George Dvorsky, Author at Gizmodo

The bigger a mammal’s brain, the less likely it is to go extinct

The notion that we humans are “on top” of the evolutionary food chain because of our intelligence has largely fallen out of favor. Evolutionary biologists would rather take a dispassionate look at how organisms have adapted to their environments before making any kind of assessment about anyone’s place in the supposed hierarchy of things. But…

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Watch as these five soldiers stand directly beneath an atomic blast

Back at the dawn of the atomic age, many Americans were rightfully worried about the effects of nuclear fallout. So, in a (failed) attempt to reassure people that atomic weapons were nothing to get in a huff about, the U.S. Air Force recruited five volunteers (plus one photographer who didn’t have much of a say…

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A Weird and Wonderful Gallery of Genetically Modified Animals of the Future

Photographer and artist Vincent Fournier has released a series called Fast Forward, in which he imagines the various ways we might manipulate and morph animals by using genetic technologies. By looking at pictures of taxidermy specimens, and by interviewing animal geneticists, Fournier has created a thought-provoking, whimsical, and damn cool vision of what may lie…

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What’s on the menu for Mars-bound astronauts?

While we have a pretty good idea what the first humans will eat on Mars, we’re a little less certain about what their meals will look like on the way there. Alas, because there are no drive-throughs between Earth and the red planet, food scientists are having to come up with innovative, healthy, and tasty…

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Orb web spiders become better fighters without their massive genitals

It appears that Varys “the Spider” from Game of Thrones may be onto something. In what appears to be a very mixed blessing, castrated male orb spiders are far more agile and energetic than their fully endowed rivals. During mating, males typically have their junk snipped off and are often killed and eaten by females.…

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An aquatic robot that devours plastic junk in the ocean

Autonomous drones typically get a bad rap, but a new design by Elie Ahovi actually looks like it could be genuinely helpful. Concerned about rising levels of plastic waste in the oceans, Ahovi put together a design for an underwater drone that can search for and gobble-up ocean garbage. It’s hoped that this device, when…

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Contact with Curiosity may be lost during its descent to the Martian surface

As NASA prepares for the August 6 landing of the Curiosity rover on Mars, its scientists have made the disturbing realization that communication will likely be lost during its harrowing seven minute descent to the surface. Engineers attribute the fault to a critical support satellite, Odyssey, which is currently stationed in orbit around the red…

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What may be the world’s first cybernetic hate crime unfolds in French McDonald’s

Steve Mann, the “father of wearable computing,” has been physically assaulted while visiting a McDonalds in Paris, France. The Canadian university professor was at the restaurant with his family when three different McDonalds employees took exception to his “Digital Eye Glass” device and attempted to forcibly remove it from his head. Mann was then physically…

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Lifting weights slows down memory loss

A surprising number of studies are showing how important exercise is to staving off the effects of aging, including cognitive decline. What these discussions never include, however, are descriptions of the types of exercise that get the best results. And this vagueness, plus fears of having elderly people engage in physically demanding workouts, tend to…

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How An Alien Invasion Inspired Kevin J. Anderson to Start Writing Science Fiction

Kevin J. Anderson is the prolific author of over one hundred novels — 47 of which have appeared on national or international bestseller lists. He has over 20 million books in print and has won numerous prestigious awards, including the Nebula, SFX Reader’s Choice, and New York Times Notable Book. Anderson has also coauthored ten…

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Why the son of an Australian forklift driver may be the rightful heir to the British throne

Either someone’s been reading too much Game of Thrones — or Prince Harry could really have a serious rival for the British crown. Last month, a 71 year-old Australian forklift driver passed away. Now, while that might not seem like news, he was considered by some to be the rightful heir to the British throne.…

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Have we broken Olympic records for the last time?

With the 2012 London Games fast approaching, sports fans and pundits alike are wondering how many records athletes will break this year. And it’s hard to blame them — after all, world records were broken in 33 separate events four years ago in Beijing. So why are the experts predicting far fewer records this time…

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Would finding life on Mars create a power struggle on Earth?

There’s an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal about what might happen if NASA’s Curiosity detects signs of actual, living microbial life on Mars. While it might sound incredibly unlikely, a recent study by Alexander Pavlov of NASA has calculated that simple organic molecules, such as formaldehyde, could survive as little as two inches…

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Why did these ‘ghost galaxies’ suddenly stop making stars?

According to predictive models, there should be thousands of ancient and tiny ‘dwarf galaxies’ in our neighborhood — but to date, astronomers have found but a few. And those discovered contain puzzlingly few stars, giving rise to the name ‘ghost galaxies.’ This problem has led to the theory that dwarf galaxies must have abruptly stopped…

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Scientists uncover the oldest complete human ancestor skeleton yet found

Late last year we reported on the remarkable discovery of a new ancient human ancestor, Australopithecus sediba — a finding that re-wrote the science books. Further research revealed that they were tree dwelling creatures who liked to eat tree bark. But given the small clues they left behind, we didn’t have much else to go…

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Remembering Private Wojtek, the soldier-bear who fought in World War II

The Second World War has provided a seemingly endless array of fascinating stories — not least of which is the curious tale of an orphaned brown bear who was taken in by the Polish army and made an active member of the troop. As unbelievable as it sounds, Wojtek the bear was an official member…

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Watch how the US military fights fire with electricity and sound

Traditional fire fighting techniques have relied on dousing flames with water or chemicals. But in an effort to fight fires in combat environments, DARPA has developed a groundbreaking technique where flames can be extinguished by using electricity and sound. But while the proof of concept has been established, the real challenge will be in bringing…

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Biologists resurrect a 500 million-year-old gene by splicing it with bacteria

In a scenario eerily similar to Jurassic Park, scientists working at Georgia Tech have successfully revived an ancient 500 million-year-old gene by hybridizing it with modern E Coli bacteria. The new strain of bacteria, which has now survived through 1,000 generations, may help scientists better understand the evolutionary trajectories taken by primitive organisms. The experiment,…

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Could we actually build a robot the size of Pacific Rim‘s massive Jaegers?

Let’s face it, we’re all deeply infatuated with gigantic robots, a science fiction staple that includes such memorable mechanical monsters as Voltron, Gundam, the Transformers, the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers — and even the AT-AT Walkers of Episode V. But none of these enormous mechas hold a candle to the behemoth that was recently unveiled…

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These fish lure unsuspecting mates with genitals camouflaged by fake food

Evolution seems to know no bounds when it comes to shaping organisms in a way that’s meant to help them survive and reproduce — a process that often leads to some pretty bizarre characteristics and behaviors. And now, thanks to the work of biologists Niclas Kolm and Göran Arnqvist, we can add another example to…

io9 George Dvorsky

George Dvorsky

The bigger a mammal’s brain, the less likely it is to go extinct

Watch as these five soldiers stand directly beneath an atomic blast

A Weird and Wonderful Gallery of Genetically Modified Animals of the Future

What’s on the menu for Mars-bound astronauts?

Orb web spiders become better fighters without their massive genitals

An aquatic robot that devours plastic junk in the ocean

Contact with Curiosity may be lost during its descent to the Martian surface

What may be the world’s first cybernetic hate crime unfolds in French McDonald’s

Lifting weights slows down memory loss

How An Alien Invasion Inspired Kevin J. Anderson to Start Writing Science Fiction

Why the son of an Australian forklift driver may be the rightful heir to the British throne

Have we broken Olympic records for the last time?

Would finding life on Mars create a power struggle on Earth?

Why did these ‘ghost galaxies’ suddenly stop making stars?

Scientists uncover the oldest complete human ancestor skeleton yet found

Remembering Private Wojtek, the soldier-bear who fought in World War II

Watch how the US military fights fire with electricity and sound

Biologists resurrect a 500 million-year-old gene by splicing it with bacteria

Could we actually build a robot the size of Pacific Rim‘s massive Jaegers?

These fish lure unsuspecting mates with genitals camouflaged by fake food

Forget Ray-Ban Meta, XREAL 1S AR/XR Virtual Screen Smart Glasses Drop to Record Low on Amazon

Pixel Buds Pro 2 Hit Record Low as Google Continues Its Clearance-Like Price Cuts Following Smartphone Deals

DJI Now Has a Cheaper 360 Drone Than Insta360, but the U.S. Won’t Get It

Amazon Clears Out Apple Watch Series 9 With Silver Stainless Steel Case at 48% Off During Spring Sale

What Do You Mean Fox McCloud Is in the ‘Super Mario Galaxy’ Movie

Apple iPad With A16 Chip Is Now as Cheap as It Gets, With Stock Moving Quickly in Amazon’s Tablet Deals

Amazon Echo Spot Is Running at Its All-Time Low, Likely the Last Chance Before Prime Day Arrives in a Few Months

Diablo Cody Has Big Plans for the ‘Jennifer’s Body’ Sequel

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

M5 MacBook Air Review: A Laptop With Real Middle Child Energy

MacBook Neo Review: No Other Budget Laptop Can Compete