George Dvorsky

2 days ago | gizmodo.com | Maddie Stone |George Dvorsky

Several years ago, Louis Blessing’s wife asked for his help replacing the battery in her laptop. An electrical engineer by training, Blessing figured it would be a quick fix. But after swapping out the old battery for a new one and plugging the laptop in, he discovered it wouldn’t charge. It quickly dawned on Blessing that the laptop recognized he had installed a battery made by a third party, and rejected it.

2 weeks ago | gizmodo.com | George Dvorsky

Environmental-, social-, and governance-related shareholder proposals are down 34 percent this year as the Trump administration galvanizes the movement against “woke investing,” according to an annual report by the shareholder advocacy groups As You Sow and Proxy Impact. The report counted 355 such proposals as of February 21, compared to 536 proposals filed by the same time last year.

2 weeks ago | gizmodo.com | Maleeka Singh |Maria G. Corradini |Robert H. Hanner |George Dvorsky

Maple syrup, often called Canada’s “liquid gold,” has long been a target for fraudulent activities, such as the dilution or substitution with other syrups, due to its high demand. Amid threats from the United States of increased tariffs and the imposition of a baseline tariff of 10% on all imports that aren’t compliant with the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, increased maple syrup fraud is a possibility.

2 weeks ago | gizmodo.com | Kayte Spector-Bagdady |George Dvorsky

As soon as the genetic testing company 23andMe filed for bankruptcy on March 23, 2025, concerns about what would happen to the personal information contained in its massive genetic and health information database were swift and widespread. A few days after, a U.S. judge ruled that the company could sell its consumer data as part of the bankruptcy. The attorneys general of several states warned their citizens to delete their genetic data.

2 weeks ago | gizmodo.com | Avery Schuyler Nunn |George Dvorsky

Almost 40 years ago, deep in the Pacific, a single voice called out a song unlike any other. The sound reverberated through the depths at 52 Hertz, puzzling those listening to this solo ringing out from the ocean’s symphony. The frequency was much higher than a blue whale or its cousin, the fin, leaving scientists to ponder the mystery of Whale 52. The leviathan has been heard many times since, but never seen. Some suspect it might have some deformation that alters its voice.