George Dvorsky, Author at Gizmodo

Will food shortages force us to become vegetarians?

A new report from the Stockholm International Water Institute is warning that a pending food crisis may force the world’s population to adopt a vegetarian diet over the course of the next 40 years. Because livestock require disportionately high rates of water, and given that 9 billion people will need to be fed by 2050,…

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Eight things you didn’t know you could do with human sperm

Sperm are single-purposed: They’re optimized to get to an egg and inseminate it. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t more to this cell than meets the ovum. Sperm, along with its travelling companion, semen, are surprisingly versatile and adaptable substances. Here are eight unconventional things you can do with human sperm. 1. Skin softener Sperm…

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Is spontaneous combustion for real?

There have been many alleged cases of spontaneous human combustion in history — but such accounts tend to rouse suspicion even among the more open-minded of us. How is it possible, after all, for the human body to just simply explode into flame? Well, writing in New Scientist, biologist Brian J. Ford thinks he’s found…

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Now we know why the Japanese tsunami was so huge

Last year’s earthquake and resulting tsunami in Japan left scientists baffled. They knew that the potential for large waves was very real, but the tremendous size of the Japanese tsunami went beyond their wildest expectations — with some waves reaching as high as 20 feet. But now, scientists at Cambridge University suspect they know what…

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This is what a red giant looks like just as it’s about to blow

If you’re ever traveling through space and you encounter a red giant star that looks like this, you might just want to turn tail and get the hell out of there. This is a video interpretation of Betelgeuse, a star that’s on the brink of going supernova. And as you can see, it’s a bubbling…

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How soon can we use the oceans to quench the world’s thirst?

Which each passing year, the world gets thirstier. As the human population continues to grow, and becomes more urbanized, our sources of drinkable water get pushed to their limits. The solution? Desalination — the process of removing salt from ocean water. But given the tremendous costs and energy requirements of doing so, large-scale desalination remains…

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Scientists identify virus that makes snakes tie themselves into knots and starve to death

This is about as nightmarish as it must get for snakes: Scientists have finally identified an ebola-related disease that causes snakes to tie themselves into knots, stare off into space, and waste away. The condition, which was first discovered in the 1980s, is called inclusion body disease (IBD), and is known to affect pythons and…

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Prominent scientists sign declaration that animals have conscious awareness, just like us

An international group of prominent scientists has signed The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness in which they are proclaiming their support for the idea that animals are conscious and aware to the degree that humans are — a list of animals that includes all mammals, birds, and even the octopus. But will this make us stop…

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Are antibiotics making your kids obese?

The science of studying the human gut microbiome is still in its early days — but research into this area is beginning to reveal some pretty startling things. Take two recent studies published in Nature and the International Journal of Obesity, both of which indicate that the use of antibiotics in young children could be…

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Astronomers discover Milky Way’s twin, Magellanic Clouds and all

As a spiral galaxy, the Milky Way is far from unique. But what makes our galaxy particularly special is its pairing with the Magellanic Clouds — two irregular dwarf galaxies that are orbiting around it. Astronomers have never been able to find anything quite like it — at least not until now. A new paper…

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Rare neurological patient shows that self-awareness does not require a complex brain

Neuroscientists who study consciousness have suggested that self-awareness depends on the presence of very specific “higher order” regions of the brain. In turn, that means that any serious impairment to these critical areas would virtually eliminate any sense someone has of themselves as a separate person. At least, that’s how the theory goes. But now,…

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Gibbons on helium use the same vocal techniques as opera singers

In what sounds like a twisted birthday party gone horribly wrong, Japanese researchers have shown that helium-huffing gibbons utilize the same vocal techniques as professional soprano singers. The study reveals that gibbons, whose vocalizations are unique among non-human primates, share a physiological similarity to humans. The unique project was led by Takeshi Nishimura from the…

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Study: The older the dad, the more mutations he’s likely to pass on

A whole-genome sequencing company in Iceland has discovered a direct link between the age of a father and the likelihood he is to pass on a genetic mutation to his offspring. The resultant study published in Nature shows that it’s the father, and not the mother, who may be contributing to the onset of such…

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New Theory: Universe didn’t start with a Big Bang, but with a Big Freeze

A group of theoretical physicists at the University of Melbourne and RMIT University have proposed a new theory on the origin of the universe that could overturn the Big Bang model. This new idea, which piggybacks off the nascent field of quantum graphity, suggests that the early universe went through a dramatic transformation, or phase…

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Use this interactive chart to figure out how many alien worlds exist across the entire universe

BBC Future, with the help of iib Studio, has put together a very cool interactive calculator that takes the Drake equation to the next level. Typically, the equation is used to estimate how many radio-transmitting civilizations could currently exist in the Milky Way Galaxy — but by adding just one extra variable, it lets you…

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NASA says Curiosity’s wind sensor was likely damaged during rocket-powered landing

The Curiosity rover has experienced its first setback in what has been an almost too-good-to-be-true start to the mission. NASA is reporting that a sensor on its weather station module has sustained damage — and that it likely happened when stones were thrown up during its rocket-powered landing. NASA says the damage is not a…

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Who should pay when your robot breaks the law?

Robots are unquestioningly getting more sophisticated by the year, and as a result, are becoming an indelible part of our daily lives. But as we start to increase our interactions and dependance on robots, an important question needs to be asked: What would happen if a robot actually committed a crime, or even hurt someone…

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Is this the debris field from Amelia Earhart’s plane?

Despite the call from Jalopnik’s Travis Okulski for everyone to stop looking for traces of Amelia Earhart, the $2.2 million investigation by The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recover (TIGHAR) is trudging on — and it now appears that their robotic submarine has potentially stumbled upon something rather promising: the debris field from Earhart’s plane.…

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Scientists want to test geohacking solution to global warming right now

This was a summer of record heatwaves and crushing drought — and experts are warning that it’s only going to get worse from here on out. So a number of scientists are calling for dramatic solutions — including “cloud brightening,” a process of blasting salt water into the sky to form massive, long-lived clouds. https://gizmodo.com/last-month-was-americas-hottest-on-record-as-in-ever-5932975…

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Over a million acres of the United States are on fire right now

The National Interagency Fire Center is reporting that the United States has established a new record for most acreage burned by wildfires as of this date. The previous record, which was set in 2006, also occurred during a megadrought year. This news comes to us via Julia Whitty of Mother Jones, who notes that nearly…

io9 George Dvorsky

George Dvorsky

Will food shortages force us to become vegetarians?

Eight things you didn’t know you could do with human sperm

Is spontaneous combustion for real?

Now we know why the Japanese tsunami was so huge

This is what a red giant looks like just as it’s about to blow

How soon can we use the oceans to quench the world’s thirst?

Scientists identify virus that makes snakes tie themselves into knots and starve to death

Prominent scientists sign declaration that animals have conscious awareness, just like us

Are antibiotics making your kids obese?

Astronomers discover Milky Way’s twin, Magellanic Clouds and all

Rare neurological patient shows that self-awareness does not require a complex brain

Gibbons on helium use the same vocal techniques as opera singers

Study: The older the dad, the more mutations he’s likely to pass on

New Theory: Universe didn’t start with a Big Bang, but with a Big Freeze

Use this interactive chart to figure out how many alien worlds exist across the entire universe

NASA says Curiosity’s wind sensor was likely damaged during rocket-powered landing

Who should pay when your robot breaks the law?

Is this the debris field from Amelia Earhart’s plane?

Scientists want to test geohacking solution to global warming right now

Over a million acres of the United States are on fire right now

Could There Be a ‘Project Hail Mary’ Sequel?

Meta Has More Smart Glasses Coming Whether You Want Them or Not

Apple Requires Device-Level Age Verification in the UK Now. Could the US Be Next?

Astronomers Say Recent Rash of Meteor Sightings ‘Warrants Serious Investigation’

Did AMD Just Make the Best CPU for Gamers and Creators?

AI Just One-Shotted Another CEO

6 Magic School Anime and Manga to Discover Instead of Thinking About ‘Harry Potter’ Ever Again

Unprecedented Images Show Sperm Whales Acting as Midwives to Help a Mom Give Birth

‘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

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