George Dvorsky, Author at Gizmodo

This Nazi Christmas party must have been the worst ever

December 1941 was not a good time for Adolf Hitler — and you can see it on his face in these remarkable color photos taken by his official photographer, Hugo Jaeger. The war was supposed to have been over by this point — but the Russian campaign was turning into a fiasco and the Americans…

io9 George Dvorsky Dec 20

Will humans continue to evolve during multigenerational space missions?

Scientific American has posted an interview and podcast with Portland State University anthropologist Cameron Smith about the ways in which humans might evolve during extended missions in space. Given the intense timeframes involved, Smith speculates about the various ways in which Darwinian pressures will continue to shape human evolution. Just because we’re in space, he…

io9 George Dvorsky Dec 20

Phoenix’s new observation tower looks like a massive honey dipper

The city of Phoenix is about to get a new landmark. Nicknamed “The Pin,” the tower will be over 420 feet tall and feature a unique spiraling observation deck in the shape of a sphere. It will be located in the downtown area and provide a spectacular 360 degree view of the city and the…

io9 George Dvorsky Dec 20

Will we ever have cyborg brains?

Over at BBC Future, computer scientist Martin Angler has put together a provocative piece about humanity’s collision course with cybernetic technologies. Today, says Angler, we’re using neural interface devices and other assistive technologies to help the disabled. But in short order we’ll be able to radically enhance human capacites — prompting him to wonder about…

io9 George Dvorsky Dec 19

Over a hundred research chimps are set to be rescued and moved to a sanctuary

Chimpanzee research is on the way out in the United States. The latest move in this direction is the announcement that the National Institutes of Health is set to retire 109 chimpanzees (as opposed to io9 chimpanzees — those are other creatures entirely) who are currently being held in Lafayette, Louisiana’s New Iberia Research Center…

io9 George Dvorsky Dec 19

When will we finally have a world government?

Political scientists and science fiction writers alike have long been taken with the idea that humans would one day form a global government. Yet few of us take this prospect very seriously, often dismissing it as an outright impossibility or very far off in the future. Given the rapid pace of globalization, however, it would…

io9 George Dvorsky Dec 19

Watch how the ground really moves during an earthquake

Back in 2011, geologists working for Signal Hill Petroleum and NodalSeismic conducted an extremely detailed survey to measure the 3D rock structure beneath their Long Beach oilfield. To do so, they deployed a series of seismic arrays consisting of 5,300 nodes spaced about 330 feet (100 meters) apart. And then the earthquakes hit. The results…

io9 George Dvorsky Dec 19

Five new planets discovered just 12 light-years away

Another day, another mind-bending celestial discovery. It was only yesterday that we told you about Philip Gregory’s claim that there are three planets sitting inside Gliese 667C’s habitable zone (his paper is still under review and is yet to be published). And now, Hugh Jones of the University of Hertfordshire and his colleagues have announced…

io9 George Dvorsky Dec 19

Within five years, IBM’s smartphone will hear, see, smell, taste, and feel

At the end of each year, IBM Research lists “innovations that will change our lives in the next five years.” This year’s “IBM 5 in 5” is particularly intriguing in that their braintrust is heralding the age of “cognitive computing” — a technological era in which computers and handheld devices can better approximate and even…

io9 George Dvorsky Dec 18

Could nuclear disarmament actually increase our chance of an apocalypse?

Most everyone agrees that humanity needs to get rid of its nuclear weapons. It’s only through complete relinquishment that we can eliminate the threat of deliberate or accidental nuclear war and the ongoing problem of proliferation. But at the same time, a strong case can be made that these apocalyptic weapons have eliminated the possibility…

io9 George Dvorsky Dec 18

Astronomer discovers three potentially habitable planets orbiting around one red dwarf

Canadian astronomer Philip Gregory has confirmed that there are three habitable zone planets orbiting the red dwarf star Gliese 667C. The star, which is part of a trinary star system, is only 22 light-years away and it features a planet that’s only twice the mass of Earth — making it the lowest mass planet found…

io9 George Dvorsky Dec 18

Deformed skulls discovered in 1,000-year-old Mexican cemetery

Archaeologists digging in a 1,000-year-old pre-Hispanic cemetery in Mexico’s South Sonora have uncovered a series of skeletons featuring signs of cranial deformation. The practice, which is well documented among Mesoamerican peoples, has never been seen this far north before — a strong indication that their cultural influence was far more prominent than previously assumed. The…

io9 George Dvorsky Dec 18

How to take care of a blind baby rhino

Meet Nicky, an impossibly cute blind baby rhino that is currently under the care of Mike Watson and his team of conservationists at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya. Nicky has been living with them since he was one month old, after the conservationists noticed him in the wild getting all confused and aimlessly fumbling around.…

io9 George Dvorsky Dec 18

Popular Mechanics makes 110 predictions for the next 110 years

To commemorate its 110th anniversary, Popular Mechanics has put together an epic list of 110 predictions for the next 110 years. And as editor-in-chief Jim Meigs admits, making predictions is not easy — so to that end, the PM editorial team consulted with over 20 different experts (including our own Annalee Newitz) from diverse backgrounds.…

io9 George Dvorsky Dec 17

Did a Canadian hobbyist just crack the World War II carrier pigeon message?

