Robbie Gonzalez, Author at Gizmodo

Breakthrough: Electronic circuits that are integrated with your skin

A team of engineers today announced a discovery that could change the world of electronics forever. Called an “epidermal electronic system” (EES), it’s basically an electronic circuit mounted on your skin, designed to stretch, flex, and twist — and to take input from the movements of your body. EES is a leap forward for wearable…

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Singapore will soon become more garden than city

In a recently proposed 10-year development plan, Singapore aims to go from being “a garden city” to “a city in a garden.” The proposal marks the latest milestone in the city’s decades-long effort to become an eco-city. The image up top shows some of the biodiversity-inspired structures that will make up Singapore’s $829 million “Garden…

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Success! The SETI Telescope Array will soon be back online!

Let the search for extraterrestrial life resume! Back in April, the SETI Allen Telescope Array was shut down due to lack of funding. Now, the institute’s search for extraterrestrial life is set to resume, thanks in no small part to more than $200,000 in donations from thousands of fans. “We’re not completely out of the…

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This supercar runs on chocolate, cheese, and wine

As if the Exige 270E Tri-fuel sports car wasn’t expensive enough, the engineers over at Lotus have gone ahead and made it run on three of the most expensive vices on the planet. That’s right: you can fuel this car with chocolate, cheese, and wine. The Tri-fuel, which is modeled after the decidedly sexy Exige…

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This is what astronomers call a “fluffy” spiral galaxy

Actually (if you insist on being technical about it), astronomers refer to it as a “flocculent” spiral galaxy, but it means pretty much the same thing. Seriously, look it up. This recent picture of spiral galaxy NGC 3521, snapped through the lens of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Very Large Telescope, captures in stunning detail…

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8-bit sculptures made the old-fashioned way

In a time when CGI and special effects are pushing the limits of our abilities to distinguish fantasy from reality, artist Shawn Smith dares to turn our conception of digital simulation on its head. And he’s doing it with lots and lots of little wooden blocks. Nobody would have any trouble guessing what this sculpture…

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Incredible CGI demo from the late 1980s shows earliest efforts to represent animal motion realistically

Remember DARPA’s Big Dog? Looks like this video could have inspired its design. The clip shows a composition of some animal motion studies (along with some killer dance moves) prepared for the 1989 CG short “Eurythmy” by Ohio State University’s Computer Graphics Research Group. We found this over at web TV station Network Awesome, and…

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Your money is contaminated with a toxic chemical

Remember in 2008 when reports on the harmful effects of the chemical bisphenol A (aka BPA) caused people to throw out their Nalgene water bottles en masse? Well, scientists have just discovered another commonly handled source of BPA: your money. In case you’ve forgotten, here’s what’s up: BPA is the organic compound commonly found in…

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The secrets of throbbing mouse eggs

Researchers can now determine if newly-fertilized mouse eggs will produce healthy offspring simply by observing them. Their findings may have implications for improving the rate of conception in couples undergoing in vitro fertilization, many of whom can only afford to perform the expensive procedure once or twice. In the study, which is published in the…

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“Sneaky” squid packs bigger sperm, likes to shoot and leave

Smaller squid make up for their size by producing bigger sperm than their larger competitors. Scientists believe the bigger sperm, in combination with an unorthodox mating tactic, provide a way for these modestly-sized squid to pass on their genes. Male spear squid, also known as Bleeker’s squid, come in two sizes. The larger males are…

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Chimps prove that human generosity is an ancient trait

Is selfless behavior in humans a unique evolutionary development? For years, studies designed to test prosociality, or altruism, in chimpanzees have presented them as “reluctant altruists” that are indifferent to the welfare of their fellow chimps. But now it seems that chimps care more for their fellow apes than we realized. A new study has…

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Here is the world’s first microscopic action movie, shot by researchers in Japan

ATPase is one of biology’s most important biological motors, and now it’s starring in its very own molecule-scale action movie. According to sciencebase’s David Bradley: Researchers in Japan have used high-speed atomic force microscopy (AFM) to shoot an action movie of the biological molecular motor ATPase…The enzyme has two rotating components, but until now only…

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Is impotence linked to dating within your group of friends?

For men in heterosexual relationships, time out with the guys can be important. Now, research suggests that it may be better for the guys’ sex lives if their female partners don’t tag along. A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago and Cornell University shows that when a woman forms relationships with…

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Mars rover Opportunity is about to embark on a new mission, looking for signs of life

Things can be pretty slow-going on the red planet for NASA’s Mars rover Opportunity. Since January of 2004, the solar-powered Opportunity has been chugging along the planet’s surface at a leisurely pace of 60 centimeters an hour, but there’s exciting news on the horizon. Or rather, its horizon. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has reported that…

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Scientists create spermless males to fight the spread of malaria

A female mosquito will mate just once in her entire lifetime. After doing the deed, her drive to mate is turned off, and her drive to lay fertilized eggs is turned on. Now, scientists from Imperial College London have tricked female mosquitoes into wasting their one go at fertility by swapping out normal males with…

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Are scientific discoveries inspiring “Alien Fever” at the box office?

Hollywood has been pumping out a prodigious amount of movies about aliens in recent years, and the public has been eating them up. But just why is it that we can’t get enough of extraterrestrial life? Scientific American and SPACE.com’s Mike Wall has put together this interesting read on the increasing popularity of big-budget alien…

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“Crater Face” tells a tale of interstellar sacrifice in the name of love

Skyler Page’s “Crater Face” is an animated short about two lonely moon pimples and the selfless astronaut who must sacrifice everything to bring the pair together. Pretty straightforward, really, but the finished product will blow you away. (And maybe even bring a tear to your eye, if you’re even half as sensitive as I am…

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10 Places to Buy Amazing Science Fiction and Fantasy Art

Summer is coming to a close, and for many of us that means new beginnings. With school right around the corner, hordes of us will be moving into new apartments and houses for the year, and with new digs comes the opportunity to update (or start) your collection of science fiction and fantasy artwork! And…

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The Franciscan manzanita is the last known member of its species

How far would you go to protect the last living member of an entire species? This is precisely the question being faced by national park officials and environmentalists in the San Francisco bay area, where the last-known specimen of the low-growing shrub known as the Franciscan manzanita makes its home. For over half a century,…

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This is why you’re hot

The US has entered the 34th day of a crippling heat wave, with no sign of relief in sight. According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), July’s broiling temperatures affected close to 200 million Americans, and set 2,755 daily-high records across the country — including at least one record in every state. The map…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Robbie Gonzalez

Breakthrough: Electronic circuits that are integrated with your skin

Singapore will soon become more garden than city

Success! The SETI Telescope Array will soon be back online!

This supercar runs on chocolate, cheese, and wine

This is what astronomers call a “fluffy” spiral galaxy

8-bit sculptures made the old-fashioned way

Incredible CGI demo from the late 1980s shows earliest efforts to represent animal motion realistically

Your money is contaminated with a toxic chemical

The secrets of throbbing mouse eggs

“Sneaky” squid packs bigger sperm, likes to shoot and leave

Chimps prove that human generosity is an ancient trait

Here is the world’s first microscopic action movie, shot by researchers in Japan

Is impotence linked to dating within your group of friends?

Mars rover Opportunity is about to embark on a new mission, looking for signs of life

Scientists create spermless males to fight the spread of malaria

Are scientific discoveries inspiring “Alien Fever” at the box office?

“Crater Face” tells a tale of interstellar sacrifice in the name of love

10 Places to Buy Amazing Science Fiction and Fantasy Art

The Franciscan manzanita is the last known member of its species

This is why you’re hot

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