Robbie Gonzalez, Author at Gizmodo

Your dinnerware may be sabotaging your diet

Most people make upwards of 250 food-related decisions a day. Sound high? That’s because researchers believe the majority of these decisions are made unconsciously, and that many of our eating habits are actually driven by subtle environmental cues. How we manipulate these cues can have a huge impact on our eating habits. There are two…

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Why you shouldn’t challenge a breast-feeding mom to play Call of Duty

When you happen upon a couple of bear cubs in the woods, what’s the first thing that should come to mind? If you answered “I wanna squeeze ’em,” you’re wrong. It should be “where’s the mom?” And with good reason. Numerous non-human mammals are known to exhibit heightened levels of aggression in defense of their…

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This man’s hands are no optical illusion

Remember the scene in Gattaca where Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman’s characters go to a piano concert featuring music that can only be performed by a pianist with extra fingers? Well, the song the pianist plays is called “Impromptu for 12 fingers,” and in case you hadn’t noticed, the guy pictured up top would be…

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Do pandas hold the key to reducing US reliance on foreign oil?

Pandas have all kinds of talents, like looking adorable, dozing off for no reason, and looking tiny next to Shaq. But pandas are also pretty big on eating and pooping, and, by extension, digesting raw plant materials. It’s this last skill, in particular, that has chemists interested in what pandas can teach us about next-generation…

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Are the tables turning in the war between pests and genetically modified crops?

Monsanto Company, the agricultural biotech corporation that everyone loves to hate, is the world leader in the production of genetically modified (GM) crops — plants that, among other things, prevent yield-decimating pests from overrunning agricultural production. But research findings by Iowa State University entomologist Aaron Gassmann have revealed the first evidence of major pest resistance…

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Watch veins of darkness creep through magnified bubbles

Have you ever wondered what happens when you mix a liquid that becomes strongly magnetized in the presence of a magnetic field with magnets and ordinary bubbles? No? Well, thankfully San Francisco designer Kim Pimmel did, because what you wind up with is this mesmerizing, otherworldly display of colorful capillary action. Pimmel explains his design…

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10 New Genetic Discoveries — And The Diseases They Could Treat

For years, scientists have recognized that many of the world’s most dangerous diseases have an underlying genetic component. Even your susceptibility to conditions like heart disease and lung cancer, diseases closely tied to lifestyle factors like smoking and lack of exercise, are believed to be heavily influenced by your genetic makeup. Unfortunately, technological limitations have…

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These neurons are making you fat

You’re looking at a group of neurons that are responsible for helping you regulate how much you eat. They’re called satiety-promoting melanocortin neurons, and when they’re doing their job, they help you feel full when you’ve had enough to eat. But when these neurons don’t fire, your ability to feel satisfied (i.e. sated) when eating…

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Astrophysicists Produce First Realistic Simulation of Milky Way’s Formation

Astrophysicists have been trying for nearly two decades to produce a model capable of simulating the genesis of a spiral galaxy — the class of flat, rotating disk galaxies to which our own Milky Way belongs. And now, they’ve finally done it. Featured here is a time-lapse video of the world’s very first simulated formation…

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The Junkbots have landed!

People like to speculate that the landing of an extraterrestrial ship on Earth could open doors to advances in technology through reverse engineering of alien space-tech. But now the folks over at CyberCraft Robots have gone and done exactly the opposite. This so-called junkbot is called the “Scout Ship for Landfill Art Project,” and is…

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Enroll in a free course on artificial intelligence, taught by two world-renowned AI experts

If you’ve ever wanted a world-class introduction to the basics of artificial intelligence, here’s your chance. Every fall, engineering students at Stanford University can enroll in a class titled “Introduction to Artificial Intelligence.” And now you can, too. The class is taught by world-renowned AI experts Sebastian Thrun and Peter Norvig, and while the course…

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Astronomers have spotted “the supernova of a generation,” and it’s exploding right now

