George Dvorsky, Author at Gizmodo

Looks Like We Were Wrong About the Origin of Dogs

The precise origin of our canine companions is mired in controversy. But a new study suggests that dogs emerged from not one but two different populations of ancient wolves. What’s more, this dual domestication happened on opposite sides of the Eurasian continent. Dogs first appeared about 15,000 years ago, long before the advent of agriculture,…

Tech News George Dvorsky Jun 2 '16

The First Two Slovenian ‘Dragon Babies’ Have Hatched

For the past four months, researchers working at the Postojna Cave in Slovenia have been waiting for a batch of eggs laid by an iconic salamander to hatch. The first two hatchlings have finally emerged, exciting the scientific community and captivating the entire country. This story began at the end of January 2016 when a…

Tech News George Dvorsky Jun 2 '16

Zoos Suck For Both Animals and Humans

The backlash has been vicious since zookeepers killed a gorilla named Harambe in order to protect a boy who fell into its enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo. Now, police are investigating the parents in a misguided effort to administer blame, but one thing is more clear than ever: Zoos are awful places for animals to…

Tech News George Dvorsky Jun 1 '16

Rare Genetic Mutation May Explain Some Forms of Multiple Sclerosis

Canadian scientists have uncovered a single genetic mutation that significantly heightens a person’s chance of developing a progressive and severe form of multiple sclerosis. While no single factor is responsible for causing the neurological disease, the discovery points to possible treatment options. A new paper published in the science journal Neuron shows that a mutation…

Tech News George Dvorsky Jun 1 '16

This Bizarre Gunshot-Plugging Device Just Saved Its First Life

An innovative sponge-filled dressing device recently saved the life of a coalition forces soldier who was shot in the leg. It’s the first documented clinical use of the product, known as XSTAT. The device was approved for military use back in 2014, but this incident marks the first time the system has been used in…

Tech News George Dvorsky May 31 '16

How to Find Platinum on the Side of the Road

Platinum is one of the rarest and most useful metals on the planet. A new video from Cody’s Lab explains why a significant amount of this precious element exists in the dirt and dust by the roadside—and how it can be extracted. Mining for precious metals on the side of a highway is a different…

Tech News George Dvorsky May 31 '16

FDA Approves First Implant to Treat Opioid Addiction

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Probuphine, the first implantable drug for the treatment of opioid dependence. It’s a welcome development at a time when scores of Americans are addicted to painkillers such as OxyContin and Vicodin. Prior to today’s announcement, Probuphine was only approved as a pill or as a film placed…

Health George Dvorsky May 26 '16

This Simple Test Can Predict Whether a Comatose Patient Will Ever Wake Up

For friends and family, fewer things are more agonizing than not knowing if or when a loved one in a coma will regain consciousness following a severe head injury or drug overdose. Researchers have shown that a common test can measure awareness in comatose patients—and even predict when they might wake up. As described in…

Health George Dvorsky May 26 '16

Life in Red Dwarf Systems May Be Rarer Than We Thought

Red dwarfs are the most common type of star in the galaxy. But new research suggests that life within these systems may be limited, due to the stiflingly hot atmospheres on Earth-sized planets that orbit the red dwarfs. When we look up into the sky at night, we only see a small portion of what’s…

Tech News George Dvorsky May 26 '16

New Evidence Suggests a Fifth Fundamental Force of Nature

We all know about the four fundamental forces of nature: gravity, electromagnetism, and the weak and strong forces between atoms. But could there be a fifth force still waiting to be discovered? A new experiment performed in Hungary suggests this may very well be the case. Nature News reports that a team of physicists led…

Physics & Chemistry George Dvorsky May 26 '16

Watch Lightning Creep Towards Earth In Super Slow Motion

Scientists at the Florida Institute of Technology recently captured a beautiful lightning storm using a new high speed camera. The lightning in this video was recorded at 7,000 frames per second (fps), with the playback speed adjusted to 700 frames per second. Researcher Ningyu Liu from the Geospace Physics Lab captured the footage on May…

Tech News George Dvorsky May 24 '16

How One in Ten Humans Could Be Wiped Out Within the Next Five Years

Recently, a group of forward-looking thinkers compiled a list of catastrophes that could kill off 10 percent or more of the human population within five years. This Gizmodo video explains how it could actually happen. The UK-based Global Priorities Project released its report back in April, and it defined global catastrophic risks as “events or…

Tech News George Dvorsky May 24 '16

African Monkeys Caught Eating Bats For the First Time

Researchers working in Africa are the first to observe monkeys preying on bats. The unusual behavior, which may have something to do with loss of habitat, could explain how dangerous diseases such as Ebola spread among species—and eventually to humans. African Cercopithecus monkeys are “opportunistic” omnivores, which means they’ll eat just about anything. In addition…

Tech News George Dvorsky May 24 '16

Mushroom Cloud in Iconic Photo of Hiroshima Is Not Actually a Mushroom Cloud

Nuclear experts say this famous photo of an apparent mushroom cloud rising above the city of Hiroshima is not what it appears to be. The towering plume is actually billowing smoke rising up from the raging firestorms that followed the explosion. This photo has been misidentified as a mushroom cloud for decades. The Pulitzer Prize…

Tech News George Dvorsky May 24 '16

How a Freaky WWI Camouflage Trick Could Be Reworked For the 21st Century

During World War I, ships were painted in zebra stripes to deceive the enemy. The effectiveness of this “dazzle” camouflage was never quite clear, but a new study suggests that these zigzag patterns can be quite deceptive when they move. Dazzle camouflage was invented by British marine artist Norman Wilkinson. The idea wasn’t to conceal…

Tech News George Dvorsky May 20 '16

A Beautiful Illustration of Something Quite Horrible

Up until a few months ago, we knew virtually nothing about the Zika virus—or what it even looked like. But a beautiful new illustration by David S. Goodsell reveals its hidden details, while also showing how the dreaded virus goes to work. Scientists have been hard at work trying to untangle the mystery that is…

Tech News George Dvorsky May 20 '16

The World’s Largest Solar Plant Just Torched Itself

Misaligned mirrors are being blamed for a fire that broke out yesterday at the world’s largest solar power plant, leaving the high-tech facility crippled for the time being. It sounds like the plant’s workers suffered through a real hellscape, too. A small fire was reported yesterday morning at the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System (ISEGS)…

Tech News George Dvorsky May 20 '16

A Flaw Has Been Detected in a Ground-Breaking Fertility Treatment

Scientists say a groundbreaking fertility treatment to correct potentially harmful genetic mutations has the potential to backfire, recreating the exact mutation the intervention was meant to fix. It’s a problem that could put an immediate halt to the pending practice—but a work-around may be possible. Mitochondrial replacement therapy, or three-parent IVF, is an effort to…

Tech News George Dvorsky May 19 '16

This Is the Smallest Flying Robot Capable of Landing On Surfaces

Birds, bats, and insects can’t fly forever, and neither can microrobotic drones. A new system that taps into the power of static electricity—the same principle that allows a balloon to stick to a wall—now allows robotic insects to land and stick to surfaces, greatly extending their operational life. Aerial microdrones are still in the developmental…

Tech News George Dvorsky May 19 '16

Antibiotic-Resistant Superbugs Could Kill 10 Million People a Year By 2050

An 18-month review into antimicrobial resistance warns that superbugs will kill upwards of 10 million people a year by 2050, a frightening prospect that’s being described as “the antibiotic apocalypse.” “The golden age of antibiotics which the world has taken for granted for well over fifty years has ended.” The new report (pdf), compiled by…

Tech News George Dvorsky May 19 '16

George Dvorsky

Looks Like We Were Wrong About the Origin of Dogs

The First Two Slovenian ‘Dragon Babies’ Have Hatched

Zoos Suck For Both Animals and Humans

Rare Genetic Mutation May Explain Some Forms of Multiple Sclerosis

This Bizarre Gunshot-Plugging Device Just Saved Its First Life

How to Find Platinum on the Side of the Road

FDA Approves First Implant to Treat Opioid Addiction

This Simple Test Can Predict Whether a Comatose Patient Will Ever Wake Up

Life in Red Dwarf Systems May Be Rarer Than We Thought

New Evidence Suggests a Fifth Fundamental Force of Nature

Watch Lightning Creep Towards Earth In Super Slow Motion

How One in Ten Humans Could Be Wiped Out Within the Next Five Years

African Monkeys Caught Eating Bats For the First Time

Mushroom Cloud in Iconic Photo of Hiroshima Is Not Actually a Mushroom Cloud

How a Freaky WWI Camouflage Trick Could Be Reworked For the 21st Century

A Beautiful Illustration of Something Quite Horrible

The World’s Largest Solar Plant Just Torched Itself

A Flaw Has Been Detected in a Ground-Breaking Fertility Treatment

This Is the Smallest Flying Robot Capable of Landing On Surfaces

Antibiotic-Resistant Superbugs Could Kill 10 Million People a Year By 2050

Feds Reportedly Investigating Crypto Titan Binance Over Iran Sanctions

Shark FlexStyle Air Multi-Styler Is Nearly 3x Cheaper Than Dyson Airwrap After Almost 40% Price Cut on Amazon

Trump Launches Trump TV, Because Clearly the Problem Is We Don’t See Enough Of This Freakin’ Guy

Heated Blankets and Pads Recalled After Dozens of Burn Injuries

Elon Musk’s X Sues Bitcoin Account Network It Says Farmed £207,000 Via Fake Engagement

OpenAI Calls for US to Lead Global AI Standards. Will China Be Okay With That?

This Unregistered Data Broker Holds 54 Million Mobile Numbers: California’s Fine Won’t Erase Yours

‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Won’t Continue After Season 3

Nearly $200 Billion Worth of Data Center Projects Have Been Blocked or Delayed This Year

Trump’s Attempt to Rename AI Misunderstands the MAGA Faithful

M6 Mac mini Review: A Better Tiny Desktop, With or Without AI

Aqara Multi-Sensor FP400 Review: Not Quite the mmWave of the Future

Alienware’s AW3926QW Ultrawide Gaming Monitor Review: Size Really Does Matter

iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max Review: Apple Is Just Flexing Hard Now

AirPods 5 Review: A Ridiculously Great Value for ANC Wireless Earbuds

Steam Frame Review: Valve Shows Us VR Was Always Meant to Be a Toy

Maingear Zero (2026) Review: PC Gaming Bliss With a Price Tag to Make You Cry

Sony WH-1000XM4C Review: Still Kind of Goated

Back to School: All the Accessories You Need to Replace Your Laptop With a Foldable Phone

Sony’s New $70 Wireless Headphones Have Me Rethinking Everything