Lauren Davis, Author at Gizmodo

Gravity Well Chart Helps You Plan Your Planetary Escape

Need to figure out how much energy you’ll need to escape the gravitational pull of the solar system’s planets and moons? This chart compares the gravity wells of our neighboring celestial bodies. [xkcd]

io9 Lauren Davis

Dubai Sets the Stage for a Star Wars Invasion

Early one foggy morning, an AT-AT patrols the streets of Dubai, surveying the construction of grand new buildings and shiny spaceships. Cédric Delsaux’s latest Star Wars mashup series suggests it’s a perfected plausible image against Dubai’s science fiction stage. We’ve featured Cédric Delsaux’s mashups of Star Wars figures against urban settings in the past, but…

io9 Lauren Davis

Battlestar Rhapsody Turns Space Opera to Rock Opera

What happens when you cross Battlestar Galactica with Queen? In Battlestar Rhapsody, we get an inspired piece of filk that lets you relive the entire series to the tune of Freddie Mercury’s operatic opus. Song parody writer the great Luke Ski is the musical brains behind Battlestar Rhapsody, which is set to appropriate clips here…

io9 Lauren Davis

Real-Life Synthehol Will Get You Buzzed, But Never Drunk

In the chronologically later Star Trek series, Starfleet officers rarely worried about overindulging thanks to synthehol, a substance that mimicked alcohol’s effects without the drunkeness and hangovers. Now a team of researchers are working to make synthehol a reality. Researchers at Imperial College London are working to create an alcohol-like drug that would let imbibers…

io9 Lauren Davis

Have a Belated Very Venture Bros. Christmas

Just because we’ve crossed the threshold from Christmas to Boxing Day doesn’t mean that you can’t retain the holiday spirit. And The Venture Bros. are here to help, with classic holiday tunes sung by your favorite villains and henchmen. Each year, Jackson Publick, Doc Hammer, and the rest of the folks behind The Venture Bros.…

io9 Lauren Davis

Chart Reveals Who The True Masters Of Science Fiction Were This Decade

Have any movie directors or producers revealed themselves to be “masters” of science fiction in recent years? In this chart, we look at how some of the contenders for SF mastery have fared. Update: I apologize, I haven’t been online much due to the holidays. I realized that there was an erroneous data point for…

Television Lauren Davis

Fun and Fantastical Snowmen to Make Your Winter Bright

If you live in one of the snowy parts of the world, you could make a boring snowman out of three round balls. Or, you could take your cue from these folks and make snowy robots, aliens, superheroes, and monsters. Big Daddy from Kotaku https://kotaku.com/with-a-corncob-pipe-and-a-drill-made-out-of-snow-5432577 Alien from azhrialilu Tentacle alien from Swishrelic The Light Knight…

io9 Lauren Davis

The Concept Art that Sold Sherlock Holmes to Warner Bros.

When Lionel Wigram decided to make a movie about Sherlock Holmes, he wanted to make sure the studios understood his pulpy vision. So he partnered with comics artist John Watkiss to create comic book-flavored concept art. Possible spoilers inside. Wigram had Watkiss, who has provided artwork for Deadman, Sandman, and Conan, to bring his action…

Movies Lauren Davis

10 Remarkable Monsters Named in the Last Ten Years

We know that real monsters walk, slither, and crawl among us, and each year we learn more about the amazing creatures from Earth’s past and present. We look at ten of the more monstrous names we added this decade. In the last ten years, researchers have discovered thousands of species, both living and extinct. We…

io9 Lauren Davis

Japan’s Strip Club at the End of the World

Akeno Gekijo was once one of Japan’s rare strip clubs, with a central podium, strip poles, and seats facing the stage. Now its charred ruins look more like the setting for a violent apocalypse. Michael John Grist, who travels Japan and the rest of the world documenting modern ruins — places abandoned or destroyed —…

io9 Lauren Davis

Vampirism and Collisions Keep Ancient Stars Young

Here are some vampires we don’t mind sparkling. This globular cluster, Messier 30, contains two types of ancient stars that have managed to keep themselves brilliant and young. One type relies on interstellar collisions; the other drinks from its neighbors. Messier 30 is an unusual cluster. It’s an ancient cluster, and yet it is filled…

io9 Lauren Davis

It’s a Wonderful Life Takes a Trip Through the Multiverse

If you’ve grown bored of watching It’s a Wonderful Life for the hundredth time, then perhaps it’s time to read Robert Reed‘s twist on the classic film. In “A Woman’s Best Friend,” Clarence isn’t an angel but a dimension-hopping hoaxster. In Reed’s story, which first appeared last year in Clarkesworld Magazine, George Bailey finds himself…

io9 Lauren Davis

19th Century Camera Gives Dubai a Retrofuturistic Feel

Dubai’s futuristic buildings get sent back in time thanks to an 1857 view camera. Photographer Martin Becka points his 19th century camera at a 21st century to create an anachronistic vision of the city. These photos are from Becka’s Transmutations series, which was exhibited at Dubai’s Empty Quarter Gallery this past fall. You can see…

io9 Lauren Davis

Color-Changing Contacts Monitor Your Glucose Levels

For diabetics, finger pricking could be a thing of the past. A biochemical engineer has developed contact lenses embedded with nanoparticles that react with the glucose in tears. As glucose levels change, so does the color of the lens. [PopSci]

io9 Lauren Davis

A New Clip from Daybreakers, a Thor Rumor Laid to Rest, and a New Love for True Blood

