George Dvorsky, Author at Gizmodo

Lego’s First Minifigure in a Wheelchair is Embarrassingly Overdue

Bowing to public pressure, Lego has finally released its first minifig in a wheelchair. The latest Lego figurine was one of several recently showcased at the Nuremberg Toy Fair. Lego’s decision to create a minifg in a wheelchair did not arise spontaneously from the goodness of this company’s heart. In fact, Lego initially resisted requests…

Tech News George Dvorsky

Theranos Lab Poses ‘Immediate Jeopardy to Patient Safety,’ According to Government Letter

The US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has delivered a strongly worded letter to blood testing startup Theranos, saying its California facility poses “immediate jeopardy to patient safety,” and that it has 10 days to comply with “acceptable evidence of correction.” Biotech firm Theranos came under intense media scrutiny back in October, prompting U.S.…

Tech News George Dvorsky

Deepak Chopra Thinks Stomach Bacteria Listens to Your Thoughts

Holistic health advocate Deepak Chopra is at it again, this time spouting his patented food nonsense at the “Fat Summit” online conference. While speaking to celebrity doctor and alternative medicine enthusiast Mark Hyman, Chopra explained that the vast collection of microbes in our gut are actually capable of listening to our thoughts. As science and…

Tech News George Dvorsky

Solar and Wind Could Be the Dominant Source of Power in the US by 2030

The price of wind and solar is steadily dropping, leading researchers to conclude that CO2 emissions from power production in the US could be significantly reduced within 15 years. And to distribute this energy, they’re calling on America to build an “electron superhighway.” Simulations developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and researchers…

Tech News George Dvorsky

A Dancer Transforms Into a 3D-Printed Version of Herself in the New Chemical Brothers Video

“Wide Open” is the latest music video from the British electronic duo The Chemical Brothers. In this Dom & Nic-directed video, dancer Sonoya Mizuno (who many of you will remember from Ex Machina) slowly morphs into a synthetic version of herself. The Chemical Brothers appear to be fascinated with cyborgs at the moment, as witnessed…

io9 George Dvorsky

Controversial ‘Transmittable Alzheimer’s’ Theory Is Starting to Look Plausible

Back in September, researchers in the UK discovered that brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s may be transmissible through certain medical procedures. Skeptical scientists urged caution, but now a different set of autopsy results have shown the same thing. As reported in Nature News, the latest autopsies were performed on the brains of patients who died…

Health George Dvorsky

Stem Cell Breakthrough Could Put an End to Daily Insulin Injections for Diabetics

People with type 1 diabetes have to inject insulin daily, and it often results in pain, redness, swelling, and itching at the injection site. But this could soon be a thing of the past, thanks to a new breakthrough that takes us one step closer to a functional cure for type 1 diabetes. Researchers at…

Tech News George Dvorsky

Ethicists Voice Concerns Over Creation of Humanized ‘Autistic’ Monkeys

Researchers in China have genetically engineered monkeys to exhibit autistic-like behaviors, including impaired social skills and increased anxiety. This research is poised to improve our understanding of brain disorders, but ethicists say the harm endured by these monkeys is simply not worth it. Monkeys are increasingly being used as models for human diseases, and for…

Tech News George Dvorsky

Zika Virus Outbreak Prompts CDC to Expand Travel Advisory

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is asking pregnant women to avoid 22 countries that have seen outbreaks of the Zika virus. That’s up eight from just yesterday. Disturbingly, the mosquito-borne virus, which may be causing abnormally small heads in newborns, has also been linked to yet another debilitating disease. The Zika virus…

Tech News George Dvorsky

Doomed Stars Glisten Like Diamonds in Latest Hubble Photo

Behold Trumpler 14, a dazzling star cluster located 8,000 light-years from Earth. Situated within the Carina Nebula, it’s home to one of the highest concentrations of massive, bright stars in the Milky Way. But as spectacular as these stellar objects appear be, their majestic appearance comes at a price. This family of white-blue stars are…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Undiscovered Crevice at the Bottom of Loch Ness is Big Enough to Hide a Monster

A sonar reading recently revealed a previously unseen trench at the bottom of Loch Ness. Located about nine miles east of Inverness, it looks just large enough for Nessie to hide in. Or more plausibly, it’s yet another attempt by the locals to keep the myth alive—and the tourists flocking to the lake. The crevice…

Tech News George Dvorsky

This Dry Patch of Land Used to Be Bolivia’s Second Largest Lake

This satellite image shows the outline of where Bolvia’s Lake Poopó used to be. Once the county’s second largest body of fresh water, it’s now dried up because of recurring drought and water diversion projects. Typically, rainfall during the wet season (which runs from December to March) replenishes the lake. But we’re now well into…

