George Dvorsky, Author at Gizmodo

This android’s muscles and tendons allow it to move like a human

You know how the original Terminator looks like a human — even on the inside? Well, that was probably a good design decision. As the designers of this android undoubtedly know, the best way to get a robot to look and move like a human is to give it an actual musculoskeletal system. Everyone, say…

io9 George Dvorsky Sep 27

A new photo emerges of Lincoln at Gettysburg

A Disney-animator has inadvertently stumbled upon what he thinks is only the second known photograph of Abraham Lincoln taken on the same day he delivered his famous speech at Gettysburg. Christopher Oakley discovered the photo — the second of a pair of stereographic images — while working on the Virtual Lincoln Project, an effort to…

io9 George Dvorsky Sep 27

IPCC Report: Humans are the ‘dominant cause’ of global warming

Our climate is changing, no doubt about it. The festering controversy we’re in has been about whether humans have anything to do with it. A comprehensive report by a UN-sponsored climate panel may now finally put the issue to rest — and we’re most certainly to blame. Top image: Global Patterns of Carbon Dioxide. Credit:…

io9 George Dvorsky Sep 27

Pentagon invests $10M to make this scary robot silent and bulletproof

Boston Dynamics has just received a serious injection of cash to upgrade its Legged Squad Support System (LS3) pack mule. The challenge now is to make it quieter and resistant to small arms fire. Yeah, about that… The LS3 is currently capable of hauling 400 pounds of supplies over 20 miles on a single tank…

io9 George Dvorsky Sep 26

NASA has just made an incredible discovery about water on Mars

A recent analysis of Martian surface soil samples shows that it contains about 2% water by weight. This is fantastic news for future colonists of the Red Planet. According to a series of NASA papers just published in the journal Science, each cubic foot of the fine Martian soil contains about two pints of liquid…

io9 George Dvorsky Sep 26

The science behind power naps, and why they’re so damn good for you

The stigma against napping is finally starting to wane — and for good reason. Taking a timeout to sleep during the day does much more than just give us a quick energy boost. It also confers some serious cognitive and health advantages as well. Here’s what the latest science tells us. Unlike 85% of all…

io9 George Dvorsky Sep 26

The world’s first mind-controlled robotic leg is ready for prime time

Late last year we told you about Zac Vawter, recipient of the first mind-controlled prosthetic leg. Now, after extensive testing and a series of important tweaks, the device is ready for actual clinical applications. Your cyborg future awaits. https://gizmodo.com/bionic-man-scales-willis-tower-with-the-worlds-first-ne-5957772 Until now, the only thought-controlled prosthetics available to amputees were bionic arms. But the new leg…

io9 George Dvorsky Sep 26

Apple Maps Glitch Takes Drivers to Runway of International Airport

Here’s another reason why you shouldn’t just blindly follow directions provided by your friendly neighborhood mapping service: An error on new iPhones and iPads directs drivers to a runway at a major international Alaskan airport. To be fair, the map actually stops at the tarmac. What’s more, there’s a gate, warning lights, and numerous signs…

io9 George Dvorsky Sep 26

When a lightning storm rains down upon the Grand Canyon

Photographer Rolf Maeder recently traveled to the Grand Canyon in hopes of taking some pictures of the sunset, but an incoming lightning storm required a change of plans. This astonishing photo of multiple lightning bolts and brilliantly illuminated canyon sky is the result. Image: Rolf Maeder. Check out his website. Maeder writes: On the Moran…

io9 George Dvorsky Sep 25

Breakthrough: The World’s First Carbon Nanotube Computer

It’s only got 178 transistors, but it’s an important proof-of-concept that’s poised to keep Moore’s Law right on track. The breakthrough, in which a basic computer was powered by microscopic chains of carbon atoms, means we may have finally found a viable alternative to silicon chips. Back in 1965, Intel Corp. co-founder Gordon Moore famously…

io9 George Dvorsky Sep 25

Visualizing the most unisex names in U.S. history

Trendy names come and go, and so too do those androgynous names that work just as well for both girls and boys. Check out this gorgeous data visualization to see how our acceptance of these gender-neutral names have changed over the course of the past 100 years. Top image: Flowingdata. A name is considered unisex…

io9 George Dvorsky Sep 25

Pakistan’s new island was created by a ‘mud volcano’

