George Dvorsky, Author at Gizmodo

Artificial Genome Scientists Want to Build Human Cells That Are Impervious to Viruses

Two years ago, a consortium of scientists, lawyers, and entrepreneurs announced a plan to synthesize an artificial human genome from scratch—an extremely ambitious endeavor that’s struggled to secure funding. Project organizers have now disclosed details of a scaled-down version of the venture, but with a goal that’s still quite audacious: creating human cells that are…

Health George Dvorsky

Forgotten Data From 1996 Sheds New Light on Jupiter’s Mysterious Moon Ganymede

Twenty-two years ago, the Galileo spacecraft made its first flyby of Ganymede, Jupiter’s largest moon. Scientists with NASA have taken a new look at the data collected during that historic encounter, providing tantalizing new details about this strange celestial object, its unique magnetic shield, and its unusually bright auroras. We don’t talk very much about…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Male Brown Widow Spiders Prefer Cannibalistic Older Females for No Apparent Reason

Scientists in Israel have observed a strange behavior among brown widow spiders: When given the choice, the males of this species prefer to have sex with older females even though they’re less likely to bear offspring. More problematically, these older females are also more inclined to devour their partners after mating, making the males’ preference…

Biology George Dvorsky

Human Bone Fragment Reveals Radiation Exposure From Hiroshima Bombing

A technique originally intended for dating archaeological artifacts has been used to estimate the amount of radiation produced by the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan in 1945. It marks the first time a bone fragment from a victim of the explosion has been used successfully for such an analysis. Somewhere between 90,000 to 120,000…

Health George Dvorsky

The Arabian Sea’s Suffocating ‘Dead Zone’ Is Even Larger Than We Imagined

Since the early 1960s, scientists have known about the so-called “dead zone” in the Gulf of Oman, a patch of water practically devoid of all oxygen. As anyone who has ever owned an aquarium knows, even fish require oxygen, but as a surprising new survey shows, the Arabian Sea features an oxygen-starved aquarium the size…

Climate Change George Dvorsky

Scientists Kept Disembodied Pig Brains ‘Alive’ for 36 Hours—and It’s Testing Our Conceptions of Death

A neuroscientist from Yale University is claiming to have developed a technique that preserves the brain tissue of pigs for an extended period following decapitation. The brains are apparently not conscious, but the new technique is raising a number of important ethical issues. As Antonio Regalado reports in MIT Technology Review, Yale neuroscientist Nenad Sestan…

Tech News George Dvorsky

Winning Wildlife Photo Disqualified Because of Suspected Fake Anteater

The Natural History Museum of London has disqualified a winning image from its 2017 Photographer of the Year competition on the grounds that the photographer almost certainly used a stuffed anteater—a blatant violation of the contest rules. It was a photograph that looked too good to be true. As we wrote back on October 18, 2017,…

Tech News George Dvorsky

North Korea’s Nuclear Test Site Has Caved In, Geologists Suspect

Earlier this month, North Korea announced the closure of its nuclear testing site, saying it’s suspending all nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests. The surprise move by President Kim Jong Un may be an attempt to ease relations prior to a summit with Donald Trump, but a new reports suggests the collapse of North Korea’s…

Tech News George Dvorsky

NASA and ESA Are Getting Serious About Bringing Martian Soil to Earth

Earlier today, officials with NASA and the European Space Agency signed a statement of intent to explore the various ways in which Martian soil samples can be collected and delivered back to Earth. Sounds great, but a complex project of this nature won’t be easy, as it would involve the first-ever rocket launch from the surface…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Did Neanderthals Go Extinct Because of the Size of Their Brains?

Using computers and MRI scans, researchers have created the most detailed reconstruction of a Neanderthal brain to date, offering new insights into the social and cognitive abilities of these extinct humans. But as to whether these characteristics were responsible for their ultimate demise remains an open question. New research published today in Scientific Reports suggests…

Tech News George Dvorsky

China’s Ambitious New Rain-Making System Would Be as Big as Alaska

China’s state-owned aerospace corporation is embarking on a plan that would see tens of thousands of fuel-burning, cloud-seeding chambers dispersed across the Tibetan Plateau in an attempt to increase rainfall in the region. It sounds impressive, but it’s an open question as to whether this extensive rain-making system will even work, or how it may…

Tech News George Dvorsky

This Recently Discovered Fifth-Century Massacre in Sweden Is So Game of Thrones We Can’t Even Handle It

Scientists in Sweden have completed a preliminary investigation of one of the most disturbing archaeological sites to be uncovered in recent memory. Over 1,500 years ago, scores of villagers were mercilessly killed in their homes by an unknown band of marauders, who left the bodies where they fell. And inexplicably, the killers refrained from collecting…

Tech News George Dvorsky

Why Papuan Men Made Daggers From Human Thigh Bones

Up until the 20th century, the use of bone daggers among the Papuan males of New Guinea was commonplace. Many of these daggers were forged from the femurs of large birds, but some were made from the bones of humans. New research shows which of the two materials provided for a superior dagger, demonstrating that,…

Tech News George Dvorsky

AI Could Dramatically Increase Risk of Nuclear War by 2040, Says New Report

The common conception of a technologically enabled apocalypse foresees a powerful artificial intelligence that, either deliberately or by accident, destroys human civilization. But as a new report from the RAND Corporation points out, the reality may be far subtler: As AI slowly erodes the foundations that made the Cold War possible, we may find ourselves…

Artificial Intelligence George Dvorsky

World’s First Total Penis and Scrotum Transplant Allows Patient to ‘Feel Whole Again’

A surgical team from Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore performed a total penis and scrotum transplant, the first operation of its kind anywhere in the world. The 14-hour procedure, called a vascularized composite allotransplantation, was carried out by two urological surgeons and nine plastic surgeons on March 26, 2018. Incredibly, the transplant involved a single…

Health George Dvorsky

Intense Gravity of Super-Earths Could Trap Aliens on Their Home Planet

Rocky worlds larger than Earth are commonplace in the galaxy, and a few of them may even be habitable. Which poses an interesting question: How difficult would it be for aliens living on these super-Earths to launch rockets into space, given the tremendous gravity? According to new research, it would be difficult to the point…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

WWII Sub Rumored to Have Taken Top Nazis to South America Found Off Danish Coast

In the dying days of World War II, a German sub was reportedly sunk near the Danish coast, but the wreck was never found, leading to speculation that high-ranking Nazi officials—even possibly Adolf Hitler himself—used the high-tech vessel to escape to South America. A museum in Denmark has finally found the missing U-boat, ending this…

Tech News George Dvorsky

New Species of ‘Exploding Ant’ Discovered in Borneo

When confronted by an enemy, Southeast Asian “exploding ants” do exactly what their name implies: they explode. Ignored for decades, researchers have completed a detailed survey of these enigmatic ants, discovering over a dozen species that fit into this group, including one that’s completely new to science. Ants are capable of amazing prosocial behaviors, such…

Biology George Dvorsky

Rare Mutation Among Bajau People Lets Them Stay Underwater Longer

The Bajau people of Malaysia and the Philippines are renowned for their free-diving abilities, often working eight-hour shifts in search of fish and other sea critters. Underwater sessions can last upwards of two minutes, with accumulated daily totals of breath-holding often reaching five hours. New research suggests these impressive feats aren’t the result of training,…

Tech News George Dvorsky

Pioneering Psychologist Hans Asperger Was a Nazi Sympathizer Who Sent Children to Be Killed, New Evidence Suggests

The term “Asperger’s syndrome” will never be heard the same way again, owing to new research showing that Hans Asperger—the Austrian pediatrician for whom the disorder was named—was an active participant in the Nazi eugenics program, recommending that patients deemed “not fit for life” be sent to a notorious children’s “euthanasia” clinic. New research published…

Tech News George Dvorsky

George Dvorsky

Artificial Genome Scientists Want to Build Human Cells That Are Impervious to Viruses

Forgotten Data From 1996 Sheds New Light on Jupiter’s Mysterious Moon Ganymede

Male Brown Widow Spiders Prefer Cannibalistic Older Females for No Apparent Reason

Human Bone Fragment Reveals Radiation Exposure From Hiroshima Bombing

The Arabian Sea’s Suffocating ‘Dead Zone’ Is Even Larger Than We Imagined

Scientists Kept Disembodied Pig Brains ‘Alive’ for 36 Hours—and It’s Testing Our Conceptions of Death

Winning Wildlife Photo Disqualified Because of Suspected Fake Anteater

North Korea’s Nuclear Test Site Has Caved In, Geologists Suspect

NASA and ESA Are Getting Serious About Bringing Martian Soil to Earth

Did Neanderthals Go Extinct Because of the Size of Their Brains?

China’s Ambitious New Rain-Making System Would Be as Big as Alaska

This Recently Discovered Fifth-Century Massacre in Sweden Is So Game of Thrones We Can’t Even Handle It

Why Papuan Men Made Daggers From Human Thigh Bones

AI Could Dramatically Increase Risk of Nuclear War by 2040, Says New Report

World’s First Total Penis and Scrotum Transplant Allows Patient to ‘Feel Whole Again’

Intense Gravity of Super-Earths Could Trap Aliens on Their Home Planet

WWII Sub Rumored to Have Taken Top Nazis to South America Found Off Danish Coast

New Species of ‘Exploding Ant’ Discovered in Borneo

Rare Mutation Among Bajau People Lets Them Stay Underwater Longer

Pioneering Psychologist Hans Asperger Was a Nazi Sympathizer Who Sent Children to Be Killed, New Evidence Suggests

‘Butt Birth’-ing Rhinoceros from Ace Ventura Sequel Sold at Auction for a Whopping $60,000

The Ryan Gosling Sci-Fi Streak Will Continue Until Morale Improves

Study Challenges Popular Theory on Why Primordial Bugs Were So Darn Huge

Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway’s Mystery’s Sci-Fi Film Has Its First Trailer

Scientists Just Found the Salt Limit That Pushes Your Heart to the Breaking Point

White House Social Media Just Had Its Covfefe Moment

Roborock F25 Ultra Steam Wet Dry Vacuum Is Now at Its Lowest Price, but Only During the Spring Sale Window

This $450 Semi-Dumb Phone Is Barely Even a Phone

Startup Successfully Ignites World’s First Fusion Rocket

Shokz OpenDots One Earbuds Hit Their Lowest Price Yet Across All Color Options, Including the New Ones

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

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets

Apple Studio Display XDR Review: It Looks So Good, I Wish It Were an iMac

RayNeo Air 4 Pro Review: My Eyes Love These Video Glasses, but My Nose Disagrees