George Dvorsky, Author at Gizmodo

Dolphin-assisted births? Yeah, let’s not go there.

An expectant couple from North Carolina are currently in Hawaii awaiting the birth of their baby. When the time comes, they will have a so-called dolphin-assisted birth — a completely whacked idea that experts say is wrong on a number of levels. The couple, Adam and Heather Barrington, are currently staying with Star Newland, the…

io9 George Dvorsky May 27

The First Image Ever of a Hydrogen Atom’s Orbital Structure

What you’re looking at is the first direct observation of an atom’s electron orbital — an atom’s actual wave function! To capture the image, researchers utilized a new quantum microscope — an incredible new device that literally allows scientists to gaze into the quantum realm. An orbital structure is the space in an atom that’s…

io9 George Dvorsky May 24

Watch as this burning railway bridge comes crashing down

Remember that wild scene in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter when that wooden bridge was set ablaze? Well, as you’ll see in this unbelievable video, sometimes reality can match the best that special effects has to offer. This railroad bridge used to run across the Colorado River between San Saba and Lometa in the U.S. state…

io9 George Dvorsky May 24

Portland voters reject fluoridation for the fourth time

For the fourth time since 1956, Portlanders have rejected a plan to fluoridate the city’s water. It’s the only city among the nation’s 30 most populous that avoids the practice — prompting critics to complain that the city is simply being anti-science. Dr. Strangelove image via American Buddha. The point of water fluoridation is to…

io9 George Dvorsky May 23

How a 3D Printer Saved This Baby’s Life

Six weeks after he was born, Kaiba Gionfriddo began to experience severe breathing difficulties, the result of a rare obstruction in his lungs called bronchial malacia. In desperation, doctors attempted a technique never tried before on a human: they 3D-printed a splint from biological material. Before they could do such a thing, however, the University…

io9 George Dvorsky May 23

Google Glass Rival Hires ‘Cyborg’ Steve Mann as Chief Scientist

Wearables pioneer Steve Mann has joined forces with Meta, an ambitious startup that’s currently working on the world’s first entry-level augmented reality glasses. Meta, which has been under development for the past two years, is the brainchild of Columbia University computer and neurological science student Meron Gribetz. His team has developed a prototype that goes…

io9 George Dvorsky May 23

Humanity Will Never Be Overrun By Spontaneously Forming Space Brains

Good news, everyone! A new interpretation of string theory is proposing that Boltzmann Brains — those disembodied brains that could emerge spontaneously in outer space — will never outnumber humans. Yes, this sounds super-weird, but the whole Boltzmann Brain thing has troubled scientists for quite some time now. It was named after the theoretical physicist…

io9 George Dvorsky May 23

These 1,000-year-old coins could rewrite Australia’s history

Historians credit James Cook with discovering Australia back in 1770. But a long ignored discovery of five African copper coins in its Northern Territory, along with a map with an “X” on it, suggests somebody beat him to it — and by a long shot. If validated, the coins could mean seafarers from distant lands…

io9 George Dvorsky May 22

Steve Aoki explores the Singularity in this futuristic new video

This dazzling new scifi-themed music video by electro house musician Steve Aoki looks like it could be made into an actual movie. It features Angger Dimas, My Name Is Kay — and none other than Ray Kurzweil who adds his two cents about the future. You might want to crank the volume — this song…

io9 George Dvorsky May 22

Humans With Amplified Intelligence Could Be More Powerful Than AI

With much of our attention focused the rise of advanced artificial intelligence, few consider the potential for radically amplified human intelligence (IA). It’s an open question as to which will come first, but a technologically boosted brain could be just as powerful — and just as dangerous – as AI. https://gizmodo.com/how-much-longer-before-our-first-ai-catastrophe-464043243 As a species, we’ve…

io9 George Dvorsky May 22

Humans may soon regenerate damaged body parts like salamanders

Australian researchers have isolated an immune system cell in salamanders which helps it regenerate missing limbs and damaged organs — and they suspect the same thing could work in humans, too. Salamanders, or axolotls, are unique among vertebrates in that they’ve got remarkable regenerative powers. Adults can literally regrow and restore function to any part…

io9 George Dvorsky May 22

What it’s like to have an EF5 tornado pass almost directly overhead

Two days ago, as the 2013 Moore tornado struck Oklahoma, Charles Gifford sought refuge in a storm shelter. After he was safe inside, and with the door securely shut, Gifford poked his camera through a small hole, allowing him to capture this insanely up-close video of the 1.3 mile wide tornado. This video shows how…

io9 George Dvorsky May 22

Gamers are more hostile towards opponents that seem human

A recent study has shown that gamers who wage battle against human-looking characters are more likely to experience aggressive thoughts and words than those facing monstrous nonhuman targets. For the study, a University of Connecticut research team led by Rory McGloin had 148 participants play the first-person shooter, Quake 3 Revolution, before administering tests to…

io9 George Dvorsky May 21

Why Did Penguins Stop Flying?

