George Dvorsky, Author at Gizmodo

These Two Moons Smashed Together to Produce Saturn’s Unusual F Ring

A new theory proposes that Saturn’s outermost ring formed in the wake of an ancient collision between two icy satellites, and that similar collisions may account for comparable ringed structures around other planets. Saturn’s discrete F Ring is a narrow 62-mile (100-km) band located some 2,110 miles (3,400 km) away from the outer edge of…

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This is What Happens to Your Body When You Stop Exercising

It takes a lot of hard work to stay in shape, which is why it’s important to exercise on a regular basis. But it’s not always possible to remain active, and sometimes a few days off can turn into a more… extended hiatus. Here’s what happens to your body when you suddenly stop exercising. Measuring…

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A Glorious 3D Glimpse of a Massive Martian Canyon

India’s Mars Orbiter Mission has sent back a dramatic image of the Ophir Chasma terrain on Mars, giving us an unprecedented 3D look at one the Solar System’s largest canyons. The feature is part of the Valles Marineris canyon system on Mars, a massive gash along the equator that’s nearly as long as the United…

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Remains of “Warrior Princess” Found Buried Alongside Dagger and Sword

Archaeologists working in Kazakhstan have uncovered the remains of an ancient female warrior who lived sometime between the 11th century BC and 4th century AD. Researchers from Russia’s Institute of Archaeology identified the remains as female by analyzing the shape and size of the skull. Other graves of warrior women have previously been found in…

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Robot Simulations Show Mass Extinctions May Accelerate Evolution

By simulating a mass extinction on a population of virtual robots, researchers have shown that these cataclysmic events are an important contributor to an organism’s ability to evolve, a finding that has implications to evolutionary biology, the business sector—and even artificial intelligence. It’s no surprise that mass extinctions exert a tremendous influence on evolution. If…

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Watch the Best Simulation Yet of the New Horizons Pluto Flyby

Using data collected by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, Icelandic imaging wizard Björn Jónsson has produced a stunning animated visualization of the now historic Pluto flyby. The time covered in the simulated flyby is from 09:35 to 13:35 on July 14, 2015. The closest approach happened around 11:50. “Pluto’s atmosphere is included and should be fairly…

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Here’s How Those Gigantic Tianjin Explosions Appeared From Space

It’s been about 48 hours since a pair of explosions rocked the Chinese port city of Tianjin. At a force approaching two dozen tons of TNT, they registered as seismic activity by China’s National Earthquake Network. And as these satellite images show, they could also be seen from space. These three animated images were captured…

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Do Giant Plumes of Saharan Dust Explain Why We’re Having Such a Quiet Storm Season?

NASA’s Terra satellite recently captured this stunning photo of Saharan dust wafting over the Atlantic ocean. It’s one of several outbreaks this summer that some speculate may be contributing to this year’s relatively peaceful storm season. As noted by Kimberly Miller at the Palm Beach Post, Saharan dust is the strongest it has been in…

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Seattle Neighbors Are Seriously Pissed About Those Crows That Bring Gifts to an 8-year-old Girl

Remember that 8-year-old girl who receives small objects from crows in return for feeding them? Well, her parents are now facing a $200,000 lawsuit accusing them of running a large-scale feeding operation out of their backyard. Earlier this year, the BBC’s Katy Sewall told the story of Gabi Mann, an 8-year-old Seattle girl who, since…

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Newly Discovered “Baby Jupiter” is the Lightest Planet Ever Imaged by Telescope

Behold the lightest planet ever imaged by a telescope: an extremely young, Jovian-like planet that’s twice the size of Jupiter. Astronomers detected it through visible light, which is an extraordinary feat for a planet of this nature. Normally, exoplanets are indirectly detected when they pass in front of their host star. The temporary dimming of…

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Some Common Scientific Terms That Nearly Everyone Gets Wrong

In the latest episode of Vocativ’s Junk Science video series, Joshua Krisch goes over a few terms that scientists and the general public often use without knowing what they really mean.

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Thousands of Spiders Have Teamed Up to Create This Horrifying Mega-Web

This giant “communal” spiderweb was recently spotted at Lakeside Park in Rowlett, Texas. Since its discovery a few days ago, the mega-web has attracted a steady stream of curious sightseers. “It’s just so cool,” noted Jennifer Kolmes, a graduate of Texas A&M Agrilife Extension’s Master Naturalist program, at WFAA News. “I don’t know, I am…

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This Robot Uses the Power of Evolution to Produce and Improve New Robots

Roboticists have developed a “mother” robot that can build and evaluate her own “children,” and then decide which version performs best to inform the design of the next generation. Remarkably, the system doesn’t require any human intervention. Unlike biological species that evolve autonomously over time, robots are dependent on humans for reproduction and refinement. To…

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A Disturbing Number of Americans Are in Pain

An analysis conducted by the U.S. National Institutes of Health has found that an alarming number of Americans experience varying levels of pain on a regular basis. Not surprisingly, people who suffer from frequent bouts of severe pain are also having to cope with diminished health. The new study, which now appears in the Journal…