Tech News George Dvorsky

New Solution to Fermi Paradox Suggests Alien Life Goes Extinct Early

We have yet to discover a single trace of alien life, despite the extremely high probability that it exists somewhere. This contradiction is popularly known as the Fermi Paradox. A new theory attempts to solve this conundrum by suggesting that habitable planets are quite common in our galaxy, but nascent life gets snuffed out very…

Tech News George Dvorsky

Our Brains Can Store 10 Times More Information Than We Thought

New research shows the brain’s memory capacity is ten times greater than previous estimates. That means it’s in the petabyte range—which puts it close to World Wide Web territory. The human brain is often compared to a computer. One aspect in particular that lends itself well to these sorts of comparisons is memory. When computer…

Tech News George Dvorsky

Discovery of Brutal Massacre Pushes Back History of Human Warfare

Anthropologists working in Kenya have uncovered the remains of a group of prehistoric foragers who were ruthlessly massacred about 10,000 years ago. It’s considered the earliest example of organized violence among nomadic hunter-gatherers, a rare find that’s offering an unprecedented glimpse into what life—and death—was like for prehistoric foragers. Archaeological evidence of warfare is abundant…

Tech News George Dvorsky

Scientists Claim to Perform Head Transplant on Monkey, Experts Say Prove It

An international team of neuroscientists claims to have successfully carried out a head transplant on a monkey, along with other related experiments. But because the details haven’t been published, experts remain skeptical. Warning: Graphic image to follow. As New Scientist reports, the procedure was led by Sergio Canavero, a neuroscientist who works for the Turin…

Tech News George Dvorsky

A Brief History of Stephen Hawking Being a Bummer

Stephen Hawking is at it again, saying it’s a “near certainty” that a self-inflicted disaster will befall humanity within the next thousand years or so. It’s not the first time the world’s most famous physicist has raised the alarm on the apocalypse, and he’s starting to become a real downer. Here are some of the…

Artificial Intelligence George Dvorsky

Cyborg Sperm Could Revolutionize Fertility Treatments

Some men produce sperm that are poor swimmers, a major cause of infertility. To help, researchers from Germany have developed motorized cyborg “spermbots” that can be guided directly to an egg. This isn’t the first time that scientists have fooled around with sperm. Back in 2013, a team led by Oliver G. Schmidt positioned bull…

Tech News George Dvorsky

Frozen Tardigrade Brought Back to Life After 30 Years

Tardigrades, or “water bears,” are renowned for their remarkable survival skills. But these microscopic creatures are far more indestructible than we thought. In a recent experiment, scientists in Japan successfully revived a tardigrade that had been frozen for more than three decades. That’s a new record. Tardigrades are tiny water-dwelling extremophiles that are capable of…

Tech News George Dvorsky

French Drug Trial Leaves One ‘Brain Dead’ and Five Hospitalized (UPDATED)

A clinical trial of a “cannabinoid painkiller” in France has left one person in a coma and five others critically ill. In response, the French health ministry has put a halt to the trials in what it describes as “a serious accident.” Earlier today in a statement, the French Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, and…

Health George Dvorsky

George Dvorsky

Lego’s First Minifigure in a Wheelchair is Embarrassingly Overdue

Theranos Lab Poses ‘Immediate Jeopardy to Patient Safety,’ According to Government Letter

Deepak Chopra Thinks Stomach Bacteria Listens to Your Thoughts

Solar and Wind Could Be the Dominant Source of Power in the US by 2030

A Dancer Transforms Into a 3D-Printed Version of Herself in the New Chemical Brothers Video

Controversial ‘Transmittable Alzheimer’s’ Theory Is Starting to Look Plausible

Stem Cell Breakthrough Could Put an End to Daily Insulin Injections for Diabetics

Ethicists Voice Concerns Over Creation of Humanized ‘Autistic’ Monkeys

Zika Virus Outbreak Prompts CDC to Expand Travel Advisory

Doomed Stars Glisten Like Diamonds in Latest Hubble Photo

Undiscovered Crevice at the Bottom of Loch Ness is Big Enough to Hide a Monster

This Dry Patch of Land Used to Be Bolivia’s Second Largest Lake

New Solution to Fermi Paradox Suggests Alien Life Goes Extinct Early

Our Brains Can Store 10 Times More Information Than We Thought

Discovery of Brutal Massacre Pushes Back History of Human Warfare

Scientists Claim to Perform Head Transplant on Monkey, Experts Say Prove It

A Brief History of Stephen Hawking Being a Bummer

Cyborg Sperm Could Revolutionize Fertility Treatments

Frozen Tardigrade Brought Back to Life After 30 Years

French Drug Trial Leaves One ‘Brain Dead’ and Five Hospitalized (UPDATED)

Deadpool Will Deface ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Classics for a New Secret Lair

Apple’s Siri Isn’t Just Going to Use One Chatbot. It’s Going to Use All of Them

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

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