Robbie Gonzalez, Author at Gizmodo

A massive solar eruption may lead to the strongest radiation storm in seven years

Last week, a swelling solar storm on the surface of the Sun sent a stream of charged particles hurtling toward Earth, making for beautiful northern lights in the planet’s extreme latitudes. But late last night, at 10:59 p.m. EST, the now massive tempest unleashed an eruption that scientists expect will be responsible for Earth’s largest…

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Watch Neil deGrasse Tyson lay bare the decline of American science in 180 seconds

The United States has long been recognized as one of the most scientifically productive countries on Earth. But when you’re discussing progress, where you’ve been is not nearly as important as a) where you are today, and b) where you stand to go from there What this presentation from astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson makes abundantly…

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10 Science Holidays to Get Your Geek On

Have you ever felt like getting some people together and toasting something in the name of science? If you have, then you may have already noticed that of the eleven federally recognized U.S. holidays, not a one of them has anything to do with science. There are, of course, many unofficial days of observance throughout…

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Stare into the soul of Saturn’s mysterious hexagonal cloud system

Feast your eyes on one of the most puzzling planetary mysteries our solar system has to offer. In this photograph of Saturn’s north pole, captured by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft in 2009, clouds can be seen encircling the planet at about 77 degrees north latitude. Even at such a high parallel, the massive six-sided jet stream…

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Watch a staggeringly beautiful time-lapse video of Yosemite National Park

If you’ve ever visited California’s Yosemite National Park, then you have an appreciation for how absurdly majestic its scenery is. You also know how difficult it can be to encapsulate that majesty when describing it to others; somehow, adjectives like “breathtaking” don’t even begin to describe it. For years, I’ve referred to Ansel Adams’ iconic…

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A map that reveals Earth’s emerging hot zones

We’ve been recording global surface temperatures since 1880, the beginning of what meteorologists call the modern record. In that time, worldwide temperatures have been on the rise. Now, NASA scientists are reporting that the global average surface temperature in 2011 was the ninth warmest that we’ve ever recorded. So what’s the big deal? In the…

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ScienceOnline2012 is the coolest (un)conference you’ve probably never heard of

Are you big on science and science communication? If you are, do yourself favor and check out ScienceOnline2012 (or scio12 to those in the know), the sixth annual international meeting on science and the internet. Scio12 kicked off yesterday and will run through tomorrow — and odds are high that many of your favorite bloggers,…

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A One-Ton Metal Mammoth Made from Old Farm Equipment

Drop what you’re doing — this is more important. Oregon sculptor Jud Turner has built a life-sized model of a Columbia mammoth skeleton, he’s done it with 95% recycled materials (mostly old farming equipment and agricultural tools), and it’s probably the most jaw-droppingly bad-ass thing I’ve ever laid my eyes on. I’m sorry, did you…

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Do you reside somewhere on the autism spectrum? In the near future, you may not.

For the first time in seventeen years, the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (D.S.M.) is undergoing a significant revision. One of the mental conditions facing major emendations in its D.S.M. definition is autism. If the changes go through, a recent analysis suggests that the rate of official diagnosis for autism,…

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Bugs from your colon could produce the world’s next great energy source

For years, the energy industry has been looking to seaweed to become the next big source of biofuel. But the algae plant has its drawbacks. Much of its energy is stored in a form of sugar that is difficult to tap into; this snag drives the cost of biofuel produced from seaweed up, and its…

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The first footage of a comet smashing into the sun

For the first time ever, scientists have witnessed and recorded a comet disintegrating in the Sun’s atmosphere. The icy body — dubbed “comet C/2011 N3 (SOHO)” — was originally observed back in July. Today, the team that observed the comet flaming out of existence has published an in-depth analysis of what really happened. So what…

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Portrait of the Ghost Drummer lets you visualize a drum solo in three dimensions

Unless you’re a synesthete, you probably don’t get very many opportunities to see music. But this 3D data visualization project, Portrait of the Ghost Drummer, by Polish designer Odaibe allows you to do exactly that. In the video, the movement of a pair of drumsticks is recorded via motion sensors, and visualized in the form…

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High-speed videography reveals the beauty of dove flight

This slow-motion footage of a dove in flight is certainly worth watching for its artistic and technical merit (be sure to bump the resolution up to 720p), but it’s also a great opportunity to understand some of the science behind the bird’s aerial abilities. Fuck Yeah Fluid Dynamics walks us through what we’re watching: Note…

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Is it time to do away with leap seconds?