As we reported yesterday, a new island measuring 40 feet high and about 200 feet across suddenly appeared off the coast of Pakistan following a devastating 7.7 magnitude quake. Geologists now say that it formed after the temblor triggered a mud volcano. https://gizmodo.com/7-7-magnitude-quake-in-pakistan-just-created-a-new-isla-1377964003 The new island, which is likely temporary, now sits about 2,000 feet…

io9 George Dvorsky Sep 25

This astounding video just took projection-mapping to the next level

This is what you get when you combine robotics, the projection-mapping of 3D computer graphics, and an actor all working together in perfect synchronization. It’s a five-minute short film called “The Box” — and it’s nothing short of revolutionary. The short film was produced by San Francisco-based design and engineering firm Bot & Dolly. It’s…

io9 George Dvorsky Sep 25

Horse_ebooks proves that humans yearn to be friends with bots

Normally, we worry that Twitter accounts and dating profiles are run by bots — sophisticated algorithms that pretend to be humans. But now, thanks to the Horse_ebooks Twitter account, we have to be on the lookout for humans luring us in by pretending to be machines. So the cat’s out of the bag. As reported…

io9 George Dvorsky Sep 24

Could the Nazis have starved Britain into submission?

At the dawn of the Second World War, the island nation of Britain faced the grim possibility that it might be starved into defeat owing to a German naval blockade. To assess this threat, a group of Cambridge dieticians took part in a secret experiment to see just how malnourished they could become. Top Image:…

io9 George Dvorsky Sep 24

A remarkably detailed fake study of Wolverine’s regeneration abilities

It’s a shame we don’t have actual superheros in our midst. Otherwise, scientists would put out research papers that look something like this amazing six-page study examining the discovery of a novel protein associated with the regenerative abilities of none other than Wolverine. Right off I gotta say that the work put into this parody…

io9 George Dvorsky Sep 24

Earth’s Mysterious Third Radiation Ring Driven By ‘Different Physics’

Earlier this year, NASA scientists discovered a “previously unknown surprise circling Earth” — an ephemeral third ring of radiation surrounding our planet. Now, some eight months later, UCLA scientists say they know what’s going on — and it’s unlike anything physicists have ever seen before. https://gizmodo.com/nasa-weve-discovered-a-previously-unknown-surprise-c-5986821 Top image: The third ring between the two belts.…

io9 George Dvorsky Sep 24

The most astonishing timelapse of Burning Man you will ever see

Burning Man 2013 may have come to a close, but now’s the time when all the cool videos start to come out. Case in point is this stunning timelapse of Blackrock City as seen from the peak of Old Razorback, a height of 1,888 feet. The week-long countercultural festival, which is held every year at…

io9 George Dvorsky Sep 24

Humans are not the only primates who whisper

Zoologists know that some animals like to whisper, or do something like it, under certain circumstances. But it’s never been observed in nonhuman primates… until now. The primate in question is the cotton-top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus), one of the world’s smallest primates. It lives in the tropical forests of northwestern Columbia in South America. Its…

io9 George Dvorsky Sep 23

Why drugs that treat psychological disorders may be doomed

Neuroscientists are increasingly seeing the human brain as a series of modifiable brain circuits. As a result, a lot of money is being spent on the development of biotechnologies that manipulate brain networks. Psychiatric drugs, it would appear, are on the way out. This observation comes to us via Vaughan Bell, who has penned an…

io9 George Dvorsky Sep 23

George Dvorsky

This android’s muscles and tendons allow it to move like a human

A new photo emerges of Lincoln at Gettysburg

IPCC Report: Humans are the ‘dominant cause’ of global warming

Pentagon invests $10M to make this scary robot silent and bulletproof

NASA has just made an incredible discovery about water on Mars

The science behind power naps, and why they’re so damn good for you

The world’s first mind-controlled robotic leg is ready for prime time

Apple Maps Glitch Takes Drivers to Runway of International Airport

When a lightning storm rains down upon the Grand Canyon

Breakthrough: The World’s First Carbon Nanotube Computer

Visualizing the most unisex names in U.S. history

Pakistan’s new island was created by a ‘mud volcano’

This astounding video just took projection-mapping to the next level

Horse_ebooks proves that humans yearn to be friends with bots

Could the Nazis have starved Britain into submission?

A remarkably detailed fake study of Wolverine’s regeneration abilities

Earth’s Mysterious Third Radiation Ring Driven By ‘Different Physics’

The most astonishing timelapse of Burning Man you will ever see

Humans are not the only primates who whisper

Why drugs that treat psychological disorders may be doomed

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