George Dvorsky, Author at Gizmodo

New Interface Allows Humans to Move a Rat’s Tail With Their Thoughts

In what might be the first documented case of technologically-assisted interspecies telepathy, an international team of researchers has successfully created a non-invasive brain-to-brain interface that allows humans to make a rat move involuntarily. The breakthrough could lead to more advanced techniques in which a person can control the parts of another person’s body with their…

io9 George Dvorsky Apr 4

Watch as this massive ice-sheet rips and shreds itself apart off Alaska

During the last several weeks, NASA has been tracking an unprecedented sea-ice fracturing event off the coast of northern Alaska. As this dramatic satellite video shows, hundreds of square miles of ice twisted and crumbled into the Beaufort Sea. The whole thing started back in late-January when a high-pressure system parked itself above the region,…

io9 George Dvorsky Apr 4

Billionaire Plans to Fill Parks With Hundreds of Giant Robot Dinosaurs

It may not be a true-to-life Jurassic Park, but it won’t be too far removed, either. Australian mining magnate Clive Palmer is in the midst of building two dinosaur-themed resorts, and he’s just placed an order for 117 fully animatronic dinosaurs — including a 1.2 ton Brachiosaurus, a 22 foot tall Mamenchisaurus, and 68 foot…

io9 George Dvorsky Apr 3

The first image of Earth taken by a weather satellite

Back on April 1, 1960, NASA launched the TIROS-1, the first successful low-Earth orbital weather satellite. And this is the first picture it sent back. Image courtesy of Rick Kohrs, SSEC via CIMSS Satellite Blog. The satellite, the first of a series of Television Infrared Observation Satellites, stayed in orbit for only 78 days. The…

io9 George Dvorsky Apr 3

How the Tar Sands Are Crushing Science in Canada

The Canadian government is currently under investigation for its efforts to obstruct the right of the media and public to speak to government scientists. These policies are widely believed to be a part of the government’s unspoken campaign to ensure that oil keeps flowing from the Athabasca tar sands — even if it’s at the…

io9 George Dvorsky Apr 3

Watch this black hole take a bite out of a rogue super-Jupiter

Astronomers working at the ESA’s Integral Space Observatory have observed a planet about 14-to-30 times the mass of Jupiter stray just a little too close to a dormant black hole. The gas giant (or possibly a brown dwarf) managed to avoid complete annihilation, but the black hole was still able to chomp down on a…

io9 George Dvorsky Apr 3

Is it time we got over the taboo against human enhancement?

Slate writer Will Oremus has put together a fairly revealing article about how easy it’s becoming to supercharge our brains, prompting him to wonder why there’s still so much push-back against the idea of technologically enhancing ourselves. The focus of Oremus’s article is on the surprising benefits that can be gleaned from transcranial direct-current stimulation…

io9 George Dvorsky Apr 2

The Earth As Seen From 100 Million Miles Away

This isn’t the prettiest image we’ve ever seen — but that doesn’t make it any less profound. It’s a glimpse of the Earth, the PanSTARRS comet, and a developing coronal mass ejection from the Sun as seen from STEREO-B‘s Heliospheric Imager. Image by NASA/GSFC/STEREO. What’s just as amazing as seeing the Earth from a distance…

io9 George Dvorsky Apr 2

Did Pacific Islanders reach South America before Columbus?

A genetic analysis of an indigenous Brazilian tribe called the Botocudos has revealed traces of Polynesian DNA. But while the finding adds some credence to the suggestion that Pacific Islanders may have reached South America hundreds or even thousands of years ago, a simpler explanation is more likely the case. Anthropologists pretty much agree that…

io9 George Dvorsky Apr 2

Can Music Be More Effective Than Drugs?

According to a new analysis of 400 published scientific papers, the old adage that “music is medicine” may literally be true. Canadian psychologists from McGill University have shown that the neurochemical benefits of music can boost the body’s immune system, reduce anxiety, and help regulate mood. The time has come, say the researchers, for doctors…

io9 George Dvorsky Apr 2

New Screen Lets You Smell Items as They Appear

Japanese researchers have developed a “smelling screen,” an LCD display that emanates virtual odors from the exact spot where items are appearing. The technology could eventually be used in advertising and museum exhibits…. and be really annoying. The smelling screen, also known as anolfactory display system, was developed by Haruka Matsukura and his colleagues at…

io9 George Dvorsky Apr 2

How Much Longer Before Our First AI Catastrophe?

