Robbie Gonzalez, Author at Gizmodo

Your cell phone may be turning you selfish

Are you an egocentric person? Do you spend an inordinate amount of time on your cell phone? A preliminary study out of the University of Maryland suggests these two things may be related. Researchers Anastasiya Pocheptsova, Rosellina Ferraro, and Ajay Abraham wanted to look at the effect of cell phone use on prosocial behavior —…

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This butterfly could hold the secret to letting you see in the dark

The opalescent wings of the Morpho butterfly embody a perfect marriage of aesthetic beauty and biological functionality. Scientists believe that a better understanding of this creature’s wings and their chemical makeup could have big implications for imaging technologies like night vision goggles that rely on sensing heat, rather than visible light. Now, a team of…

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Why don’t Americans elect scientists to office?

Back in August of 2011, the New York Times published an interactive feature titled If I Were President. The Times ran the opinions of 12 respondents in total, including astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson — director of the Hayden Planetarium and one of the most compelling science communicators of our time. Tyson’s response is level-headed and…

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For the first time ever, scientists can control human brain cells using quantum dots

What if you could treat conditions ranging from Alzheimer’s to blindness, all with a flash of light? Researchers think it’s possible — and they plan on using tiny particles called quantum dots to do it. Brain stimulation can be incredibly tricky. Performing it from outside the head is effective, but doesn’t give you very much…

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A visual account of the 22-year vertical trip into Lake Vostok

On February 5th, more than twenty years after they first started drilling, Russian scientists finally broke through the last remaining layers of an ice sheet that has separated Lake Vostok from the rest of the world for twenty million years. But when Russian scientists first began boring their way through the ice above Vostok, they…

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And now, Apollo 17 astronauts singing. On the Moon.

Let’s say you’re an astronaut. You’re on the Moon. You’re hundreds of thousands of miles away from home, and the only thing between you and near-vacuum conditions is a cumbersome space-suit that affords about as much maneuverability as a body cast. What do you do? Well, if you’re Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison “Jack” Schmitt, you…

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Give your valentine one of the biggest roses in the Universe

When it comes to Valentine’s day, flowers are kind of boring. Do they smell nice? Yes. But they also reek of unoriginality. Face it, people, the bouquet of roses has been done. But if you still feel like you absolutely have to incorporate flowers into your V-day repertoire, there are options other than FTD at…

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Babies can understand what you’re saying at just 6 months old

Babies are easy to underestimate. This is understandable; after all, when most of us interact with an infant, we see a clumsy, messy creature — one more adept at stringing together strange gurgling noises than distinct consonants and vowels. And yet, evidence continues to accumulate that just because an infant can’t speak, doesn’t mean it…

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What is the Federal Research Public Access Act and why should you care about it?

Every year, the government funnels tens of billions of dollars toward scientific research — research that you help pay for with your taxes. These government-funded investigations give rise to an average of 65,000 peer-reviewed papers a year. Many of these papers, however, remain inaccessible to you unless you happen to subscribe to the journal in…

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Some of the Most Gorgeous Macrophotography We’ve Seen in Ages

Whether he’s photographing snowflakes, or the coiled shell of a snail, German photographer Matthias Lenke has a way of bringing out the details in his subjects — but he does an especially breathtaking job with insects. We think you’ll agree. The images you see here were photographed by Lenke over the course of 2011 and…

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Watch the original footage of the “live woolly mammoth” video

Last week, the internet exploded when The Sun claimed to be in possession of footage that shows a live (albeit suspiciously blurry) woolly mammoth crossing a river in Russia. Now, the original video used to create the dubious clip has surfaced. https://gizmodo.com/woolly-mammoth-alive-and-caught-on-tape-maybe-5883483 In their original coverage, The Sun reported that the video had been shot…

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10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Love and Sex

Tomorrow, as you are almost certainly aware, is Valentine’s Day. For some of us, this a particularly blissful time of year. For others it’s one that calls for intense cynicism. But regardless of your stance on Valentine’s Day, there’s no way to avoid being bombarded with romantic imagery. So you might as well take this…

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How much milk would you have to vomit in order to levitate?

In X-Men: First Class, Banshee uses ultrasonic screaming like a jet pack to power his flight. In a recent video from special effects whiz Freddie Wong, a character named “Milk Man” gushes gallons of milk from his gullet to achieve a similar effect. This, of course, got MinutePhysics‘ Henry Reich thinking: how much milk would…

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How did gigantic dinosaurs like Brachiosaurus get it on?