Early last month we told you about the recent effort to decrypt a secret World War II message found on the remains of a military pigeon. Since work started the team has made zero progress and they’re completely stumped. But now, the editor of a local history magazine in Ontario is claiming that he’s deciphered…

io9 George Dvorsky Dec 17

Famous robots come out of the woodwork in new GE ad, including our favorite android!

Remember all those weird and seemingly inexplicable robot sightings we reported on last month? As suspected, it was all part of an elaborate viral marketing campaign — we just weren’t sure who was behind it. As it turns out, it was General Electric, who has now released a television commercial in support of this “Brilliant…

io9 George Dvorsky Dec 17

Scientists build a biological pacemaker by injecting a modified virus into the heart

Our heartbeats are triggered by a steady stream of electrical signals, which cause our heart muscles to contract with a regular rhythm. For some people, however, the ‘pacemaker cells’ responsible for generating these pulses can fail, resulting in an erratic heartbeat. Normally, this problem is addressed by surgery and the insertion of an electric pacemaker…

io9 George Dvorsky Dec 17

NASA captures ominous video of the three-mile-long asteroid that buzzed us last week

On December 12, the three-mile-long (4.8 km) asteroid Toutatis came within 4.3 million miles (6.9 million km) of Earth — which is about 18 lunar distances. During the flyby, NASA used its 230-foot-wide (70-meter) Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, California, to generate a series of radar data images — which has revealed a slowly…

io9 George Dvorsky Dec 17

China’s plan to build a massive 120 million-square-foot city — from scratch

The Chinese government has approved the final design for a massive planned city scheduled for construction along the rim of a 3.85 kilometer (2.4 mile) lake. Upon completion, Meixi Lake City will provide home to over 180,000 inhabitants and occupy a space that’s 120 million square feet in size. The design, which was developed by…

io9 George Dvorsky Dec 14

North Korea’s Kim Jong-un celebrates rocket launch with a smoke

Two days ago, North Korea finally lobbed a weather satellite into orbit, officially marking their entry into space. And as if to say, “About freakin TIME,” a photograph has emerged showing Kim Jong-un enjoying a post-launch cigarette moments after the rocket was launched. Other pictures show Kim wishing his generals good luck just prior to…

io9 George Dvorsky Dec 14

George Dvorsky

This Nazi Christmas party must have been the worst ever

Will humans continue to evolve during multigenerational space missions?

Phoenix’s new observation tower looks like a massive honey dipper

Will we ever have cyborg brains?

Over a hundred research chimps are set to be rescued and moved to a sanctuary

When will we finally have a world government?

Watch how the ground really moves during an earthquake

Five new planets discovered just 12 light-years away

Within five years, IBM’s smartphone will hear, see, smell, taste, and feel

Could nuclear disarmament actually increase our chance of an apocalypse?

Astronomer discovers three potentially habitable planets orbiting around one red dwarf

Deformed skulls discovered in 1,000-year-old Mexican cemetery

How to take care of a blind baby rhino

Popular Mechanics makes 110 predictions for the next 110 years

Did a Canadian hobbyist just crack the World War II carrier pigeon message?

Famous robots come out of the woodwork in new GE ad, including our favorite android!

Scientists build a biological pacemaker by injecting a modified virus into the heart

NASA captures ominous video of the three-mile-long asteroid that buzzed us last week

China’s plan to build a massive 120 million-square-foot city — from scratch

North Korea’s Kim Jong-un celebrates rocket launch with a smoke

The First ‘Clayface’ Footage Was Wonderfully Disgusting

Scientists Found Literal Ink From Ballpoint Pens in Martian Meteorites

The ‘Galaxy’s Edge’ Han Solo Proves You Really Can’t Replace Harrison Ford

BYD Is Rolling Out 5-Minute Charging on Several Popular EVs

Jury Does What Trump’s DOJ Wouldn’t, Deems Ticketmaster a Monopoly

Govee RGBIC TV Smart Light Bars Go on Clearance, Bringing Each Down to Under $25 on Amazon

EU Is Rolling Out an Online Age Verification App That Could Become the Global Blueprint

16 Underrated Anime That Deserve Your Love

The West Finally Got Some Snow, but It’s Too Little, Too Late

Elon Musk Scores a Victory Against Free Speech

Alienware’s $350 QD-OLED Gaming Monitor Nixes Everything for a Pretty Screen

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?

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