Robbie Gonzalez, Author at Gizmodo

Birds from the Cretaceous period went out the same way as the dinosaurs — with a bang

For years, paleontologists have disagreed over whether birds from the Cretaceous period went out with a whimper — dying out gradually over the course of millions of years — or with a bang — getting wiped out by the same mass extinction event that is believed to have killed off Earth’s most recent (and final)…

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10 of the World’s Deadliest Plants — And How They Kill You

Be careful what you touch, and what you eat. Some vegetation can snuff out your life as surely as a venomous snake. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of poisonous plants in the world, and some of them are deadly. Here are 10 of the world’s deadliest plants. We run down the chemicals, toxins, and…

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Leopard slugs have better sex than you do

Leopard slug sex is wild by definition, insofar as it typically takes place in the wilderness. But as this video clearly demonstrates, “wild” doesn’t even begin to capture the jaw-dropping escapade that is the leopard slug mating ritual. It’s highly acrobatic. It lasts over an hour. There’s nibbling; there’s writhing; there’s even glowing sex organs.…

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The people of 8th century Ireland were afraid of zombies, too

What’s the best way to keep the dead from un-deadifying? Sure, these days we do it by bashing their brains in — but back in the 8th century, people did it by ramming a rock between their teeth. A team of researchers led by archaeologist Chris Read recently discovered two skeletons at a burial sight…

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Here’s how you can spot the twin suns of Tatooine-like planet Kepler-16b

Yesterday, NASA announced that they’d discovered the first unambiguous example ofa Tatooine-like planet ; the planet, Kepler-16b orbits two suns, just like the dusty home world of Luke Skywalker. https://gizmodo.com/nasa-weve-discovered-the-first-tatooine-like-planet-5840691 And as it turns out, you can actually see these twin suns with nothing more than a pair of binoculars. If you know where to…

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PHD Comics is coming to a theatre near you!

If you’re a grad student, were once a grad student, know a grad student, or just enjoy hearing about all the crap that grad students have to go through, and you haven’t read Jorge Cham’s Piled Higher and Deeper Comics (aka PHD Comics), then you should probably just skip work early and go do that…

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Could Pluto be home to a hidden liquid ocean?

Surface temperatures on Pluto are around -230C, making the likelihood of a liquid ocean on the dwarf planet’s surface more than a little unlikely. In fact, scientists have long assumed that Pluto’s surface is covered mostly with ice. What goes on beneath that ice, however, is something of a mystery. Now, scientists have calculated that…

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The Seabreacher is the orca cyborg / submarine / speedboat you’ve been saving up for

If you saw the Seabreacher tearing around the waters of your local beach or bay, you’d probably assume that the killer whales had finally initiated their global coup and gone fully bionic. But you’d be wrong. (For now at least.) Because the Seabreacher is actually a supercharged watercraft that is part submarine, part speedboat, and…

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A newly-discovered class of cells could one day help repair spinal cord injuries

Injuries to parts of the nervous system — the spinal cord, for example — are among the most devastating that human beings can sustain. But the recent discovery of a new class of spinal cord cell could soon lead to novel therapies capable of regenerating parts of the central nervous system. The newly-discovered cells were…

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We’ve discovered a new species of dolphin, and it’s probably already endangered

Characterizing a new animal species can be a tricky process, but in dolphins it can be especially difficult. Now, scientists in Melbourne, Australia have managed to formally classify what will be just the fourth formal description of a new dolphin species in over 100 years. The new species, classified as Tursiops australis (pictured up top),…

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Debating Human Enhancement

Where do you stand on the subject of human enhancement? If recent cultural trends in things like music, movies, and video games are any indication, it’s a subject that’s been picking at society’s collective conscience quite a bit as of late. https://gizmodo.com/janelle-monae-turns-rhythm-and-blues-into-science-ficti-5592174 http://io9.com/5827937/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-asks-whether-humanitys-best-hope-lies-in-building-a-better-species https://kotaku.com/a-deeper-look-at-deus-ex-human-revolution-5555342 In the interest of exploring the difficult questions that the subject…

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NASA: “We’ve Discovered the First Tatooine-Like Planet”

One of the most iconic scenes in Star Wars was of the two setting suns over Tatooine’s dusty plains. Now, after years of searching, we’ve discovered that such a vista could exist outside science fiction. Scientists at NASA today announced the discovery of what they’re describing as the very first confirmed, unambiguous example of a…

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The best chemistry geek anthem ever

What do you get when you take chemists from all around the country, stick them in a convention center with a couple of turn tables, and add an original rap about chemistry? You get the world’s first living, breathing, dancing periodic table. Looks like this whole dancing scientist thing has really caught on. https://gizmodo.com/the-2011-dance-your-ph-d-contest-has-officially-begu-5836690 The…

