George Dvorsky

The Curiosity Rover Looks Incredibly Lonely When Seen From Space

On the 949th day of its Martian mission, the Curiosity Rover was spotted by its space-based companion, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The image was captured two weeks ago when the rover was making its way through a valley called “Artist’s Drive” on the lower slope of Mount Sharp. Curiosity is currently making its way toward…

Scientists Make History By Genetically Modifying Human Embryos

After weeks of speculation, it can finally be confirmed that geneticists in China have modified the DNA of human embryos. It’s a watershed moment in biotech history, but the experiment may ultimately serve as a major setback in the effort to responsibly develop beneficial interventions involving the human germline. Rumors about the experiment had been…

The Most Badass Robotic Bird On The Planet Just Got Better

Since 2007, researchers at the Maryland Robotics Center have been steadily upgrading Robo Raven, a super-realistic robotic bird that’s so lifelike it even fools the real thing. Its developers recently unveiled two new versions, including one that can take off by itself. https://gizmodo.com/the-robo-raven-is-so-lifelike-it-fools-birdbrains-511919948 Robo Raven — the brainchild of University of Maryland roboticist SK Gupta…

The first exoplanet ever discovered is now the first exoplanet ever observed in visible light. 51 Pegasi B, a super Jupiter located about 50 light-years from Earth, was detected by comparing the light bouncing off its highly reflective surface to the spectral signature of its host star. It’s hoped the new technique will lead to…

Surgeons Discover Woman’s Embryonic Twin Lodged Deep Inside Her Brain [Updated]

During a surgery to remove an apparent brain tumor in a 26-year-old woman, doctors in Los Angeles were shocked to discover an embryonic twin instead. Update: April 24, 2015: Some scientists are saying there’s no way this is an embryo or a twin. As LiveScience reports: Although these tumors can originate during embryonic development, they…

NASA Is Seriously Revving Up The Search For Alien Life

A few weeks ago, NASA chief scientist Ellen Stofan made news by saying, “I think we’re going to have strong indications of life beyond Earth within a decade, and I think we’re going to have definitive evidence within 20 to 30 years.” It was a bold statement, but NASA is now backing those words with…

Dozens Of Dinosaur Eggs Unearthed By Chinese Road Workers

A construction crew working in Heyuan, China have stumbled upon a remarkable batch of fossilized dinosaur eggs. Of the 43 discovered, 19 remain completely intact. Located in Guangdong province, Heyuan is known as the “Home of the Dinosaurs.” Since 1996, some 17,000 fragments of fossilized dino eggs have been discovered in the area. The latest…

The Most Accurate Simulations Yet Of Massive Black Holes Merging

By applying the rules of Einsteinian general relativity to data pulled in by the Pan-STARRS telescope, scientist have developed two distinct simulations of supermassive black hole mergers that are considered the best yet. As reported in Nature News, these simulations were presented earlier this month at a meeting of the American Physical Society in Baltimore,…

Japan’s maglev train has once again broken the world speed record. The seven-car train reached a top speed of 375 mph (603 km/h) Tuesday, breaking its own record that was set just days earlier. The “magnetic train” hovers above the tracks and is propelled by electrically charged magnets. The challenge now will be in building…

Watch The History Of NYC Unfold From Inside The Freedom Tower’s Elevator

Starting next month, visitors to the new 1 World Trade Center will be treated to a fully immersive time-lapse of New York’s ever-changing cityscape, during their elevator trip to the 102nd floor – but you can get a sneak peek of the experience right here, right now. Click “play video” above, or click here for…

A New York Judge Has Granted Legal Person Rights To Chimpanzees [Updated]

For the first time in U.S. history, a supreme court has granted a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of two lab chimpanzees, effectively recognizing them as legal persons. While the future of the chimps has not yet been decided, it’s a huge step forward in establishing personhood status for highly sapient animals. Update 04/21/15…

Dawn Is Arriving At Ceres, And The View Is Getting Pretty Sweet

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft is settling into its first orbit around dwarf planet Ceres. And as you can see from this newly released animation, the view is getting to be quite spectacular. These images were taken by Dawn on April 14 and 15 from a distance of 14,000 miles (22,000 km). Each pixel represents about 1.3…

Ebola Survivors Are Being Urged To Abstain From Sex

Until scientists learn more about the virus and how long it stays in the body, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is asking Ebola survivors to either abstain from sex or use condoms 100% of the time. The CDC revised its guidelines on Ebola transmission on Sunday night. Prior to yesterday’s revision, the…

How The Most Daring Plan Of WWI Turned Into A Military Disaster

This coming Sunday marks the centenary of one of WWI’s most infamous campaigns: Gallipoli. It was an audacious attempt by the Entente to break the European deadlock with a master stroke. Instead, it quickly turned into a hellish ordeal and a resounding defeat. Here’s why Gallipoli seemed like a good idea at the time –…

What The Hell Is This Strange Green Glow Inside The Fukushima Plant?

A second robotic probe has investigated the interior of Japan’s stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant. Using its onboard camera, it sent back eerie images of the plant’s interior, including what appears to be a mysterious green glow. Earlier this month, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) dispatched the first of the shape-shifting robots to survey the…

Everest’s Modified Route Still Poses Deadly Challenges For Climbers

In light of a deadly incident last year at Mount Everest, Nepalese guides have charted a modified route to reduce avalanche risk. Trouble is, it will expose climbers to some extremely challenging – and potentially deadly – terrain. On April 18, 2014, a block of ice weighing as much as 657 passenger buses fell nearly…

Grim Discovery Confirms Cannibalism Among Early Britons

A recent analysis of human-chewed remains has provided some of the most compelling evidence to date that ice age Britons engaged in cannibalistic practices. Scientists from the Natural History Museum, University College London, with the help of specialists from several Spanish universities, have discovered the presence of human tooth-marks on human bones recovered from Gough’s…

Radioactive WWII Aircraft Carrier Found Off The California Coast

The USS Independence — a World War II-era aircraft carrier — has been found in 2,600 feet of water off the coast of California’s Farallon Islands. Surprisingly intact after 64 years, it was exposed to atomic blasts during the Bikini Atoll tests until it was deliberately sunk in 1951. The newly completed survey of the…

Harrowing New Video Shows A Powerful Landslide In Action

An eerie new video has emerged, showing an earthflow creeping its way across a landscape in Russia, levelling everything in its path. It’s like a tsunami — but one comprised of snow, rocks, and mud. The four-minute video shows the earthflow as it crunches trees and powerlines. You can actually hear the sounds of the…

Here’s What This Week’s Massive Dust Storm Looked Like From Space

Earlier this week, an unusually large dust storm blew its way across parts of Utah, Nevada, and California. Satellite images now show the extent of the storm as seen from high above. The dust storm, which struck the southwestern U.S. this past Tuesday, was caused by a cold front that moved across the region. In…