George Dvorsky, Author at Gizmodo

Further evidence that there are many habitable planets for humans to colonize

An international team of scientists working at European HARPS have announced the discovery of a large rocky planet residing within the stellar habitable zone of the red dwarf star Gliese 163. That increases the number of known potentially habitable planets to six — the majority of which have been discovered in the past year. To…

io9 George Dvorsky

The Eight Super-Adaptable Life Forms That Rule Our Planet

As the most intelligent and technologically advanced species on Earth, we humans like to think that we own the place. But evolutionary success can be measured any number of ways. As evolutionary biologist Stephen G. Gould once noted, complexity, intelligence, and ferocity don’t count for much in the long run — adaptability and reproductive success…

io9 George Dvorsky

Light-sensitive muscles will enable robots to move like real animals

A recent breakthrough at MIT and the University of Pennsylvania is set to make the spastic and jerky movements of robots a thing of the past. Using animals for inspiration, researchers have genetically engineered muscle cells to flex in response to light. The breakthrough could result in the creation of highly articulated robots that move…

io9 George Dvorsky

Are the Paralympics a celebration of superhumans, or a modern freakshow?

Check out this commercial put together by Paralympic organizers who are trying very hard to cast the Games and its athletes in a completely new light. Rather than framing Paralympians as being somehow deficient or inadequate, they’re now being portrayed as elite athletes endowed with superhuman capacities. At the same time, however, there are some…

io9 George Dvorsky

Scientists develop robot that scans information directly from neurons

Neuroscientists from Georgia Tech and MIT have developed a robotic system that can find and simultaneously record the activity of dozens of neurons in live animals. The breakthrough could help researchers better understand how connected cells interpret signals and transmit information throughout the brain. Nature’s Helen Shen reports: The robots are designed to perform whole-cell…

io9 George Dvorsky

How Self-Sustaining Space Habitats Could Save Humanity from Extinction

This planet can’t protect us forever. Sooner or later, there’ll be a catastrophe that renders this world uninhabitable for humans. And when that day comes, we’ll need to know already how to live in space. Yesterday, we explained why we should reboot the Biosphere 2 projects of the 1990s. There are a lot of scientific…

io9 George Dvorsky

Chocolate could protect men from strokes

Not that anyone needs an excuse to eat chocolate, but a recent study from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm is suggesting that eating moderate amounts of chocolate each week may be associated with a lower risk of stroke in men. The CBC reports: Those eating the highest amount of chocolate had a 17 per cent…

io9 George Dvorsky

This Sun-like star is surrounded by sugar

A team of European and American astronomers have found signs of a simple sugar molecule, glycolaldehyde, in a gas cloud surrounding a young sun-like star. Located 400 light-years away, it’s the first time that sugar has been located around such a celestial object — and this indicates that the early building blocks of life are…

io9 George Dvorsky

Why are human babies so helpless?

When you’re born, you have absolutely no defense against predators, and we humans can’t really fend for ourselves for years. Why is this? One longstanding theory among evolutionary biologists says human babies are so completely dependant after birth, as a consequence of our bipedal architecture. Our upright stance limits the width of the birth canal,…

io9 George Dvorsky

Will CAPTCHA-breaking bots soon make it impossible to prove we’re human?

Have you noticed that CAPTCHAs are getting more difficult to solve? CAPTCHAs, for those who’ve never heard of the internet, are those annoyingly ubiquitous prompts asking you to make sense of a marginally legible string of letters to prove that you’re human. And yes, these bot-defying, rage-inducing tests are indeed getting harder to solve, on…

io9 George Dvorsky

Do these male snails have the worst parenting arrangement ever?

Male members of the marine snail species Solenosteira macrospira have it tough. Not only do they take on childcare duties, they also have to care for the offspring produced by other dads. To make matters worse, baby snails cannibalize their siblings while they’re still embryos, a behavior the dads are helpless to prevent. Adding insult…

io9 George Dvorsky

Why we should reboot the Biosphere projects

The last Biosphere 2 project ended 18 years ago. Correction: The failed Biosphere 2 project ended 18 years ago. That’s right, our only real attempt to create an artificial, materially closed ecological system ended in complete failure. As it stands, we still do not know how to create a viable self-sustaining ecosystem — a frightening…

io9 George Dvorsky

Archaeological dig at Concentration Camp reveals what the Nazis tried to hide

Archaeology is typically associated with the study of ancient history, but a recent excavation at the infamous Sobibor extermination camp in Poland has demonstrated its incredible potential for uncovering secrets locked within modern ruins. As the Sobibor dig has revealed, there is still lots to learn about the Holocaust — including those things the Nazis…

io9 George Dvorsky

Could your mind be reprogrammed while you’re asleep?

Researchers have proved that people can be conditioned with behaviors in their sleep — and then exhibit those same behaviors when they’re awake, without any memory of the earlier training. While there’s some suggestion this could lead to methods of learning information in your sleep, the potential for night-time conditioning is pretty scary. A new…

io9 George Dvorsky

No, we didn’t just create a self-aware robot

A number of websites recently reported on a breakthrough in which a robot was alleged to have successfully passed the mirror test. In turn, many of these news sites declared that the machine had achieved “self-awareness,” proclaiming it to be an important step forward in the development of advanced robotics. Unfortunately, this robot isn’t actually…

io9 George Dvorsky

So apparently male circumcision is cool again

An influential American medical organization is overturning recently overturned convention by suggesting that the health benefits of infant circumcision outweigh any risks. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, there is now sufficient evidence showing the advantages for male circumcision, namely the prevention of urinary tract infections, penile cancer and some sexually transmitted infections, including…

io9 George Dvorsky

These 230-million-year-old bugs preserved in amber are the oldest yet

An international team of scientists working in Italy have found the oldest samples of arthropods preserved in amber — a finding that is 100 million years older than previous fossilized samples. The insects, a fly and two mites, are the first ever to be discovered from the Triassic era. The group’s findings will help biologists…

io9 George Dvorsky

Harvester ants use their own internet for hive-mind decision making

Harvester ant colonies are able to decide how many foragers they need to send out of the nest by using a protocol system that’s eerily similar to the one IT professionals use to determine how much bandwidth is available on the internet. This so-called “anternet” apparently proves that ant decision-making and behavior is regulated by…

io9 George Dvorsky

Researchers grow cyborg tissue that can sense its environment

Scientists at Harvard University have developed a cyborg-like tissue that can facilitate cell growth, while simultaneously measuring the ongoing activity and status of those cells. They did so by embedding a three-dimensional network of functional, biocompatible, nanoscale wires into engineered human tissues. The breakthrough could have implications for the future of drug testing and regenerative…

io9 George Dvorsky

New forensic test can predict hair and eye color of suspects

Police looking to identify an unknown suspect often rely upon a technique called criminal profiling in hopes of gaining some potential insight into their psychologies. But now a new forensic technique called Hirisplex could soon allow investigators to take this process a step further by allowing them to predict certain physical characteristics of suspects —…

io9 George Dvorsky

George Dvorsky

Further evidence that there are many habitable planets for humans to colonize

The Eight Super-Adaptable Life Forms That Rule Our Planet

Light-sensitive muscles will enable robots to move like real animals

Are the Paralympics a celebration of superhumans, or a modern freakshow?

Scientists develop robot that scans information directly from neurons

How Self-Sustaining Space Habitats Could Save Humanity from Extinction

Chocolate could protect men from strokes

This Sun-like star is surrounded by sugar

Why are human babies so helpless?

Will CAPTCHA-breaking bots soon make it impossible to prove we’re human?

Do these male snails have the worst parenting arrangement ever?

Why we should reboot the Biosphere projects

Archaeological dig at Concentration Camp reveals what the Nazis tried to hide

Could your mind be reprogrammed while you’re asleep?

No, we didn’t just create a self-aware robot

So apparently male circumcision is cool again

These 230-million-year-old bugs preserved in amber are the oldest yet

Harvester ants use their own internet for hive-mind decision making

Researchers grow cyborg tissue that can sense its environment

New forensic test can predict hair and eye color of suspects

‘Butt Birth’-ing Rhinoceros from Ace Ventura Sequel Sold at Auction for a Whopping $60,000

The Ryan Gosling Sci-Fi Streak Will Continue Until Morale Improves

Study Challenges Popular Theory on Why Primordial Bugs Were So Darn Huge

Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway’s Mystery’s Sci-Fi Film Has Its First Trailer

Scientists Just Found the Salt Limit That Pushes Your Heart to the Breaking Point

White House Social Media Just Had Its Covfefe Moment

Roborock F25 Ultra Steam Wet Dry Vacuum Is Now at Its Lowest Price, but Only During the Spring Sale Window

This $450 Semi-Dumb Phone Is Barely Even a Phone

Startup Successfully Ignites World’s First Fusion Rocket

Shokz OpenDots One Earbuds Hit Their Lowest Price Yet Across All Color Options, Including the New Ones

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets

Apple Studio Display XDR Review: It Looks So Good, I Wish It Were an iMac

RayNeo Air 4 Pro Review: My Eyes Love These Video Glasses, but My Nose Disagrees