George Dvorsky, Author at Gizmodo

Monday’s 4.7 earthquake in L.A. was predicted by SCIENCE!

To be fair, the tiny trembler wasn’t forecast by a huge expanse of time, but seismologists were alerted to it nonetheless. By planting hundreds of sensors around fault zones in California, researchers at CalTech were literally given 30 seconds to anticipate the quake. And when it actually shook their lab, it marked the first successful…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 14

Google Glass Ushers in the Next Wave of Cybernetic Hate Crimes

Last week, a cafe in Seattle banned the use of Google Glass, a reflection of the growing concern about the ways this cutting-edge technology might be abused. But the critics are ignoring the technology’s potential to make our lives safer and more democratic. Worse, by stigmatizing its use, the Glass-haters are spawning an entirely new…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 14

This crazy-dense planet could be of an entirely new type

When it comes to detecting and cataloguing exoplanets, astronomers have only just begun. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that an entirely new class of planets may have been discovered — Neptune-like planets that were stripped of their outer gaseous layers after venturing too close to their sun. Several years ago, astronomers involved in…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 14

7 Numbers That Are Just as Cool as Pi

We may be celebrating Pi Day here at io9, but we would be irrational to deny that there’s more to mathematical interestingness than simply dividing an object’s circumference by its diameter. Here are seven numbers we love as much as pi. 1. 1 1 may be the loneliest number, but it’s the littlest number that…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 14

Does the science of aging suggest we’re ‘programmed to die’?

In an effort to slow down — and even halt — the aging process, scientists are increasingly turning their attention to the various external and internal factors that give rise to it. As this new video by AsapSCIENCE shows, we’re all slaves to a biological clock that’s been ticking away since the moment we were…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 14

The ALMA telescope has just made its first major discovery

Today is inauguration day for ALMA, the massive telescopic array that’s still under construction in Chile’s Atacama Desert. But just because it’s not finished doesn’t mean astronomers haven’t been using it. The $1.5 billion telescope has just peered into the deepest realms of the universe, revealing some of the most distant star-spawning galaxies ever discovered.…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 13

Ancient Penis-Headed Worm Pushes Fossil Record Back 200 Million Years

Behold Spartobranchus tenuis, a newly discovered creature that’s proving to be a crucial evolutionary missing link. The finding shows that biodiversity over half a billion years ago was more complex — and creepier — than previously thought. The phallus-shaped fossil was unearthed in Canada’s 505 million year-old Burgess Shale, and it’s a discovery that’s resetting…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 13

This microchip healed itself after being blasted by lasers

Our technologies are becoming more biological with each passing year. And here’s the latest breakthrough: Caltech engineers have developed an integrated computer chip that can learn to heal its own injuries. Typically, microchips feature pathways so specialized that a single fault can render the entire thing inoperative. So, in an effort to overcome this lack…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 13

Having trouble focusing? Try chewing gum.

The longer the task, the more difficult it is to avoid drifting off. But as a new study from the University of Cardiff has shown, people who chew gum have an enhanced ability to concentrate over extended periods of time, along with the added benefit of quicker reaction times. Chewing gum has been much maligned…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 13

How Neanderthals’ eyes contributed to their demise

We’ve heard a lot of different theories attempting to explain why the hardy Neanderthals went extinct, but this one’s probably the most original, if not the strangest. According to a new study, Neanderthals had extraordinarily good vision — an attribute that came at considerable expense. Earlier studies showed that Neanderthals featured skulls just slightly different…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 13

Curiosity Confirms That Mars Was Once Capable of Harboring Life

The Curiosity Rover has just accomplished exactly what it was set out to do. According to NASA scientists, the probe’s latest analysis of a Martian rock sample shows that ancient Mars was once capable of supporting living microbes. It’s not confirmation of life; rather, it’s evidence for the Red Planet’s historical potential to host life.…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 12

Mt. Sakurajima Unleashes Its Fury with Lava and Lightning

As if spewing molton lava wasn’t injury enough, volcanoes can also generate lightning strikes. In this apocalyptic image taken by Martin Rietze, we see Sakurajima Volcano doing just that — and in extremely vivid detail. Rietze’s photograph is reprinted here with permission. Sakurajima is an active composite volcano located in Kagoshima Prefecture in Kyūshū, Japan.…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 12

The insane plan to rescue Napoleon from St. Helena by submarine

Back in the early 19th Century, an Irish adventurer and smuggler named Tom Johnson hatched a plot to rescue the exiled Napoleon from his island prison on St. Helena. But to do so he would need to approach the heavily guarded island with extreme caution. That’s when he decided to design his very own submarine…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 12