For decades, the world has relied on incredibly accurate atomic clocks to keep time; but atomic clocks are much more consistant than the rotation of the Earth, which varies in speed ever-so-slightly as it spins about its axis. Consequently, every few years, the time based on the Earth’s rotation falls out of sync with time…

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Incredibly detailed map reveals forest biomass in the United States

In the last several hundred years, human activity has shifted large quantities of the world’s carbon from long-term storage (i.e. carbon bound up in rocks, fossil fuels, and forests) into forms of short-term storage such as croplands and pastures, which tend to store less carbon for shorter periods of time. Today, forests cover about 30…

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NASA’s RS-25D space shuttle engines are downright incredible to behold

Remember the picture of the Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne engines that looked an awful lot like a band of Daleks in disguise? That picture may have done a good job of making space shuttle engines look like a bunch of malevolent cyborgs, but there wasn’t really anything in the photo to give you a sense of…

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Grown naturally, Superman’s Fortress of Solitude would have taken millions of years to erect

The Crystal Cave — known to many as La Cueva de Los Cristales — is buried 300 meters below the Earth’s surface, sequestered away in the Naica ore mines of Chihuahua, Mexico. Bursting from the top, bottom, and sides of the cavern’s walls are otherworldy outcroppings of gypsum crystal. Many are too big to wrap…

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Mysterious “white nose syndrome” is demolishing bat populations in the Northeast

It’s been just five years since the deadly fungus was first identified in a small population of New York bats. In that time, “white nose syndrome” has spread to 16 states and four Canadian provinces. Once infected, afflicted bats have been known to behave erratically, flying far from their nests, never to be seen again,…

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And now, the mathematics of pasta shapes

Have you ever wanted to know the mathematical formula for fusilli, or wondered about the geometric calculation for quadrefiore? Well wonder no more, for London architects Marco Guarnieri and George L. Legendre have written Pasta by Design. The pasta-taxonomy is a culinary/mathematical mish-mash, featuring photographs of 92 pasta shapes; the mathematical equations that describe their…

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“Treasure Trove” of Charles Darwin’s Long-Lost Fossils Discovered

The fossils were lost, and nobody even knew it. For ages, a stockpile of over 300 specimens — including several collected by Charles Darwin on his historic Voyage of the Beagle — has been changing hands throughout England, hidden away inside a nondescript cabinet. Now, 165 years later, the fossils (and their history) have been…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Robbie Gonzalez

A massive solar eruption may lead to the strongest radiation storm in seven years

Watch Neil deGrasse Tyson lay bare the decline of American science in 180 seconds

10 Science Holidays to Get Your Geek On

Stare into the soul of Saturn’s mysterious hexagonal cloud system

Watch a staggeringly beautiful time-lapse video of Yosemite National Park

A map that reveals Earth’s emerging hot zones

ScienceOnline2012 is the coolest (un)conference you’ve probably never heard of

A One-Ton Metal Mammoth Made from Old Farm Equipment

Do you reside somewhere on the autism spectrum? In the near future, you may not.

Bugs from your colon could produce the world’s next great energy source

The first footage of a comet smashing into the sun

Portrait of the Ghost Drummer lets you visualize a drum solo in three dimensions

High-speed videography reveals the beauty of dove flight

Is it time to do away with leap seconds?

Incredibly detailed map reveals forest biomass in the United States

NASA’s RS-25D space shuttle engines are downright incredible to behold

Grown naturally, Superman’s Fortress of Solitude would have taken millions of years to erect

Mysterious “white nose syndrome” is demolishing bat populations in the Northeast

And now, the mathematics of pasta shapes

“Treasure Trove” of Charles Darwin’s Long-Lost Fossils Discovered

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

Source Code for Anthropic’s Claude Code Leaks at the Exact Wrong Time

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