Margherita Bassi, Author at Gizmodo

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 May 28 '25

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 May 27 '25

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 May 27 '25

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 May 25 '25

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 May 25 '25

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 May 24 '25

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

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

Earth Science Margherita Bassi May 22 '25

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 May 21 '25

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 May 21 '25

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 May 20 '25

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 May 20 '25

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 May 18 '25

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 May 17 '25

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 May 15 '25

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 May 14 '25

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 May 14 '25

ChatGPT vs. Nazi Encryption: Why Enigma Wouldn’t Stand a Chance Today

We asked ChatGPT directly.

Human History Margherita Bassi May 13 '25

How Fast Is Too Fast to See? Study Reveals Your Visual Speed Limit

Researchers suggest that people with faster eye movement can see objects in motion that are invisible to others.

Biology Margherita Bassi May 12 '25

All 28 of the U.S.’s Largest Cities Are Sinking, Study Finds

A new study reveals that uneven land subsidence could impact 29,000 buildings across the America's most populated metropolises.

Earth Science Margherita Bassi May 9 '25

Pompeii Family Blocked Bedroom Door With Bed to Escape Eruption, New Findings Reveal

Almost 2,000 years after Mount Vesuvius exploded, scholars continue to uncover extraordinary archaeological remains immortalized in ash and pumice.

Human History Margherita Bassi May 8 '25

Margherita Bassi

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

ChatGPT vs. Nazi Encryption: Why Enigma Wouldn’t Stand a Chance Today

How Fast Is Too Fast to See? Study Reveals Your Visual Speed Limit

All 28 of the U.S.’s Largest Cities Are Sinking, Study Finds

Pompeii Family Blocked Bedroom Door With Bed to Escape Eruption, New Findings Reveal

Europe’s Hera Probe Sends Back Its Closest View Yet of NASA’s DART Crash Site

Krispy Kreme Is Beating Nvidia, and That’s Not Even the Chip Giant’s Biggest Problem

Divers Found a WWII Shipwreck Off Maine Linked to a Nazi Spy Mission

The Murdochs Expand Media Empire as Fox’s Roku Acquisition Closes

More Than 100 Protesters Storm a Microsoft Data Center Site in Amsterdam

One of the Year’s Most Underrated Monster Movies Comes Home Soon

Authorities at Lima Airport Find More Than 3,000 Tarantulas Hidden in Dirty Socks

Motorola’s Latest Smartwatch Is All About Budget and Battery Life

FBI Agent Admits Stealing $2.47 Million in Crypto From Crime Victims and Nation-State Targets

Honor’s Newest Phone Has an Extra Screen—And It’s Not Where You’d Expect

Gizmodo’s Best Tech of 2026 Awards: Our Favorite Phones, Laptops, Smart Home Gear, and More

Marshall Stockwell III Review: Big Sound in a Small Package

Sony MDR-3R Review: Walkman Nostalgia Wins Again

MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display Review: Screw Touchscreens, It’s Still the Best Mac

The Best Gaming Gifts Under $100

Arlo Essential Solar Camera Review: Solar Is Great, but Subscription Paywalls Aren’t

iPad mini OLED Review: Apple’s Smallest Tablet Is Also Its Best

HP EliteBook X Flip G2i 14 AI Review: Great for the Office, if Not Your Wallet

The Best Gadgets of October 2026

CMF Speaker M Review: This Bluetooth Speaker Sparks Joy