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Listen to the Hauntingly Beautiful Sounds of Icelandic Cave Singing

A thousand years ago, Gaelic monks sang and chanted inside Iceland’s vast series of caves. Recently, a group of folk singers made the trek inside one of these caves to test out the acoustics. Here’s what it sounded like. The cave used by these singers is called Hítardalur, and it’s one of several caves that…

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Health Experts Say Coca-Cola is Funding its Own Science to Deliberately Mislead the Public

The Global Energy Balance Network— a research institute supported by Coca-Cola—is claiming that exercise, and not diet, is the best way to prevent weight gain. It’s a dubious and self-serving message that’s not going over well amongst diet and obesity experts. “Most of the focus in the popular media and in the scientific press is…

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How We Could Detect an Alien Apocalypse From Earth

It’s generally assumed that we will eventually find signs of life in the galaxy. But rarely do we consider searching for advanced civilizations that have destroyed themselves. Here’s how we could do it—and what the search for dead aliens could tell us about our own future. Typically, astrobiologists and SETI enthusiasts are in the business…

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A Startup Just Raised $120 Million to Make Gene Editing Medications

Editas Medicine hopes to use CRISPR—a revolutionary new gene-editing technology—to treat conditions such as sickle-cell anemia, cancer, and cystic fibrosis. As MIT Technology Review reports, the influx of capital “reflects a surge of interest in CRISPR,” a powerful gene cutting-and-pasting tool that’s poised to revolutionize medicine. Editas, founded by a number of gene-editing pioneers, can…

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Yep, the Force of Gravity is the Same Throughout the Universe

A multi-decade analysis of a distant pulsar is affirming the longstanding notion that the gravitational constant—one of four fundamental forces of nature—is the same everywhere in the universe. “Gravity is the force that binds stars, planets, and galaxies together,” noted study co-author Scott Ransom from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Charlottesville, Va. in a…

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An Ancient Monolith Has Been Discovered in the Mediterranean Sea

Archaeologists working in the Sicilian Channel between Tunisia and Sicily have discovered a submerged 40-foot-long (8-meter) limestone monolith carved by Stone Age humans some 10,000 years ago. Back then, the Sicilian Channel would have featured an archipelago of several islands separated by stretches of extremely shallow sea. Living on these islands were Mesolithic humans who…

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George Dvorsky

These Two Moons Smashed Together to Produce Saturn’s Unusual F Ring

This is What Happens to Your Body When You Stop Exercising

A Glorious 3D Glimpse of a Massive Martian Canyon

Remains of “Warrior Princess” Found Buried Alongside Dagger and Sword

Robot Simulations Show Mass Extinctions May Accelerate Evolution

Watch the Best Simulation Yet of the New Horizons Pluto Flyby

Here’s How Those Gigantic Tianjin Explosions Appeared From Space

Do Giant Plumes of Saharan Dust Explain Why We’re Having Such a Quiet Storm Season?

Seattle Neighbors Are Seriously Pissed About Those Crows That Bring Gifts to an 8-year-old Girl

Newly Discovered “Baby Jupiter” is the Lightest Planet Ever Imaged by Telescope

Some Common Scientific Terms That Nearly Everyone Gets Wrong

Thousands of Spiders Have Teamed Up to Create This Horrifying Mega-Web

This Robot Uses the Power of Evolution to Produce and Improve New Robots

A Disturbing Number of Americans Are in Pain

Listen to the Hauntingly Beautiful Sounds of Icelandic Cave Singing

Health Experts Say Coca-Cola is Funding its Own Science to Deliberately Mislead the Public

How We Could Detect an Alien Apocalypse From Earth

A Startup Just Raised $120 Million to Make Gene Editing Medications

Yep, the Force of Gravity is the Same Throughout the Universe

An Ancient Monolith Has Been Discovered in the Mediterranean Sea

INIU Portable Power Bank Is Small in Size and Smaller in Price for Amazon’s Big Spring Sale (45W, 10,000mAh)

Humans Were Already Dog People 16,000 Years Ago, DNA Suggests

California Regulator Says Tesla’s ‘Robotaxis’ Are More Like a Limo in the Eyes of the Law

Dyson Airwrap Falls to an All-Time Low in Amazon’s Spring Sale, Lowering the Barrier for This Premium Multi-Styler

The ‘Tales from ’85’ Trailer Wants You Back in ‘Stranger Things’ Already

Forget Ray-Ban Meta, XREAL 1S AR/XR Virtual Screen Smart Glasses Drop to Record Low on Amazon

Pixel Buds Pro 2 Hit Record Low as Google Continues Its Clearance-Like Price Cuts Following Smartphone Deals

DJI Now Has a Cheaper 360 Drone Than Insta360, but the U.S. Won’t Get It

Amazon Clears Out Apple Watch Series 9 With Silver Stainless Steel Case at 48% Off During Spring Sale

What Do You Mean Fox McCloud Is in the ‘Super Mario Galaxy’ Movie

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