Brachiosaurus is estimated to have weighed close to thirty metric tons. Put two of these behemoths together, and you’re dealing with upwards of 125,000 pounds of dinosaur. Now, try to imagine all 125,000 of those pounds coordinating for the sake of copulation, and you’ll begin to appreciate how baffling the mating mechanics of sauropods (the…

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This might be the single most amazing toy we’ve ever seen

Everyone, this is Jaimie Mantzel, and he is about to blow your mind. We think the video pretty much speaks for itself, so just kick back and enjoy. What it doesn’t provide, however, is some insight into the man behind this wonderful piece of spider-mech magic. Redditor rimtinton provides some backstory on Mantzel — which…

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Watch this church get blasted by an interstellar missile

Remember when the Church got all up in Galileo’s grill for challenging the geocentric interpretation of the Universe? Seeing this almost makes you wonder if the Universe is still a little sore about that. Then again, maybe it’s just a coincidence. After all, that bright spot that you see arcing toward the church steeple and…

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Driving stoned doubles your risk of a serious car crash

Evidence suggests that driving high may be less dangerous than driving drunk, but driving stoned is still driving impaired — and assuming otherwise could get you killed. https://gizmodo.com/legalizing-marijuana-could-reduce-traffic-fatalities-5864321 A new paper, published in this week’s British Medical Journal, revealed that smoking pot within few hours of driving was associated with a nearly two-fold risk of…

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Nuclear reactors approved for U.S. construction for the first time since 1978

Fukushima may still be reeling from last year’s nuclear disaster, but a global interest in nuclear power looks to be on the up and up — even here in the U.S. Yesterday, for the first time in over 30 years, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission gave the nod on the construction of two brand new…

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Some people are more creative when they’re drunk

Are you more creative when you’re drunk? It’s one of those soundbites that you’re liable to hear a friend spout off somewhere between their fourth and fifth beer — a little factoid that might actually sound somewhat feasible if only there were a scientific study lying around to back it up. Fortunately for you, Jonah…

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This chimp will kick your ass at memory games — but how the hell does he do it?

This is Ayumu, he’s an 11-year-old chimpanzee who lives and trains at Kyoto University’s Primate Research Institute. In his time there, Ayumu has come to excel at an incredibly difficult — albeit very straightforward — memorization game. If you challenge him to this game, you will lose. Allow me to be perfectly clear: there is…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Robbie Gonzalez

Your cell phone may be turning you selfish

This butterfly could hold the secret to letting you see in the dark

Why don’t Americans elect scientists to office?

For the first time ever, scientists can control human brain cells using quantum dots

A visual account of the 22-year vertical trip into Lake Vostok

And now, Apollo 17 astronauts singing. On the Moon.

Give your valentine one of the biggest roses in the Universe

Babies can understand what you’re saying at just 6 months old

What is the Federal Research Public Access Act and why should you care about it?

Some of the Most Gorgeous Macrophotography We’ve Seen in Ages

Watch the original footage of the “live woolly mammoth” video

10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Love and Sex

How much milk would you have to vomit in order to levitate?

How did gigantic dinosaurs like Brachiosaurus get it on?

This might be the single most amazing toy we’ve ever seen

Watch this church get blasted by an interstellar missile

Driving stoned doubles your risk of a serious car crash

Nuclear reactors approved for U.S. construction for the first time since 1978

Some people are more creative when they’re drunk

This chimp will kick your ass at memory games — but how the hell does he do it?

Tesla Goes Ahead and Admits Its Robotaxis Are Sometimes Fully Human-Controlled

School Forced to Replace Toilets After Kids Flush Vapes

‘Scream 7’ Just Won’t Stop Making Money as ‘Scream 8’ Gets Started

The Curtain Has Closed on Meta’s Movie Rating-Inspired Content Filters

Good News! You Can Finally Change That Ridiculous Gmail Address

ExpressVPN Just Launched ExpressAI: Your Prompts Are Now Invisible

VR Just Took Another Massive Body Blow

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

‘Supergirl’ Will Feature David Corenswet’s Superman in a Sort of Big Brother Role

Report: FDA Set to Unban RFK Jr.’s Favorite Peptides

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?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset