George Dvorsky, Author at Gizmodo

Iowa Researchers Accuse Russia of Injecting Anti-GMO Propaganda Into U.S. Media

Researchers from Iowa State University are claiming that US versions of popular Russian-funded news media are littered with articles and links casting genetically modified organisms in a negative light. It’s an effort, say the researchers, to discredit American agricultural practices and to portray Russian crops as an “ecologically cleaner” alternative to GMOs. ISU sociologist Shawn…

Tech News George Dvorsky

Experiment Shows Microbes Could Thrive on Saturn’s Moon Enceladus

Enceladus is one of the most fascinating objects in the Solar System. Parked in orbit around Saturn, the ice-covered moon features a warm subterranean ocean and the basic chemical ingredients for life. But could alien microbes actually survive there? A new experiment suggests the answer is yes. Methane-producing microbes can survive the conditions found on…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Threat of Climate Change Is Forcing Norway to Drop Millions on Its Doomsday Vault

Today’s addition of 70,000 new seeds to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault brings the total number of crops stored at the Arctic facility to over one million. It’s an important milestone—but to keep the vault running, and to protect it from the effects of climate change, the Norwegian government is going to have to spend…

Tech News George Dvorsky

Ancient Elephants and Mastodons Were Totally Down With Inter-Species Boning

The history of elephants—from gigantic woolly mammoths through to modern forest-dwelling pachyderms—is more complicated than we thought. An analysis of modern and ancient elephant genomes shows that interbreeding and hybridization was an important aspect of elephant evolution. New research published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that ancient elephants were very…

Biology George Dvorsky

US Air Force Chief Warns of Space War ‘in a Matter of Years’

Speaking to an audience of active-duty airmen, US Air Force Chief of Staff General David L. Goldfein predicted it’ll only be a “matter of years” before American forces find themselves “fighting from space.” To prepare for this grim possibility, he said the Air Force needs new tools and a new approach to training leaders. Oh,…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

This Is the Spot Where the Cassini Spacecraft Plunged Into Saturn

On September 15, 2017, the Cassini spacecraft ended its valiant 13-year mission by performing a kamikaze dive into Saturn’s upper atmosphere. A new image released by NASA shows the exact spot where the Cassini craft was lost to us forever. What’s particularly cool about this image is that Cassini took it just a few hours…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Cyclone Remnant Spawns Horrifying River of Rock in New Zealand

Earlier this week, a storm spawned by the former Cyclone Gita swept across New Zealand, damaging buildings, knocking out electricity, and creating floods. But along the Rakaia River, the storm triggered a bizarre natural phenomenon known as granular flow—essentially a raging river of rocks. This incredible video was captured by Donna Field as she was…

Sploid George Dvorsky

Oil on Japanese Beaches Linked to Last Month’s Sanchi Tanker Spill

As feared, oil from a sunken Iranian tanker has reached the shores of over a dozen southern Japanese islands, Japanese Coast Guard officials have now confirmed to Reuters and AFP. The Sanchi sank on January 14 after colliding with a Hong Kong-registered freighter in the East China Sea, spawning four giant oil spills. Packed with…

Tech News George Dvorsky

SpaceX Payload Fairing Survives Despite Missing Recovery Net by ‘a Few Hundred Meters’

Early today, a Falcon 9 rocket delivered the PAZ radio communications satellite, along with a pair of SpaceX-owned internet satellites, to low-Earth orbit. It was an otherwise routine launch and deployment, save for the attempt to recover the rocket’s payload fairing—a feat that’s never been tried before. Normally, SpaceX tries to recover the first stage…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Scientists Who Doubt Neanderthal Art Must Reckon With New Evidence From These Sweet Cave Paintings

Cave paintings in Spain were produced at least 64,000 years ago, a full 20,000 years before modern humans arrived in Europe.

Human History George Dvorsky

There’s No Such Thing as a Truly ‘Wild’ Horse Anymore

An analysis of DNA spanning 5,500 years shows we’ve been wrong about the origin of domesticated horses, and the common notion that wild horses still exist is completely wrong. The oldest archaeological evidence of horse domestication dates back 5,500 years ago, to the ancient Botai people who once lived in what is now northern Kazakhstan.…

Biology George Dvorsky

Watch SpaceX’s Second Attempt to Launch Experimental Internet Satellites Live Right Here [Updating]

SpaceX is set to launch a pair of experimental internet mini-satellites after yesterday’s launch was cancelled due to high winds. You can watch today’s launch of the Falcon 9 live right here starting at 9:00 a.m. Eastern (6:00 a.m. Pacific). Update: The Falcon 9 successfully launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 9:17…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

New Report on Emerging AI Risks Paints a Grim Future

A new report authored by over two-dozen experts on the implications of emerging technologies is sounding the alarm bells on the ways artificial intelligence could enable new forms of cybercrime, physical attacks, and political disruption over the next five to ten years. The 100-page report, titled “The Malicious Use of Artificial Intelligence: Forecasting, Prevention, and…

Privacy & Security George Dvorsky

Watch SpaceX Launch Its Experimental Internet Satellites Live Right Here [Update: Launch Postponed Until Tomorrow]

After a four-day delay, SpaceX is now set to launch a pair of experimental mini-satellites as part of its planned 4,000-satellite strong Starlink constellation. You can watch the launch live right here starting at 9:14 a.m. EDT (6:14 a.m. PDT). In addition to the two experimental satellites, dubbed Microsat 2a and 2b (1a and 1b…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

These Freaky Fish Can Turn Their Eyes Into Flashlights

At slightly less than two inches long, triplefin fish don’t seem like much of a threat. But as new research shows, these aquatic carnivores have a rare organ that turns their eyes into veritable flashlights—an ability they can switch on when needed. Dolphins and bats use a form of active sensing called echolocation, whereby reflected…

Biology George Dvorsky

Earth’s First Land Plants May Have Sprouted 80 Million Years Earlier Than Previously Thought

For hundreds of millions of years, life on Earth was a purely aquatic phenomenon. The jump from the oceans to the continents was a monumental event, one that would irrevocably change the face of our plant. A new study suggests the first plants to make this evolutionary leap appeared much earlier than we thought. Our…

Tech News George Dvorsky

Lock of George Washington’s Hair Found Tucked Inside Old Book

While conducting an inventory of archived documents, curators at Union College in Schenectady, New York, discovered strands hair attributed to George Washington, #POTUS1, in an envelope inside a leather book. Archivist Daniel Michaelson found the book, titled Gaines Universal Register or American and British Kalendar for the year 1793, at the Schaffer Library. The leather-bound…

Tech News George Dvorsky

The Andromeda Galaxy Is Not Nearly as Big as We Thought

The closest galaxy to our own is the majestic Andromeda galaxy, a collection of a trillion stars located a “mere” 2 million light years away. New research suggests that, contrary to previous estimates, this galaxy isn’t much bigger than the Milky Way, and is practically our twin. This means our galaxy won’t be completely devoured…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Secrets of the Cuttlefish’s Uncanny Camouflage Abilities Revealed

Octopus, squid, and cuttlefish can change their skin’s colors, patterns, and textures in ways not seen anywhere else in the animal kingdom. You see what looks to be a clump of seaweed, and then it suddenly springs to life in the form of a retreating cephalopod. The changing of skin texture is a particularly impressive…

Biology George Dvorsky

Freaky Flea-Like Robots Could One Day Flip and Tumble Inside Your Body

These tiny, flipping microbots, currently being developed by researchers at Purdue University, could one day deliver drugs directly inside the body. The magnetically propelled bots are no wider than a pinhead. In an effort to explore new methods of robotic locomotion, scientists at Purdue designed super-tiny bots that can move in one of two ways:…

Tech News George Dvorsky

George Dvorsky

Iowa Researchers Accuse Russia of Injecting Anti-GMO Propaganda Into U.S. Media

Experiment Shows Microbes Could Thrive on Saturn’s Moon Enceladus

Threat of Climate Change Is Forcing Norway to Drop Millions on Its Doomsday Vault

Ancient Elephants and Mastodons Were Totally Down With Inter-Species Boning

US Air Force Chief Warns of Space War ‘in a Matter of Years’

This Is the Spot Where the Cassini Spacecraft Plunged Into Saturn

Cyclone Remnant Spawns Horrifying River of Rock in New Zealand

Oil on Japanese Beaches Linked to Last Month’s Sanchi Tanker Spill

SpaceX Payload Fairing Survives Despite Missing Recovery Net by ‘a Few Hundred Meters’

Scientists Who Doubt Neanderthal Art Must Reckon With New Evidence From These Sweet Cave Paintings

There’s No Such Thing as a Truly ‘Wild’ Horse Anymore

Watch SpaceX’s Second Attempt to Launch Experimental Internet Satellites Live Right Here [Updating]

New Report on Emerging AI Risks Paints a Grim Future

Watch SpaceX Launch Its Experimental Internet Satellites Live Right Here [Update: Launch Postponed Until Tomorrow]

These Freaky Fish Can Turn Their Eyes Into Flashlights

Earth’s First Land Plants May Have Sprouted 80 Million Years Earlier Than Previously Thought

Lock of George Washington’s Hair Found Tucked Inside Old Book

The Andromeda Galaxy Is Not Nearly as Big as We Thought

Secrets of the Cuttlefish’s Uncanny Camouflage Abilities Revealed

Freaky Flea-Like Robots Could One Day Flip and Tumble Inside Your Body

Why ‘For All Mankind’ Season 5 Is the Key to the Rest of the Series

ASUS ZenScreen 15.6-Inch Portable Monitor Is Now Cheaper Than Black Friday in Amazon’s Big Spring Sale

Early Wildfires Are Surging Across the US—and Trump’s New Fire Agency Isn’t Ready

INIU Brings Another Power Bank to the Spring Sale as SnapGo Keychain Portable Charger Drops to Its Lowest Price

Attorney Hit With Historic Fine for Citing AI-Generated Cases

Travelers Experiencing the Longest Security Lines in TSA History

Could There Be a ‘Project Hail Mary’ Sequel?

Meta Has More Smart Glasses Coming Whether You Want Them or Not

Apple Requires Device-Level Age Verification in the UK Now. Could the US Be Next?

Astronomers Say Recent Rash of Meteor Sightings ‘Warrants Serious Investigation’

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