and even how neuroscientists work. Here are twelve movies and shows that do the worst job representing the reality of the human brain.…

io9 Annalee Newitz

Who is “Jeff the Killer”? And is his picture haunted by a real death?

You’re looking into the face of one of the internet’s most disturbing legends: Jeff the Killer, whose face was burned off with acid and who hides in your closet, telling you to GO TO SLEEP. But where did this 2008 image come from? The story is as horrific as the meme itself. Over at The…

io9 Annalee Newitz

Your orbital city is ready

I know that orbital habitats always look better in the brochures than they do when you move in. But I really thought this one would be different. John Berkey is a world-famous illustrator whose work appears in the famous Star Wars posters, on book covers, and in countless NASA concept artworks. See more of his…

io9 Annalee Newitz

Annalee Newitz

Are we in a “Gutenberg moment” with science writing online?

How a “cloaking device” led to an amazingly powerful new microscope

The four types of people most likely to murder their families

This is why the ocean is full of dead zones

Here’s how Shark Week wrecked shark science

7 Security Measures That Were Doomed From The Start

Human test flights begin on extraordinary jetpack, on sale in 2015

Under the Dome has become Lost, and guess what? I love it.

Here’s what Elysium did wrong — and what it did right

A straw that will prevent you from ever being roofied

io9 Book Club reminder: On 8/27 we discuss The Shambling Guide to NYC

The video that revealed the black hole at the center of our galaxy

Could you really have a space colony like the one in Elysium?

Here’s what to expect from Elon Musk’s Hyperloop super train

This is why you aren’t sleeping right

This is a picture of a shark eating another shark. That is all.

Author Nathaniel Rich is here answering your questions, 12-1 PT today!

12 Movies and TV Shows That Commit Crimes Against Neuroscience

Who is “Jeff the Killer”? And is his picture haunted by a real death?

Your orbital city is ready

Meta Smart Glasses Can Now Track All the Food You Put Into Your Mouth

Artemis 2 Day 3: Follow the Mission With Our Live Updates 🔴

Here’s Who the Mysterious Main Characters Are in ‘Disclosure Day’

Rubin Observatory Spots Over 11,000 Asteroids in Record Haul

Volkswagen CEO Is Standing Up for Physical Buttons in Cars

Nespresso Vertuo Pop+ by Breville Hits Its Lowest Price, Now One of the Cheapest Coffee Machines Under $100

That Teenage Bout of Mono May Have a Troubling Second Act

We Landed on Mars, A.K.A. the Set of ‘For All Mankind’

DJI Mic 3 Bundle Quietly Falls Below Black Friday Price Even After Amazon’s Spring Sale Ends

Artemis 2 Astronaut Offers Powerful Perspective on Going to the Moon Amid War

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

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life