Margherita Bassi, Author at Gizmodo

Viral Paragliding Video May Be Partly AI-Generated, Experts Say

A shocking paragliding accident caught on video made international headlines last week—but now it seems like part of the footage may be fake.

Artificial Intelligence Margherita Bassi

The Milky Way Might Not Smash Into the Andromeda Galaxy After All, New Simulation Indicates

A recent paper reveals we're almost certainly going to collide with a galaxy in the next couple billion years, but it's not the one we thought.

Space & Spaceflight Margherita Bassi

Stop Shoving Coins Into the Giant’s Causeway

From Parisian bridges to Rome's Trevi Fountain, tourists love leaving behind mementos—but in Northern Ireland, they're eroding a 60-million-year-old landmark.

Physics & Chemistry Margherita Bassi

Archaeological Dig Sheds New Light on the Other Great Wall of China

This vast frontier served a very different purpose than previously believed, researchers suggest.

Human History Margherita Bassi

Japan Puts Fukushima Soil in Prime Minister’s Flower Beds to Show It’s Safe

Fourteen years since one of the worst nuclear accidents in history, Japan is getting creative in the effort to convince people that the contaminated soil is safe enough to be recycled.

Health Margherita Bassi

These Birds Are So Stuffed With Plastic, You Can Hear Them Crunch

A dead baby bird—found with 778 pieces of plastic in its stomach—has shattered a grim 15-year record.

Biology Margherita Bassi

Humans Were Making Tools From Whale Bones 20,000 Years Ago, Study Reveals

Whale bones retrieved from prehistoric shores are shedding light on how humans lived—and hunted—along Europe's vanished coastlines.

Human History Margherita Bassi

Water on Mars? Mysterious Dark Streaks Aren’t What Scientists Thought

Scientists have been arguing about the origin of strange streaks on Mars since the earliest missions to the Red Planet.

Space & Spaceflight Margherita Bassi

An Archaeologist Sailed the Seas Using Only Viking Tech. Here’s What He Learned

To trace forgotten Viking trade routes, an experimental archaeologist spent three years braving frozen Norwegian waters.

Human History Margherita Bassi

Researchers Claim Ancient Chinese Star Catalog Is the Oldest of Its Kind—But Not Everyone’s Convinced

Shi’s Star Catalog has been notoriously difficult to date, but new research suggests astronomers drafted it centuries before its Western counterpart.

Human History Margherita Bassi

NASA Satellites Capture ‘River Tsunamis’ Surging Hundreds of Miles Inland

"We’ve never seen them like we are now.”

Earth Science Margherita Bassi

U.S. Family Infected With Airborne Fungal Disease After Touring Bat-Filled Caves

For fans of The Last of Us season 2, this real-life fungal outbreak might feel uncomfortably familiar.

Health Margherita Bassi

Monitoring Tree Leaves From Space Could Help Predict Volcanic Eruptions

Carbon dioxide emissions from rising magma is one of the earliest signs that a volcano is waking up, but measuring it directly is notoriously difficult.

Earth Science Margherita Bassi

Kids Around the World Are Still Swallowing Magnets at an Alarming Rate

"If magnets are accessible to children, some children will inevitably ingest them, leading to a wide range of severe consequences."

Health Margherita Bassi

Video Shows Orcas Left Behind in Algae-Filled Tanks Months After French Park Shut Down

Animal welfare organization TideBreakers is calling for international action, warning that a killer whale mother and her calf could be euthanized.

Biology Margherita Bassi

This Is What Your Brain Looks Like When You Solve a Problem

A new study reveals that you're more likely to remember solutions from aha moments than ones you reach intentionally.

Biology Margherita Bassi

Your Pruney Fingers After After a Bath Always Wrinkle the Same Way, Study Reveals

“A student asked, ‘Yeah, but do the wrinkles always form in the same way?’ And I thought: I haven’t the foggiest clue!”

Biology Margherita Bassi

Scientists Blasted Human Cells With 5G to See What Would Happen

To settle lingering health fears, scientists blasted human skin cells with intense 5G signals to see if the radiation does any damage.

Health Margherita Bassi

Shocking Video Shows Earth Tearing Open During Myanmar’s Earthquake in March

A potentially first-of-its-kind video filmed on a solar farm captures the strike-slip motion of the recent 7.7 magnitude earthquake.

Earth Science Margherita Bassi

Physicists Turned Lead Into Gold—for a Fraction of a Second

Instead of using the Large Hadron Collider to smash atoms together, researchers briefly turned lead into gold by facilitating near-misses.

Physics & Chemistry Margherita Bassi

Margherita Bassi

Viral Paragliding Video May Be Partly AI-Generated, Experts Say

The Milky Way Might Not Smash Into the Andromeda Galaxy After All, New Simulation Indicates

Stop Shoving Coins Into the Giant’s Causeway

Archaeological Dig Sheds New Light on the Other Great Wall of China

Japan Puts Fukushima Soil in Prime Minister’s Flower Beds to Show It’s Safe

These Birds Are So Stuffed With Plastic, You Can Hear Them Crunch

Humans Were Making Tools From Whale Bones 20,000 Years Ago, Study Reveals

Water on Mars? Mysterious Dark Streaks Aren’t What Scientists Thought

An Archaeologist Sailed the Seas Using Only Viking Tech. Here’s What He Learned

Researchers Claim Ancient Chinese Star Catalog Is the Oldest of Its Kind—But Not Everyone’s Convinced

NASA Satellites Capture ‘River Tsunamis’ Surging Hundreds of Miles Inland

U.S. Family Infected With Airborne Fungal Disease After Touring Bat-Filled Caves

Monitoring Tree Leaves From Space Could Help Predict Volcanic Eruptions

Kids Around the World Are Still Swallowing Magnets at an Alarming Rate

Video Shows Orcas Left Behind in Algae-Filled Tanks Months After French Park Shut Down

This Is What Your Brain Looks Like When You Solve a Problem

Your Pruney Fingers After After a Bath Always Wrinkle the Same Way, Study Reveals

Scientists Blasted Human Cells With 5G to See What Would Happen

Shocking Video Shows Earth Tearing Open During Myanmar’s Earthquake in March

Physicists Turned Lead Into Gold—for a Fraction of a Second

A QR Code Too Small to See Hints at a New, Non-Annoying Use for the Format

Andy Weir Apologizes After ‘Star Trek’ Comment Backlash

Scientists Discover Hidden Behavior in Water That Helps Explain Why Ice Floats

The ‘Paradise’ Season 2 Finale Paved the Way for a Wildly Sci-Fi Season 3

A $1 Samsung Galaxy Smartphone Lands at Mint Mobile With Unlimited Data at 50% Off in a Clearance Push

Your Wimpy Workouts Aren’t Cutting It, Scientists Say

Anker Prime Power Bank Drops to an All-Time Low (200W, 20,100mAh, 3-Port) as Amazon Clears Out Remaining Spring Sale Stock

Students Are Now Renting Smart Glasses to Cheat on Exams

Roborock F25 GT Cordless Vacuum and Mop Hits Its Lowest Price in Spring Sale, 20,000Pa Cleaning Power Without the Premium Price Tag

New Details Add a Bizarre Twist to NASA’s First ISS Medical Evacuation

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?

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