What will happen in the days after the birth of the first true artificial intelligence? If things continue apace, this could prove to be the most dangerous time in human history. It will be an era of weak and narrow artificial intelligence, a highly dangerous combination that could wreak tremendous havoc on human civilization. Here’s…

io9 George Dvorsky Apr 1

People who age prematurely could soon benefit from rejuvenation therapies

Humans age at different rates, as a result of various factors like lifestyle and genetics. Now, a new study from the ENGAGE Consortium suggests that people who age faster are at an increased risk of developing age-related diseases like heart disease, multiple sclerosis, and various cancers. The researchers suggest that the way we age is…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 29

Wildlife photos that blur the line between reality and fantasy

Polish photographer Magda Wasiczek isn’t interested in showing the world exactly as it is. Instead, her unique vision presents nature as an idyllic paradise of fairy tales. All images by Magda Wasiczek. They are republished here with permission. Photography, says Wasiczek, raises awareness to the beauty of nature. “I’ve learned to see things invisible, to…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 29

Engineers Build The First Robot Ant Society

By using ten tiny robots equipped with light sensors and an exceedingly simple set of rules, scientists have successfully replicated the navigational behavior of colony ants. The breakthrough could result in more efficient transportation systems for humans — but it also gives us a new understanding of how these fascinating insects’ hive minds work. https://gizmodo.com/could-humans-evolve-into-a-giant-hive-mind-5891143…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 29

This robotic jellyfish could be the future of aquatic surveillance

Engineers at Virginia Tech have developed an autonomous jellyfish weighing 170 pounds and measuring nearly six feet in length. It’s called Cryo, and it’s part of a U.S. Navy funded project that could turn these life-like aquatic robots into spies. Cryo is equipped with eight mechanical legs that circle around its metal chasis. Its body…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 29

Are geoengineering insects behind Africa’s bizarre fairy circles?

A German scientist has come up with an explanation for the strange rings of grass that pockmark vast expanses of Africa’s Namib Desert: A sand termite known as Psammotermes allocerus. These circles are actually tiny oases built by the insects — and they can allow life to persist in the harsh conditions for hundreds of…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 29

How Will Humans Respond to Immortality?

Austin Considine from Motherboard recently interviewed UC Riverside philosopher John Fischer about his project to study immortality and its implications to the human condition. During their conversation they talked about immortal jellyfish, near-death experiences, the problematic Higgs boson, and the possibility of living for billions of years. https://gizmodo.com/could-this-immortal-jellyfish-unlock-the-secret-to-hu-5964375 https://gizmodo.com/an-alternative-universe-will-eventually-destroy-ours-s-5985647 Somewhat astoundingly, Fischer just received a…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 28

Who should be responsible when your robotic surgeon f*cks up?

Back in 2007, a surgical robot’s arm broke off inside a patient’s body during a procedure for prostate cancer. The fracture was so bad that the urologists had to enlarge the wound to get the broken instrument out. The question now is, who’s responsible? The surgeon using the device, or the manufacturer? As we’ve discussed…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 28

How To Recognize the Plastics That Are Hazardous To Your Health

By George Dvorsky and Joseph Bennington-Castro. The chemicals contained in plastics can be quite harmful. But given that “plastic” can mean a wide variety of substances, it’s difficult to know which ones are bad for us. Here’s everything you need to know about plastic and an its impact on your health. Manufacturers often add different…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 28

George Dvorsky

New Interface Allows Humans to Move a Rat’s Tail With Their Thoughts

Watch as this massive ice-sheet rips and shreds itself apart off Alaska

Billionaire Plans to Fill Parks With Hundreds of Giant Robot Dinosaurs

The first image of Earth taken by a weather satellite

How the Tar Sands Are Crushing Science in Canada

Watch this black hole take a bite out of a rogue super-Jupiter

Is it time we got over the taboo against human enhancement?

The Earth As Seen From 100 Million Miles Away

Did Pacific Islanders reach South America before Columbus?

Can Music Be More Effective Than Drugs?

New Screen Lets You Smell Items as They Appear

How Much Longer Before Our First AI Catastrophe?

People who age prematurely could soon benefit from rejuvenation therapies

Wildlife photos that blur the line between reality and fantasy

Engineers Build The First Robot Ant Society

This robotic jellyfish could be the future of aquatic surveillance

Are geoengineering insects behind Africa’s bizarre fairy circles?

How Will Humans Respond to Immortality?

Who should be responsible when your robotic surgeon f*cks up?

How To Recognize the Plastics That Are Hazardous To Your Health

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