Astronomers are calling a supernova first sighted just two days ago an “Instant Cosmic Classic.” Not only is the supernova brighter and closer to Earth (around 21 million light-years) than any we’ve observed in a generation, scientists actually managed to catch the supernova within hours of its explosion, making it the youngest supernova we’ve ever…

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Female chickens have the weirdest birth control method ever

Female chickens are among the most promiscuous members of the animal kingdom, with wild and domestic fowl alike tending to mate with way more males than necessary to fertilize their eggs. But just because they get around doesn’t mean these hens aren’t selective about who they choose to reproduce with. In fact, recent research shows…

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An Orwellian new technology that monitors your television use

In a technological twist that could be interpreted as either practical or downright Orwellian, a San-Francisco-based startup has collaborated with TV companies to bring you a television that keeps tabs on what you’re watching in an unprecedented way. Using the data it collects, your TV reports your viewing to websites and online advertisers in real…

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Can you afford to go solar?

Lots of people around the country are outfitting their houses with energy-harvesting solar panels, and not just for the environment, but for government kickbacks, as well. Some companies will even foot the bill and install your panels for free, provided they can collect on the federal subsidies. So if you’re thinking about picking up a…

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The Museum of Self-Archaeology takes visitors into an underground world of abandoned train stations

Hidden away deep beneath the bustling city of Antwerp is a shadowy, quiet, and forgotten world. Unused for over thirty years, a vast web of interconnected and abandoned metro stations has ceased to exist in its capacity as a means for public transportation, transforming instead into a desolate extension of Antwerp’s underground infrastructure of sewage…

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Cooking may have driven human evolution nearly 2 million years ago

Modern humans spend significantly less time feeding than non-human primates. You spend an average of 5% of your waking hours consuming food, while your typical chimpanzee spends upwards of 33%. And it’s all because of cooking. Now, newly published research suggests that our ancestors’ abilities to whip up a hot meal may have played crucial…

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Your oldest relative is a shrew

Scientists have just published compelling evidence that your great (great great…) grandmother was a shrew. Or rather, a shrew-like creature. A team of researchers discovered a new fossil species that they’ve named Juramaia sinensis, or “the Jurassic mother from China” — a tiny, primitive mammal that dates all the way back to 160 million years…

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NASA is using lasers to broadcast from space in HD

NASA is finally pushing to bring space communication out of the dark ages by boosting their data transmission rates from dial-up speeds to broadband. And they’re looking to do it with lasers. What does a laser communication system mean for all of us here on Earth? How about live, HD television broadcasts from future Mars…

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What are the very punniest scientific names?

You’ve gotta give it up for creative taxonomists — the scientists responsible for naming, and thereby classifying, newly discovered species. Without them, we’d never have species with names like the ant pictured above, who is named after a science fiction institution. (See if you can guess who it is — it’s very subtle.) Over at…

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Robbie Gonzalez

Your dinnerware may be sabotaging your diet

Why you shouldn’t challenge a breast-feeding mom to play Call of Duty

This man’s hands are no optical illusion

Do pandas hold the key to reducing US reliance on foreign oil?

Are the tables turning in the war between pests and genetically modified crops?

Watch veins of darkness creep through magnified bubbles

10 New Genetic Discoveries — And The Diseases They Could Treat

These neurons are making you fat

Astrophysicists Produce First Realistic Simulation of Milky Way’s Formation

The Junkbots have landed!

Enroll in a free course on artificial intelligence, taught by two world-renowned AI experts

Astronomers have spotted “the supernova of a generation,” and it’s exploding right now

Female chickens have the weirdest birth control method ever

An Orwellian new technology that monitors your television use

Can you afford to go solar?

The Museum of Self-Archaeology takes visitors into an underground world of abandoned train stations

Cooking may have driven human evolution nearly 2 million years ago

Your oldest relative is a shrew

NASA is using lasers to broadcast from space in HD

What are the very punniest scientific names?

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