Daybreakers’s vampire protagonist has a close encounter of the human kind. A Thor rumor gets quashed, and we get updates on the Inglourious Basterds prequel and 30 Days of Night sequel. Plus, spoilers from True Blood, Lost, Dollhouse, and Chuck. Daybreakers We get a human-vamp encounter in a new clip. [via CinemaBlend] Thor Apparently, there…

Television Lauren Davis

Ninja Turtles Snuggie Fights Shredder Hoodie for a Spot Under Your Tree

Need a last-minute gift for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lover in your life? Your favorite fan can keep warm with this Michelangelo Snuggie or a sweatshirt that lets them dress up as Shredder. Hot Topic’s “funky cozy” will have you (or your loved one) looking like a hero in a half blanket/half shirt thingy…

io9 Lauren Davis

Retro Infographics Show Victorian Science Without Steampunk

We often romanticize the industrial technologies that came out of the Victorian Era, especially the clockwork and steam power associated with steampunk. But these Victorian infographics illustrate the era’s understanding of natural sciences, including geology, astronomy, and biology. BibliOdyssey has even more of these Victorian infographics, including the Victorian view of the history of the…

io9 Lauren Davis

Monkeys May Be the First Primates Headed to Mars

Monkeys made it into space before humans ever broke the atmosphere, and now they might beat us to Mars. Russia is considering a program to train monkeys to work with robots for the long flight to Mars. The Georgian Institute of Experimental Pathology and Therapy is in talks with Russia’s Cosmonautics Academy about starting a…

io9 Lauren Davis

The Galactic Empire Takes Control of Wall Street

It looks like Wall Street is getting a little boost from the Dark Side of the Force. Darth Vader and a team of Clone Troopers arrived at the New York Stock Exchange this morning to ring the opening bell. [via The Hollywood Reporter]

io9 Lauren Davis

Rare In Utero Images Glimpse Animals Inside the Womb

In its documentary Extraordinary Animals In The Womb, National Geographic captured rare highly detailed images of animals at various stages of gestation. Now you can see fetal dog, elephants, penguins, and dolphins still inside the womb. Extraordinary Animals In The Womb aired last year, using advances in scanning and imaging technology to trace the gestational…

io9 Lauren Davis

Lauren Davis

Gravity Well Chart Helps You Plan Your Planetary Escape

Dubai Sets the Stage for a Star Wars Invasion

Battlestar Rhapsody Turns Space Opera to Rock Opera

Real-Life Synthehol Will Get You Buzzed, But Never Drunk

Have a Belated Very Venture Bros. Christmas

Chart Reveals Who The True Masters Of Science Fiction Were This Decade

Fun and Fantastical Snowmen to Make Your Winter Bright

The Concept Art that Sold Sherlock Holmes to Warner Bros.

10 Remarkable Monsters Named in the Last Ten Years

Japan’s Strip Club at the End of the World

Vampirism and Collisions Keep Ancient Stars Young

It’s a Wonderful Life Takes a Trip Through the Multiverse

19th Century Camera Gives Dubai a Retrofuturistic Feel

Color-Changing Contacts Monitor Your Glucose Levels

A New Clip from Daybreakers, a Thor Rumor Laid to Rest, and a New Love for True Blood

Ninja Turtles Snuggie Fights Shredder Hoodie for a Spot Under Your Tree

Retro Infographics Show Victorian Science Without Steampunk

Monkeys May Be the First Primates Headed to Mars

The Galactic Empire Takes Control of Wall Street

Rare In Utero Images Glimpse Animals Inside the Womb

Artemis 2 Live Updates: Countdown to the Moon 🔴

Google Pixel 9a Hits a Record Low on Clearance, With Trade-In Making It Nearly Half the Price of Pixel Buds Pro 2

James Cameron Could Remake ‘Fantastic Voyage’ Before He Works on ‘Avatar 4’

Forget Amazon Fire TV Soundbar, Samsung B-Series Soundbar With Built-In Subwoofer Still Under $100 for Post-Spring Sale

Apple M4 MacBook Air Is Still at Its Spring Sale Low as Amazon Moves Into Clearance Mode, No Need to Wait for Prime Day

They’re Already Trying to Baby Yoda Rocky From ‘Project Hail Mary’

ASUS ROG Xbox Ally Just Got Cheaper Again After Spring Sale, With 3 Months of Game Pass Included at No Extra Cost

Protect Your Car Without Overpaying, Batteries Plus Makes Finding the Right Battery Size Easy and Affordable

WD 5TB Portable External Hard Drive for Mac Drops to $0.03 per GB Even After Amazon’s Spring Sale

Apple Offers Rare Olive Branch to Liquid Glass Haters

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

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?