George Dvorsky, Author at Gizmodo

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 Jul 12

Remembering the day when the US nuked its own communications satellite

Yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of the launch of Telstar 1, the first U.S. communications satellite to relay television signals, phone calls, and fax images through space. But just as the astromech-like satellite started to settle in orbit and make its ground-breaking transmissions, it had to contend with nothing less than the remnants of a…

io9 George Dvorsky Jul 12

Astronomers discover invisible, starless galaxies predicted by theory

When thinking about how galaxies form, scientists have speculated about large masses of gas that are drawn together to form a kind of embryonic proto-galaxy. But because these supposed objects are starless, they would be practically invisible, thus making them impossible to detect — or so it would seem. Now, thanks to an innovative process…

io9 George Dvorsky Jul 12

10 Reasons Why Oxytocin Is The Most Amazing Molecule In The World

Though often referred to as the “trust hormone” oxytocin is increasingly being seen as a brain chemical that does a lot more than just bring couples closer together. New research is suggesting that oxytocin plays a crucial part in enabling us to not just forge and strengthen our social relations, but in helping us to…

io9 George Dvorsky Jul 12

Previously classified “X-files” show how seriously Britain considered alien threats

Well, it now appears that Mulder and Scully had allies on the other side of the Atlantic. Recently released secret documents by Britain’s defense agency has revealed the surprising extent to which the country considered the possibility of extraterrestrials visiting Earth. The previously classified documents, which cover the period 1985 to 2007, show how the…

io9 George Dvorsky Jul 12

Choosing the virtual reality experience that’s right for you

We’re still several decades away from developing completely immersive computer simulations, but it’s not too early to dream about the ways we’ll be able to use them. Today we’re exploring the tremendous potential with new gadgets like Glass, Google’s computer glasses. But that’s just the beginning. So, in preparation, given all the different options soon…

io9 George Dvorsky Jul 11

Deaf people use the hearing parts of their brain to sense touch

It’s often said that when you lose one sense you heighten the others — and now we have scientific evidence to back it up. New research published in the Journal of Neuroscience has shown that people who are born deaf process the sense of touch differently than people who are born with normal hearing. The…

io9 George Dvorsky Jul 11

Artist creates genetically modified Elvis-mouse hybrid

The King may be dead, but his memory lives on in the form of a genetically engineered mouse created by Royal College of Art graduate student, Koby Barhad. The “genetically cloned model” of the late rock legend is part of an art project called, All That I Am — an attempt to explore a number…

io9 George Dvorsky Jul 11

Mind-reading helmet could help interrogators distinguish friend from foe

Criminals and captured enemy combatants who pride themselves on their ability to withstand tough interrogations could be in for a bit of a surprise. U.S. based company Veritas Scientific is developing an EEG helmet that will pick up on the unique signatures emitted by a person’s brain, allowing interrogators to pick up on their thoughts…

io9 George Dvorsky Jul 11

Astronomers discover an entirely new class of black hole

Scientists working with CSIRO’s Australia Telescope Compact Array have found a new kind of black hole that would make Goldilocks quite happy: By not being too big, nor too small, it falls within a new class of “middleweight” black holes. The discovery indicates that black holes can take on a larger variety of sizes than…

io9 George Dvorsky Jul 10

New simulation is as close to traveling through space as it gets

SpaceEngine is a free space simulation program that allows you to travel through intergalactic space in three dimensions. Starting from Earth, you can journey out into the cosmos and visit all known areas of the Universe. And as for those places where no one has gone before, the computer can simulate that experience for you,…

io9 George Dvorsky Jul 10

Check out these spectacularly beautiful images of the ocean’s smallest, weirdest creatures

Planet Magazine has published a stunning gallery of some recently discovered sea-based microorganisms. These images of the wondrously bizarre phytoplankton and zooplankton were taken by researchers aboard the Tara Oceans, a ship that only recently returned from its two-and-half-year journey. The top image of Polychaeta a was photographed by Christian Rouviere. The Tara Oceans expedition…

io9 George Dvorsky Jul 10

How British Special Forces used exploding rats to fight the Nazis

During the Second World War, British secret agents were equipped with a number of devices that were armed with explosives, including soap, shoes, bottles of chianti, bicycle pumps, suitcases — and rats. The devices were provided to agents of the covert special operations executive (SOE) to help resistance movements carry out sabotage and subversion —…

