Ria Misra, Author at Gizmodo

A Map Showing Which U.S. Public Schools Teach Creationism to Kids

This map charts out all the schools receiving public funding that teach creationism — whether they’re public schools or private and charter schools that receive public funding. Slate put together this map, as well as an accompanying state-by-state breakdown, of what’s going on in science classes around the country — and the laws and ordinances…

io9 Ria Misra Feb 4

NASA is creating the coldest spot in the universe

And they’re putting it aboard the International Space Station, where it will be generated inside an “atomic refrigerator.” The current holder of the title of coldest spot in the universe is the Boomerang Nebula, a 5,000-light year distant nebula shaped just like it sounds, coming in at a freezing -272°Celsius. NASA’s Cold Atom Lab will…

io9 Ria Misra Feb 4

Sorry conspiracy theorists, but the snow in Atlanta was real.

A conspiracy theory is floating around that someone other than Mother Nature is responsible for Atlanta’s latest snowfall, spurred on by clips of people burning snowballs black. This video, using a lighter and some snow, explains why they’re wrong — and explores the phenomenon of “snow that doesn’t melt.” Phil Plait of Bad Astronomy explains…

io9 Ria Misra Feb 3

Read some of our favorite flash science fiction — written by you!

Six words, used carefully, can build up a world — and that’s just what these pieces of flash science fiction, covering everything from a population of literature-obsessed primates to a Death who would really rather play Candyland than do his job, do. Here are just some of our favorite six word stories, written by you,…

io9 Ria Misra Feb 3

Watch a rocket sled attached to a parachute shoot through the desert!

The folks over at JPL’s Low Density Supersonic Decelerator project have been building a rocket sled — and here it is in action! In this video, scientists test out the rocket sled by attaching it to a parachute and shooting it onto a railroad track in middle of the desert — followed up, of course,…

io9 Ria Misra Feb 3

We’re writing some science fiction — in only six words!

Some of our very favorite science fiction is of the epic variety. But there’s also a special place in our hearts for science fiction that is shorter — in this case, only six words. We were big fans of the stories you wrote us last time, whether you were riffing on the theme itself (“Post…

io9 Ria Misra Feb 3

Frank Miller’s Role in the Secret Origins of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles were created in 1984 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. But it turns out that the roots of the story about the four mutated-turtles, who assume the name of Renaissance-era artists and don masks to fight crime, could go much further back than that. After getting a look at the…

io9 Ria Misra Jan 31

This map of the internet is not just super-detailed, but worth framing

This ridiculously intricate map charts out the hidden geography and scope of the internet, ranging from assigning proportional landmass to the world’s most popular websites, to drawing out the large swaths of free-flowing spam, to creating a color-coded look at the strength of internet surveillance. The map is the work of Martin Vargic, an amateur…

io9 Ria Misra Jan 31

Ask an expert about the science — and future — of war

War has been a part of our history, our present, and will also likely be a part of our future. Today, Barry Parker is here to answer our questions about the role science has played in developing the war machines of the past — and what we might expect in the future. Top image: A…

io9 Ria Misra Jan 31

Welcome, GIFs! Here is your party!

It’s time for a party! Come on in — and bring a GIF or two. So, what’s on your mind this week? Did you do or see anything of note? Do you have any news to share? Are you trapped by all the snow and need someone to send you some GIFs? Tell (and show!)…

io9 Ria Misra Jan 31

So, what’s the difference between a retcon and a reboot, anyway?

What makes a reboot a reboot, and a retcon a retcon — and what makes a show one, and not the other? In response to this post on the major franchises that haven’t yet been rebooted, a discussion began about reboots and retcons, the ways they overlap, and they ways they’re different: https://gizmodo.com/10-major-franchises-that-have-never-been-rebooted-1512477906 bob_d To…

Movies Ria Misra Jan 30

Here’s what it looks like to watch a solar eclipse from space

This amazing footage shows you what it would like to watch a partial solar eclipse from space. One of the differences right away is that, due to the lack of atmosphere around the moon, there’s no fuzziness along the edge between the moon and the sun, but just as different are the colors. The observatory…

io9 Ria Misra Jan 30

Mayonnaise is now the most popular condiment in the U.S. — BUT WHY?

Alright, confess! WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS? America spent $2 billion in mayonnaise last year ($0 of which came from my pocket), beating out hot sauce, mustard, and, yes, even ketchup, to become the number one condiment in the U.S. Ritchie King over at Quartz made this chart using data from Euromonitor, detailing the downright-baffling…

io9 Ria Misra Jan 30

A map of how much snow it takes to cancel school across the U.S.