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There is now a medical-insurance code for being struck by a turtle

Let’s say you’re in a car accident and you break your leg. If you go to the hospital, your doctors will consult a list of around 18,000 alphanumeric medical-insurance codes that they can use to describe your injuries in bills that they send to insurers. Unfortunately, not one of these 18,000 codes accounts for spacecraft…

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NASA has unveiled the rocket that will take us to Mars

Say hello to NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) — it’s about to become the largest, most powerful space rocket we’ve ever built. The Agency announced a design for the rocket earlier today, saying it will be a “safe, affordable and sustainable means of reaching beyond our current limits and opening up new discoveries from the…

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Whatever happened to the world’s first T. rex skeleton?

In 1902, the first T-rex skeleton was exhumed on a dig led by Barnum Brown, an eccentric — albeit brilliant — scientist who also sat as the senior paleontologist at the American Museum of Natural History. The T-Rex’s fossilized remains were quickly shipped to the AMNH, where they were first displayed (pictured up top), and…

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How a 43,000-Year-Old Wooly Mammoth Could One Day Save Your Life

Heart and brain surgeries are called “hypothermia-dependent” procedures because doctors often have to lower their patients’ temperatures during surgery. The thing is, human blood doesn’t transport oxygen as well at cold temperatures. Surgeons rely on synthetic blood substitutes to help the patient’s body cope. Now, a team of scientists have revealed how the blood of…

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This thimble-sized microscope could revolutionize neuroscience research

Mice are energetic little buggers, which is bad news for scientists who want to get a look at their brains while they’re scurrying around. But at last, researchers have perfected a high-powered, miniaturized fluorescent microscope that can be mounted on a mouse’s head and used to monitor the activity of as many as 200 brain…

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American Academy of Pediatrics: No, Michele Bachmann, the HPV vaccine cannot cause mental retardation

If you’ve been following the Republican campaign race, then you’re already familiar with the ongoing fracas between Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry over the latter’s 2007 HPV vaccine mandate; and that Bachmann suggested yesterday that the vaccine can cause mental retardation. https://jezebel.com/bachmann-attacks-perry-over-hpv-vaccine-mandate-5839579 https://jezebel.com/the-sex-hating-hysteria-behind-republicans-hpv-vaccine-5839783 Now, the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a formal response addressing…

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Lifelong musicians can understand you better at noisy parties

Remember the last time you were at a noisy party — the kind of party where you have trouble understanding what the person next to you is saying? Scientists call this the “cocktail party problem,” and use it to describe the difficulty that humans have understanding speech in the presence of background noise. Previous studies…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Robbie Gonzalez

Birds from the Cretaceous period went out the same way as the dinosaurs — with a bang

10 of the World’s Deadliest Plants — And How They Kill You

Leopard slugs have better sex than you do

The people of 8th century Ireland were afraid of zombies, too

Here’s how you can spot the twin suns of Tatooine-like planet Kepler-16b

PHD Comics is coming to a theatre near you!

Could Pluto be home to a hidden liquid ocean?

The Seabreacher is the orca cyborg / submarine / speedboat you’ve been saving up for

A newly-discovered class of cells could one day help repair spinal cord injuries

We’ve discovered a new species of dolphin, and it’s probably already endangered

Debating Human Enhancement

NASA: “We’ve Discovered the First Tatooine-Like Planet”

The best chemistry geek anthem ever

There is now a medical-insurance code for being struck by a turtle

NASA has unveiled the rocket that will take us to Mars

Whatever happened to the world’s first T. rex skeleton?

How a 43,000-Year-Old Wooly Mammoth Could One Day Save Your Life

This thimble-sized microscope could revolutionize neuroscience research

American Academy of Pediatrics: No, Michele Bachmann, the HPV vaccine cannot cause mental retardation

Lifelong musicians can understand you better at noisy parties

Up to $1,550 Off on pCloud: Pay Once, Protect Data Forever for World Backup Day

National Film and Sound Archive of Australia Adds ‘Succulent Chinese Meal’ Guy

Feds Sniffing Around Polymarket After Suspicious Bets

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Don’t Get Too Attached to Any AI App

‘Paradise’ Writer Teases What’s Coming in Season 3 After That Huge Twist

Trump’s New White House App Is Mildly Concerning and Weird for a Lot of Reasons

Bloodsucking Ticks Can Survive Inside Your Home Longer Than You Might Think

The Best New Toys of March 2026

Judge Denies Liking LinkedIn Post Critical of Elon Musk But Reassigns His Cases Anyway

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