io9 George Dvorsky Jul 10

New study shows that Facebook is not making us depressed after all

Earlier this year, a study published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin suggested that Facebook was making its users sad. The authors of the paper, titled “Misery Has More Company Than People Think,” claimed that the constant barrage of positive depictions were making people feel inadequate, thus leading to depression. But a new…

io9 George Dvorsky Jul 10

Cloned Horses Given the Green Light to Compete at the Olympics

The international governing body for equestrian sports has decided that cloned horses can compete at international events — including the Olympics. This reverses an earlier ban, that prohibited their use in sporting events. Will Oremus writes in Slate: “The FEI will not forbid participation of clones or their progenies in FEI competitions,” the Federation Equestre…

io9 George Dvorsky Jul 9

The Astronomer Royal tells io9 how he plans to save humanity from extinction

Back in 2003, the preeminent physicist and cosmologist Sir Martin Rees created a considerable stir with the publication of his book, Our Final Hour, a look into how “terror, error, and environmental disaster threaten humankind’s future”. Rees argued that we’ve grossly underestimated the potential risks posed by modern technology — and humanity has about a…

io9 George Dvorsky Jul 9

Ukrainian students invent gloves that convert sign language into speech

With all the marvelous text-to-speech and speech-to-text technologies currently in our midst, it’s surprising to realize just how few of these devices actually serve as assistive devices — particularly for the hearing-impaired. But a new invention from a group of Ukrainian students is set to change all that: They have developed a glove that can…

io9 George Dvorsky Jul 9

Surgical implant will allow cyborg artist to see colors through sound

For years now, colorblind artist Neil Harbisson has used a special head-mounted device to help him translate colors into sound. Not content to wear it on the head for the rest of his life, however, Harbisson has decided to have it surgically implanted. The upcoming procedure is part of the European artist’s larger effort to…

io9 George Dvorsky Jul 9

The Nazi breeding program that resurrected an extinct species

An indelible characteristic of fascist ideology is the celebration of a mythic past, an over-the-top nostalgic fixation often accompanied by attempts to restore things to the way they used to be “back in the good ol’ days”. For the Nazis, this meant a return to Old Germania — the old Germany of the Nibelungenlied —…

io9 George Dvorsky Jul 9

Astronomers discover binary stars in ‘impossibly’ tight orbits

A team of scientists using the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) in Hawaii have found four different pairs of binary systems whose stars are so close to each other that it takes them less than four hours to orbit one another. Previous estimates indicated that stars shouldn’t be allowed to do this — they should…

io9 George Dvorsky Jul 6

George Dvorsky

These fish lure unsuspecting mates with genitals camouflaged by fake food

Remembering the day when the US nuked its own communications satellite

Astronomers discover invisible, starless galaxies predicted by theory

10 Reasons Why Oxytocin Is The Most Amazing Molecule In The World

Previously classified “X-files” show how seriously Britain considered alien threats

Choosing the virtual reality experience that’s right for you

Deaf people use the hearing parts of their brain to sense touch

Artist creates genetically modified Elvis-mouse hybrid

Mind-reading helmet could help interrogators distinguish friend from foe

Astronomers discover an entirely new class of black hole

New simulation is as close to traveling through space as it gets

Check out these spectacularly beautiful images of the ocean’s smallest, weirdest creatures

How British Special Forces used exploding rats to fight the Nazis

New study shows that Facebook is not making us depressed after all

Cloned Horses Given the Green Light to Compete at the Olympics

The Astronomer Royal tells io9 how he plans to save humanity from extinction

Ukrainian students invent gloves that convert sign language into speech

Surgical implant will allow cyborg artist to see colors through sound

The Nazi breeding program that resurrected an extinct species

Astronomers discover binary stars in ‘impossibly’ tight orbits

Disneyland Makes Up for That Han Solo Situation With a Lovely Leia Look

The Cockroach of Dinosaurs Likely Survived Extinction Because of Its Big Wet Eggs

Why Fans Are Calling ‘Apocalypse Hotel’ the Real Anime of the Year

Spirit Airlines Could Liquidate by the End of the Week Due to Fuel Crisis

After 100 Years, Engineers Finally Discover Why Rubber Is So Tough

Wizards of the Coast Is Getting in on Its Own ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Actual Play

Iceland Just Got its First Mosquitoes. Scientists Aren’t Ready for What Comes Next

Europe Could Run Out of Jet Fuel in Just 6 Weeks

Anthropic Releases Claude Opus 4.7 to Remind Everyone How Great Mythos Is

The Next Surface PCs May Not Be the Big Upgrades You Hoped for

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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