How much snow does it take to cancel school in your area? This map takes a look at just how much snow around the country it takes to have a snowday. Redditor atrubetskoy made this map by using a combination of local news reports, a survey, and average snowfall levels from NOAA maps to make…

io9 Ria Misra Jan 30

Which Star Trek has the better vision of the future?

It’s a battle between the original Star Trek and its movie re-boot to decide which vision of the future will triumph! Two Star Treks enter, one leaves. In response to this piece on the decline in optimism in science fiction movies, commenters lightninglouie and Eric took a closer look at the way the imagined-future in…

Movies Ria Misra Jan 29

A musical history of sampling, in 3 minutes

This 3-minute video from Eclectic Method takes us on a brief musical history, starting from the introduction of the mellotron in the early ’60s (featuring the Beatles), then moving quickly to James Brown, up through the Beastie Boys. As a bonus, as the songs play, the songs their samples gave rise to are mapped out…

io9 Ria Misra Jan 29

A giant avalanche has buried a town behind a 40 foot wall of snow

Oh, and did we mention it’s covering the only road out of town? And that the snow has dammed up the river behind it, creating a giant lake? The series of avalanches first began along Richardson Highway on Friday morning, trapping the 4,000-person town of Valdez, Alaska behind a 40-foot wall of snow covering over…

io9 Ria Misra Jan 29

What does a show owe its fans?

How much influence should fans have on the direction of a show? And what happens when the plans of the writers and the desires of the fans conflict? The influence of fans on a beloved series isn’t new — Arthur Conan Doyle famously brought a dead Sherlock back to life under pressure from fans, and…

Movies Ria Misra Jan 29

Why campiness succeeds — and why it fails — in Batman

What have we here? Oh, just ’60s-era Batman going surfing with the Joker, and making use of some spray-on shark repellent, like one does. But what makes this campy adaptation of Batman work, while Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin didn’t? After taking a look at some of the forgotten plot holes and oddities of the…

Movies Ria Misra Jan 28

Here’s what it would look like to fly directly into a nebula

Ever wondered what it would be like to look out the window of a spaceship as it travels through space? Wonder no more. This video gives you a spaceship’s-eye view as you blast off from a mountain range in Earth, fly through the stars, then move closer and closer to a distant brightness in the…

io9 Ria Misra Jan 28

Ria Misra

A Map Showing Which U.S. Public Schools Teach Creationism to Kids

NASA is creating the coldest spot in the universe

Sorry conspiracy theorists, but the snow in Atlanta was real.

Read some of our favorite flash science fiction — written by you!

Watch a rocket sled attached to a parachute shoot through the desert!

We’re writing some science fiction — in only six words!

Frank Miller’s Role in the Secret Origins of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

This map of the internet is not just super-detailed, but worth framing

Ask an expert about the science — and future — of war

Welcome, GIFs! Here is your party!

So, what’s the difference between a retcon and a reboot, anyway?

Here’s what it looks like to watch a solar eclipse from space

Mayonnaise is now the most popular condiment in the U.S. — BUT WHY?

A map of ​how much snow it takes to cancel school across the U.S.

Which Star Trek has the better vision of the future?

A musical history of sampling, in 3 minutes

A giant avalanche has buried a town behind a 40 foot wall of snow

What does a show owe its fans?

Why campiness succeeds — and why it fails — in Batman

Here’s what it would look like to fly directly into a nebula

The First Trailer for ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ Takes Terror Stateside

The Trump Phone Still Looks Like Total Trash

‘Masters of the Universe’ Really, Really Wants to Be the Next ‘Barbie’

Samsung’s Micro RGB TVs Provide So Much Color It May Be Too Much

The Crypto Bros Want to Get Their Hands on Anthropic’s ‘Super Dangerous’ Model

This Is What a Music Industry ‘Plant’ Looks Like in 2026

As Starship V3 Lags Behind, Blue Origin Prepares Third Launch of New Glenn

The New Movie From Takashi Yamazaki Could Be the New ‘Pacific Rim’

Forget Samsung Galaxy S26, Google Pixel 10 Pro Hits a Black Friday Low With No Trade-In Required

YouTube Will Stop Showing Ads If You Just Engage Hard Enough

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?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

A map of how much snow it takes to cancel school across the U.S.