Margherita Bassi, Author at Gizmodo

This Ancient Roman Artifact Is Also a 453 Million-Year-Old Fossil

The Romans may have treasured the trilobite fossil for its presumed magical or protective powers.

Human History Margherita Bassi

Mysterious Petroglyphs Reemerge on Oahu Beach

A local of indigenous descent suggests one of the human stick figures might represent the mischievous demigod Maui.

Human History Margherita Bassi

An Even Scarier Predator Hunted Giant ‘Terror Birds’ in South America

A handful of bite marks on a fossil tens of millions of years old speaks to an ancient tussle between two terrifying apex predators.

Biology Margherita Bassi

Humans Counted 8,600 Earthquakes in Yellowstone. AI Says We’re Not Even Close

Researchers used machine learning to reanalyze Yellowstone's historical earthquake data, revealing that humans may have missed a few things.

Earth Science Margherita Bassi

Lightning Kills Way More Trees Than Anyone Thought, New Research Suggests

A new study provides the first estimates of lightning-killed trees, a crucial figure for understanding Earth's carbon cycle.

Earth Science Margherita Bassi

Playful Airline Safety Videos Could Be Making Passengers Less Safe

In a new survey, most participants flunked an airline safety quiz after watching an in-flight safety video.

Health Margherita Bassi

You Don’t Want to Know Where Scientists Just Found 27 Million Tons of Plastic

For years, scientists have struggled to solve the "plastic paradox"—the mystery of millions of tons of missing plastic.

Physics & Chemistry Margherita Bassi

The ‘Hail Mary’ That Saved NASA’s Juno Camera From Jupiter’s Radiation Hell

Mission scientists "waited with bated breath" to see if their last-minute operation to save a spacecraft's camera hundreds of millions of miles away had worked.

Space & Spaceflight Margherita Bassi

Myanmar’s Devastating Earthquake in March Split the Earth at ‘Supershear Velocity’

The southern part of the earthquake’s rupture moved at speeds of over 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) per second.

Earth Science Margherita Bassi

Archaeologists Discover Tomb of Maya King Who Founded a 460-Year Dynasty

Three burials are challenging a widespread notion about the interactions between Mesoamerican cultures.

Human History Margherita Bassi

Android Phones Can Detect Earthquakes Before the Ground Starts Shaking

The Android Earthquake Alerts (AEA) system proved to be as efficient as traditional seismic networks.

Earth Science Margherita Bassi

A Meteor Impact May Have Caused a Giant Landslide in the Grand Canyon

A new study suggests ancient wood floated into a cave far above the Colorado River when a meteorite-induced earthquake triggered a landslide, a dam, and an ancient lake.

Space & Spaceflight Margherita Bassi

Researchers Solve 130-Year-Old Literary Mystery Involving Elves, Wolves, and a Medieval Meme

Scholars may have been misreading verses from a 12th-century sermon for over a century.

Human History Margherita Bassi

There’s a Strange New Hole in Yellowstone National Park

In April, geologists performing maintenance work at Norris Geyser Basin found something unexpected.

Earth Science Margherita Bassi

Dozens of ‘Ghost Galaxies’ Are Orbiting the Milky Way, Astronomers Suspect

Researchers may have found our galaxy's missing companions, further bolstering science's most widely accepted cosmological model.

Space & Spaceflight Margherita Bassi

Ancient DNA Unlocks the Secret Recipe of Roman Fish Sauce

Roman salting plants processed fish so thoroughly that researchers struggle to identify the species once used in ancient condiments.

Human History Margherita Bassi

Notorious Fungus Blamed for ‘Mummy’s Curse’ Is Now a Promising Cancer Treatment

A dreaded fungus known to inhabit tombs has been reconstituted as a treatment for leukemia and is performing as effectively as some FDA-approved drugs.

Health Margherita Bassi

Ancient Rocks in Canada Are Almost as Old as the Earth Itself

Rocks older than 4.03 billion years could shed light on Earth's earliest geological history, but they're incredibly rare.

Earth Science Margherita Bassi

Researchers Pit Stone Age Seafaring Skills Against One of Earth’s Fiercest Currents

In a new study, researchers reenacted how people in Taiwan might have reached the Ryukyu Islands tens of thousands of years ago.

Human History Margherita Bassi

Good News! Caffeine Might Help Your Cells Live Longer

As if we needed another reason to drink coffee or tea.

Health Margherita Bassi

Margherita Bassi

This Ancient Roman Artifact Is Also a 453 Million-Year-Old Fossil

Mysterious Petroglyphs Reemerge on Oahu Beach

An Even Scarier Predator Hunted Giant ‘Terror Birds’ in South America

Humans Counted 8,600 Earthquakes in Yellowstone. AI Says We’re Not Even Close

Lightning Kills Way More Trees Than Anyone Thought, New Research Suggests

Playful Airline Safety Videos Could Be Making Passengers Less Safe

You Don’t Want to Know Where Scientists Just Found 27 Million Tons of Plastic

The ‘Hail Mary’ That Saved NASA’s Juno Camera From Jupiter’s Radiation Hell

Myanmar’s Devastating Earthquake in March Split the Earth at ‘Supershear Velocity’

Archaeologists Discover Tomb of Maya King Who Founded a 460-Year Dynasty

Android Phones Can Detect Earthquakes Before the Ground Starts Shaking

A Meteor Impact May Have Caused a Giant Landslide in the Grand Canyon

Researchers Solve 130-Year-Old Literary Mystery Involving Elves, Wolves, and a Medieval Meme

There’s a Strange New Hole in Yellowstone National Park

Dozens of ‘Ghost Galaxies’ Are Orbiting the Milky Way, Astronomers Suspect

Ancient DNA Unlocks the Secret Recipe of Roman Fish Sauce

Notorious Fungus Blamed for ‘Mummy’s Curse’ Is Now a Promising Cancer Treatment

Ancient Rocks in Canada Are Almost as Old as the Earth Itself

Researchers Pit Stone Age Seafaring Skills Against One of Earth’s Fiercest Currents

Good News! Caffeine Might Help Your Cells Live Longer

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