The Greening of the Arctic

Temperatures in the north are starting to resemble those much further south. A new study suggests it’s time to get ready for the arctic to bloom. Last week we reported on an extensive new study showing that today’s global temperatures are warmer than any point in at least the last 4,000 years. Now, a separate…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 12

Florida’s ‘red tide’ is killing manatees in record numbers

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is calling on Florida residents to be on the lookout for manatees who may be incapacitated by a particularly nasty algal bloom that’s propogating through the state’s southwest coast. This “red tide” bloom event has already claimed 174 manatees so far this year — the highest number of algal…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 12

Watch a day in the life of a terraformed Mars

No, this isn’t Earth or an artistic rendering of some far away exoplanet. It’s Mars — but a hypothetical version of the Red Planet after it’s undergone a rather radical facelift. The video was put together by software engineer Kevin Gill who simply wanted to know what a terraformed Mars might look like (and to…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 11

New Experiment Suggests Mammals Could Reproduce Entirely By Cloning

Researchers in Japan have produced 26 successful generations of cloned mice from a single individual. That’s a total of 598 mice, all of whom are essentially genetic duplicates. The achievement was made possible by a new cloning technique that allowed researchers to overcome genetic degradation problems characteristic of generational re-cloning. The breakthrough shows that mammalian…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 11

This is what Antarctica will look like without all that ice

You’re looking at the most detailed map yet of the Antarctic landmass. Stripped clean of all its ice, the polar continent exhibits a number of interesting features, including vast mountain ranges, sprawling plains — and the lowest gorges and valleys that have ever been seen on Earth. The map, which was compiled by scientists working…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 11

Robots can now collaborate over their very own Internet

One of the more serious limitations facing the robotics industry today is that each bot it produces is an island unto itself. Worse, robots’ primitive AI doesn’t allow for intuitive thinking or problem solving — what’s known as artificial general intelligence. Looking to overcome this problem, researchers from several different European universities have developed a…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 11

Russian scientists admit no new life form found in Antarctic lake

Well, we thought it might be too good to be true. Late last week, Russian scientists claimed to have found “unclassified life” in Lake Vostok, an ancient body of water deep under the Antarctic ice sheet. But now, a Russian scientist working at the same institute has dismissed this pronouncement, instead saying the strange microbial…

io9 George Dvorsky Mar 11

George Dvorsky

Monday’s 4.7 earthquake in L.A. was predicted by SCIENCE!

Google Glass Ushers in the Next Wave of Cybernetic Hate Crimes

This crazy-dense planet could be of an entirely new type

7 Numbers That Are Just as Cool as Pi

Does the science of aging suggest we’re ‘programmed to die’?

The ALMA telescope has just made its first major discovery

Ancient Penis-Headed Worm Pushes Fossil Record Back 200 Million Years

This microchip healed itself after being blasted by lasers

Having trouble focusing? Try chewing gum.

How Neanderthals’ eyes contributed to their demise

Curiosity Confirms That Mars Was Once Capable of Harboring Life

Mt. Sakurajima Unleashes Its Fury with Lava and Lightning

The insane plan to rescue Napoleon from St. Helena by submarine

The Greening of the Arctic

Florida’s ‘red tide’ is killing manatees in record numbers

Watch a day in the life of a terraformed Mars

New Experiment Suggests Mammals Could Reproduce Entirely By Cloning

This is what Antarctica will look like without all that ice

Robots can now collaborate over their very own Internet

Russian scientists admit no new life form found in Antarctic lake

A Crew of Worms on the ISS Aims to Help Scientists Unlock the Secrets of Space Travel

Galaxy Buds 3 FE (2025) Are Now Cheaper on Amazon Than Buying Direct from Samsung, but Only for Prime Members

Lego’s Big New ‘Star Wars’ Set Comes Just in Time for ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ to Replace It

The Case for Tracking Everything

Ring Small Solar Panel Makes Powering Your Outdoor Camera Easy and Affordable, Now Below Black Friday Prices

Scientists Are Using Lightning in a Bottle to Turn Methane Into Methanol

We Got to See How Unstoppable Supergirl Can Be in Her New Movie

Anker’s 240W USB-C Charging Station Hits an All-Time Low on Amazon, No Need to Wait for Prime Day

Seagate NVMe SSD 2TB Hits Record Low, Making It the Cheapest and Smartest Way to Expand Xbox Storage

‘Dune: Part Three’ Begins Like a Sci-Fi ‘Saving Private Ryan’

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