Researchers from the University of Manitoba have shown that birds can either be very good at flying or swimming, but not both. And they’ve been studying a very awkward seabird to prove it. Animals that can fly really have it good. Flight allows for quick getaways, aerial view hunting, expanded territorial ranges, and the ability…

io9 George Dvorsky May 21

What the hell did this chemistry teacher think was going to happen?

High school chemistry class. Open flames on the ceiling. Fire sprinkler system. You can guess what happens next.

io9 George Dvorsky May 21

The longest continual satellite scroll of Earth you will ever see

Get ready to take a trip. Your 6,000 mile (9,000 km) long journey will start in Russia and extend down to the northern tip of South Africa — and you’ll see it all from a height of 438 miles (705 km). It’s called The Long Swath — a 19-gigapixel filmstrip of the Earth produced by…

io9 George Dvorsky May 21

Watch these zombies parkour around a post-apocalyptic wasteland

The undead are definitely upping their game, there’s no question about it. And as if to prove the point, these parkouring zombies will happily show you how they’ve taken their stalking skills to the next level. The Zombie CBR stunt team consists of Chris Romrell, Robert Bennett, Christain Russell, and Devon Bardole. More about this…

io9 George Dvorsky May 21

Malaria Makes Mosquitoes Meaner

Without mosquitoes, malaria wouldn’t be able to infect humans. But in addition to hitching a ride, it now appears that the parasite also alters insect behavior — making infected mosquitoes thirstier for human blood. Like, a lot thirstier. According to a new study led by James Logan, mosquitoes (Anopheles gambiae) carrying the malaria parasite (Plasmodium…

io9 George Dvorsky May 17

This 1897 bicycle highway was supposed to be the future of transit

At the close of the 19th century — just before cars made their appearance — a wealthy American businessman began construction on a private, for-profit bicycle superhighway that would stretch from Pasadena to Los Angeles. It almost got built. This story comes to us from Brian Merchant at the always interesting Motherboard. The entrepreneur in…

io9 George Dvorsky May 17

Revisiting Kepler’s Most Mind-Blowing Discoveries

NASA’s Kepler space telescope is busted and it may never work normally again. But during its four years of exemplary service, the planet-hunting telescope provided astronomers with an unprecedented glimpse into the Milky Way. Here are the most incredible discoveries made by Kepler. Top image: Ron Miller. As we reported yesterday, controllers on the ground…

io9 George Dvorsky May 17

George Dvorsky

Dolphin-assisted births? Yeah, let’s not go there.

The First Image Ever of a Hydrogen Atom’s Orbital Structure

Watch as this burning railway bridge comes crashing down

Portland voters reject fluoridation for the fourth time

How a 3D Printer Saved This Baby’s Life

Google Glass Rival Hires ‘Cyborg’ Steve Mann as Chief Scientist

Humanity Will Never Be Overrun By Spontaneously Forming Space Brains

These 1,000-year-old coins could rewrite Australia’s history

Steve Aoki explores the Singularity in this futuristic new video

Humans With Amplified Intelligence Could Be More Powerful Than AI

Humans may soon regenerate damaged body parts like salamanders

What it’s like to have an EF5 tornado pass almost directly overhead

Gamers are more hostile towards opponents that seem human

Why Did Penguins Stop Flying?

What the hell did this chemistry teacher think was going to happen?

The longest continual satellite scroll of Earth you will ever see

Watch these zombies parkour around a post-apocalyptic wasteland

Malaria Makes Mosquitoes Meaner

This 1897 bicycle highway was supposed to be the future of transit

Revisiting Kepler’s Most Mind-Blowing Discoveries

First Statewide Data Center Ban Passed by Maine Legislature

FCC Exempts Netgear from Foreign-Made Router Ban for Some Reason

Jamie Dornan Is Your New Aragorn in ‘The Hunt for Gollum’

Trump’s Fed Pick Is Knee Deep in Tech and Crypto Investments

The First Trailer for ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ Takes Terror Stateside

The Trump Phone Still Looks Like Total Trash

‘Masters of the Universe’ Really, Really Wants to Be the Next ‘Barbie’

Samsung’s Micro RGB TVs Provide So Much Color It May Be Too Much

The Crypto Bros Want to Get Their Hands on Anthropic’s ‘Super Dangerous’ Model

This Is What a Music Industry ‘Plant’ Looks Like in 2026

Sony Inzone H6 Air Review: A Perfect Case for Open-Back Gaming Headsets

Anker’s EufyMake E1 Finally Brings Printers Out of the Dark Ages

The Soundboks Mix Is Going to Make You the Most Popular Guy at the Park

Asus Zenbook A16 Review: Start Considering Snapdragon on PC, for Real

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice