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[Science]
Dengue Fever Threatens to Gate-Crash the 2024 Summer Olympics
Measles, bedbugs, and dengue have all been cited as concerns for tourists and athletes at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, with the tropical virus in particular forcing authorities into action.
Published:7/26/2024 3:01:32 PM
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[Science]
Anthony Fauci Worries About the Next Pandemic—But Worries More About Democracy
The former public health lead opens up on serving under Trump, what dangers America faces right now, and what keeps him up at night.
Published:7/25/2024 6:15:27 AM
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[Science]
The Mysterious Discovery of ‘Dark Oxygen’ on the Ocean Floor
Researchers believe they have discovered oxygen being produced 4,000 meters below the sea surface, and think polymetallic nodules—the sought-after bounty of deep-sea miners—could be the source.
Published:7/24/2024 2:29:44 PM
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[Science]
The Highly Infectious FLiRT Variants Behind the Summer Covid Wave
The latest dominant Covid variants have stronger infectiousness than their predecessors and the ability to evade vaccine-induced antibodies.
Published:7/24/2024 9:45:01 AM
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[Science]
The Race for the Next Ozempic
The next wave of obesity drugs could help people lose even more weight—and make some pharma companies a fortune.
Published:7/24/2024 5:32:51 AM
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[Science]
There’s Another Chance to See the Northern Lights This Week
Don’t worry if you missed them in May—due to another geomagnetic storm, the northern lights might again be seen at lower latitudes across the US and Europe, from as early as Tuesday night.
Published:7/23/2024 1:56:43 PM
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[Science]
Abortion Rights Groups Rush to Back Kamala Harris
Activists believe that the vice president, who is already the leading voice for reproductive rights in the Biden administration, will champion their cause.
Published:7/23/2024 9:06:14 AM
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[Science]
The Puzzle of How Large-Scale Order Emerges in Complex Systems
With a new framework, researchers believe they could be close to explaining how regularities emerge on macro scales out of systems made up of uncountable constituent parts.
Published:7/21/2024 6:16:00 AM
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[Science]
Enough With the Arrogant Attitudes Towards Extreme Heat
In so many aspects of our culture, we view severe heat as something that should be willingly embraced, bravely endured, or blithely ignored.
Published:7/20/2024 7:08:13 AM
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[Science]
Hospitals Around the World Are Struggling in the Aftermath of the Great IT Meltdown
Doctors find themselves without critical systems and diagnostic tools and faced with the daunting reality that a full recovery could take days after CrowdStrike's botched deployment of a software update.
Published:7/19/2024 4:47:11 PM
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[Science]
To Find Alien Life, We Might Have to Kill It
Missions to explore other worlds, like Mars or Saturn’s moon Titan, could disrupt or destroy extraterrestrial life in the process of seeking it.
Published:7/18/2024 6:18:50 AM
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[Science]
Newly Discovered Moon Caves Could One Day House Astronauts
Analysis of lunar imagery has ended a longstanding debate over whether there are accessible underground areas on the Moon; an emptied lava tube in the Sea of Tranquility is of particular interest.
Published:7/18/2024 4:11:37 AM
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[Science]
The New UK Government Wants Clean Energy, Sustainable Aviation Fuel, and Public Transport Reform
Legislation in coming years will set up a publicly owned clean power company and leverage the Crown Estate for investment in green infrastructure.
Published:7/17/2024 8:24:09 AM
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[Science]
The Race for Space-Based Solar Power
Once a sci-fi staple, the ability to beam solar power from space now seems closer than ever—but a lot of work remains.
Published:7/17/2024 7:22:07 AM
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[Science]
Pancreatic Cancer Turns Off a Key Gene in Order to Grow
New research finds out how one of the world’s most aggressive cancers is able to spread so quickly.
Published:7/17/2024 4:58:36 AM
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[Science]
Lab-Grown Meat for Pets Was Just Approved in the UK
UK regulators have issued the first approval for a company to use chicken cells grown in the lab as an ingredient in pet food.
Published:7/16/2024 6:51:44 PM
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[Science]
It Will Soon Be Easier for Americans to Recycle Batteries
Improperly discarded batteries leak toxic chemicals and are prone to exploding. A new program funded by the Department of Energy will prop up battery drop-off sites across the US.
Published:7/15/2024 6:36:38 AM
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[Science]
It’s Shockingly Easy to Buy Off-Brand Ozempic Online, Even If You Don’t Need It
Weight-loss drugs like Ozempic are in shortage, and telehealth startups are selling “compounded” versions. A WIRED investigation looks at how easy it is to order these meds online.
Published:7/12/2024 9:56:53 AM
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[Science]
Elon Musk’s Neuralink Is Ready to Implant a Second Volunteer
In a livestreamed update on X, Elon Musk and Neuralink executives gave an update on its next study participant—and the company's next-generation brain implant.
Published:7/10/2024 6:42:45 PM
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[Science]
Aging Might Not Be Inevitable
There are biological underpinnings to aging—and so researchers are investigating cell manipulations, transfusions of young blood, and chemical compounds that can mimic low-calorie diets.
Published:6/27/2024 4:17:37 AM
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[Science]
Air So Polluted It Can Kill Isn’t Being Taken Seriously Enough
Toxic air kills over half a million children every year, yet only once has air pollution been listed as a cause of death on a death certificate.
Published:6/26/2024 2:24:13 AM
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[Science]
Pooping on the Moon Is a Messy Business
If humans are to return to the moon, space agencies and governments need to figure out the legal, ethical, and practical dimensions of extraterrestrial waste management.
Published:6/25/2024 5:46:13 AM
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[Science]
Boring Architecture Is Starving Your Brain
Thomas Heatherwick believes architecture has a “nutritional value” to society—and that the public desperately deserve a better offering.
Published:6/25/2024 2:14:14 AM
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[Science]
Starliner Faces an Indefinite Wait in Space While NASA Investigates Its Faults
The space agency has pushed back the spacecraft’s return to an unspecified date in July, to give it more time to look into the problems that beset the vehicle on its journey into orbit.
Published:6/23/2024 2:58:52 PM
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[Science]
What Came Before the Big Bang?
By studying the geometry of model space-times, researchers offer alternative views of the universe’s first moments.
Published:6/23/2024 6:12:21 AM
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[Science]
Recluse Spider Season Is a Myth
The venom of recluse spiders can be dangerous, but the idea of there being a “season” when these arachnids invade homes and bite is unhelpful and wrong.
Published:6/23/2024 5:12:35 AM
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[Science]
How to Exercise Safely During a Heat Wave
An expert in heat-related illnesses outlines the dos and don'ts for when you're exercising or working outside this summer.
Published:6/22/2024 7:11:39 AM
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[Science]
Everything’s About to Get a Hell of a Lot More Expensive Due to Climate Change
Intensifying hurricanes, floods, and heat waves are wreaking havoc across the country—and on all of our bank accounts.
Published:6/22/2024 6:45:52 AM
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[Science]
Potatoes Are the Perfect Vegetable—but You’re Eating Them Wrong
The humble potato is a miraculous vegetable, but Americans are eating less of them than ever before and have ditched fresh potatoes for frozen. Is it time to rebrand the spud?
Published:6/20/2024 5:10:33 AM
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[Science]
How to Take the Perfect Soccer Penalty
To understand how to take a match-winning penalty, you’ve got to understand the physics behind the perfect kick.
Published:6/19/2024 6:07:38 AM
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[Science]
Banks Are Finally Realizing What Climate Change Will Do to Housing
Extreme weather threatens the investment value of many properties, but financing for climate mitigation efforts are only just getting going.
Published:6/17/2024 5:41:58 AM
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[Science]
Light-Based Chips Could Help Slake AI's Ever-Growing Thirst for Energy
Optical neural networks, which use photons instead of electrons, have advantages over traditional systems. They also face major obstacles.
Published:6/16/2024 7:02:57 AM
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[Science]
How to Avoid Getting Sick This Summer
A microbiologist explains how to not catch summertime germs at the barbecue, in the pool, or on the trail.
Published:6/15/2024 7:33:15 AM
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[Science]
The 2024 US Open Is Designed to Thwart Golf’s Big Hitters
Players, aided by technology, are hitting the ball farther than ever, and courses can’t keep getting longer—meaning operators are having to find smarter ways to keep the sport challenging.
Published:6/13/2024 5:58:06 AM
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[Science]
The Science of Having a Great Conversation
Forming meaningful bonds with others can improve your health, make you mentally sharper, and fuel creativity. Making friends can feel daunting, but research shows there are many ways to build better connections.
Published:6/9/2024 6:08:55 AM
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[Science]
Each of the Past 12 Months Broke Temperature Records
Last June was the warmest in recorded history. It kicked off an alarming streak with no end in sight.
Published:6/7/2024 2:18:56 PM
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[Science]
The Case for MDMA's Approval Is Riddled With Problems
The FDA is considering approving MDMA alongside psychotherapy as a treatment for PTSD. But evidence of the drug’s effectiveness isn’t clear cut.
Published:6/6/2024 3:30:12 PM
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[Science]
Starship’s Successful Test Moves SpaceX One Step Closer to Mars
The vehicle mostly survived launch and reentry—key stepping stones toward operational flights of the largest rocket in history.
Published:6/6/2024 12:26:02 PM
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[Science]
Woman Who Received Pig Kidney Transplant Has It Removed
Surgeons at NYU took out the pig kidney because it wasn’t getting enough blood flow.
Published:6/3/2024 2:33:26 PM
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[Science]
Zombie Fire Season Is Here in the Arctic
Every year, peatlands in the Arctic suddenly ignite. Smoldering subterranean fires from the previous summer were thought to be to blame, but now modeling suggests a worrying new cause.
Published:6/1/2024 7:00:08 AM
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[Science]
Ecuador Is Literally Powerless in the Face of Drought
Drought-stricken hydro dams have led to daily electricity cuts in Ecuador. As weather becomes less predictable die to climate change, experts say other countries need to take notice.
Published:5/30/2024 2:00:19 PM
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[Science]
The Auroras Should Be Spectacular This Summer, Thanks to Solar Maximum
Increasing solar activity over the next year could bring more opportunities to see fantastic displays of the northern lights.
Published:5/27/2024 5:21:23 AM
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[Science]
Does String Theory Actually Describe the World? AI May Be Able to Tell
Using machine learning, string theorists are finally showing how microscopic configurations of extra dimensions translate into sets of elementary particles—though not yet those of our universe.
Published:5/26/2024 6:08:23 AM
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[Science]
The Sea Is Swallowing This Mexican Town
Las Barrancas, in the state of Veracruz, has struggled for 10 years against the rising Gulf of Mexico waters. Its best hope may lie in mangrove trees.
Published:5/26/2024 5:11:17 AM
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[Science]
Only the Hardiest Trees Can Survive Today’s Urban Inferno
In a rapidly warming world, cities need more tree cover to stay cool—but only certain species can handle soaring temperatures, and often they aren’t native species.
Published:5/25/2024 6:36:47 AM
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[Science]
Mexico Is So Hot, Monkeys Are Falling to Their Death From Trees
Authorities and conservation groups are investigating the deaths of dozens of howler monkeys in Tabasco, where extreme heat and land-use change appear to be threatening the vulnerable species.
Published:5/25/2024 5:19:30 AM
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[Science]
Why Are We Seeing These Crazy Northern Lights?
The aurora borealis is usually seen near the Arctic, but solar winds and magnetic turbulence are sparking some of the best light shows in centuries throughout the US.
Published:5/24/2024 10:55:41 AM
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[Science]
A Warp Drive Breakthrough Inches a Tiny Bit Closer to 'Star Trek'
Physicists have figured out how a warp drive could work—even if it's more useful for our understanding of gravity than interstellar travel.
Published:5/24/2024 7:07:51 AM
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[Science]
Neuralink’s First User Is ‘Constantly Multitasking’ With His Brain Implant
Noland Arbaugh is the first to get Elon Musk’s brain device. The 30-year-old speaks to WIRED about what it’s like to use a computer with his mind—and gain a new sense of independence.
Published:5/22/2024 1:16:41 AM
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[Science]
The World Is Ignoring the Other Deadly Kind of Carbon
Not only is black carbon terrible for human health, but ever-fiercer wildfires are covering the Arctic with the dark particles, accelerating melting.
Published:5/21/2024 1:22:50 AM
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[Science]
The Complex Social Lives of Viruses
New research has uncovered a social world full of cheating, cooperation, and other intrigues, suggesting that viruses make sense only as members of a community.
Published:5/19/2024 3:09:02 AM
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[Science]
How Big Dairy Took Over Your TikTok Feed—With Help from Uncle Sam
A vast constellation of celebrities, from Kelly Ripa to the McDonald’s mascot Grimace, have helped push dairy sales.
Published:5/18/2024 1:53:51 AM
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[Science]
There’s New Hope for an HIV Vaccine
A trial vaccine has succeeded in generating low levels of antibodies needed to target HIV. It’s a first but much-needed step toward preventing infection.
Published:5/17/2024 12:40:09 PM
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[Science]
These Electric School Buses Are on Their Way to Save the Grid
Loaded with ever more renewables, the grid will need to store a whole lot of energy. Enter: a new kind of magic school bus—one that can both charge and give power back.
Published:5/15/2024 11:18:33 AM
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[Science]
These Artificial Blood Platelets Could One Day Save Lives
Platelets help blood clot, but they have a short shelf life. With blood in short supply, synthetic platelets could help meet demand.
Published:5/13/2024 2:55:30 AM
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[Science]
NASA’s Quest to Touch the Sun
The outer layers of the sun’s atmosphere are a blistering million degrees hotter than its surface. NASA sent a probe to find out why—by getting closer to the star than ever before.
Published:5/12/2024 1:15:23 AM
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[Science]
In Defense of Parasitic Worms
Nature can’t run without parasites, and climate change is driving some to extinction. What happens when they start to disappear?
Published:5/11/2024 4:09:42 AM
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[Science]
Elon Musk's Neuralink Had a Brain Implant Setback. It May Come Down to Design
Neuralink experienced a mechanical issue with its first human brain-computer interface implant. Its novel design may make it more prone to failure.
Published:5/9/2024 3:30:44 PM
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[Science]
City Trees Save Lives
Green spaces significantly cool our ever-hotter cities. New research suggests more trees could cut heat-related ER visits in LA by up to two-thirds.
Published:5/9/2024 5:42:31 AM
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[Science]
How Not to Get Brain-Eating Worms and Mercury Poisoning
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had both a brain parasite and mercury poisoning at the same time. Just how rare is each condition?
Published:5/8/2024 8:44:21 PM
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[Science]
Boeing's Starliner Is Finally Ready to Launch a NASA Crew Into Space
Seven years behind schedule, on Monday Starliner will send two astronauts to space on a mission for NASA. The troubled company still has lots of catching up to do.
Published:5/6/2024 1:41:52 PM
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[Science]
The One Thing Holding Back Heat Pumps
It’s not the technology itself. It’s that we don’t yet have enough trained workers to install heat pumps for full-tilt decarbonization.
Published:5/6/2024 6:33:19 AM
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[Science]
The US Is Cracking Down on Synthetic DNA
Synthetic DNA could be used to spark a pandemic. A move by President Biden aims to create new standards for the safety and security of mail-order genetic material.
Published:5/6/2024 4:51:43 AM
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[Science]
A Company Is Building a Giant Compressed-Air Battery in the Australian Outback
Hydrostor, a leader in compressed-air energy storage, aims to break ground on a 200-MW plant in New South Wales by the end of this year. It wants to follow that with a 500-MW facility in California.
Published:5/4/2024 6:23:57 AM
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[Science]
What Kind of Battery Would You Need to Power a Lightsaber?
On Star Wars Day, we use some basic physics to measure the power of the Force. It’s strong!
Published:5/4/2024 5:23:57 AM
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[Science]
No One Knows How Far Bird Flu Has Spread
With little incentive for US farmers to test their cattle, and many undocumented laborers on dairy farms, the full scale of the outbreak is unclear.
Published:5/3/2024 11:37:59 AM
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[Science]
China Has a Controversial Plan for Brain-Computer Interfaces
China's brain-computer interface technology is catching up to the US. But it envisions a very different use case: cognitive enhancement.
Published:4/30/2024 2:28:53 PM
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[Science]
The Uncomfortable Truth About the UK’s Climate Policies
Britain’s former climate adviser says the country’s future plans are weak, climate protests are no longer helpful, and working closely with Big Oil is a jarring necessity.
Published:4/29/2024 4:32:01 PM
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[Science]
1 in 3 Americans Live in Areas With Dangerous Air Pollution
Climate change is increasing the number of days people are exposed to hazardous pollution, affecting already disadvantaged communities the most.
Published:4/27/2024 6:25:55 AM
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[Science]
How NASA Repaired Voyager 1 From 15 Billion Miles Away
The far-traveled space probe is once again transmitting usable data, after a glitch caused months of gibberish.
Published:4/24/2024 1:10:06 PM
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[Science]
Plant-Based Meat Boomed. Here Comes the Bust
Sales of vegan meat are trending downward in the US, with companies scrambling to win back customers.
Published:4/22/2024 1:04:49 PM
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[Science]
Green Roofs Are Great. Blue-Green Roofs Are Even Better
Amsterdam is experimenting with roofs that not only grow plants but capture water for a building’s residents. Welcome to the squeezable sponge city of tomorrow.
Published:4/22/2024 5:05:46 AM
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[Science]
Here’s a Clever Way to Uncover America’s Voting Deserts
Mathematicians are using topological abstractions to find places poorly served by polling stations.
Published:4/21/2024 5:16:30 AM
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[Science]
NASA Confirms Where the Space Junk That Hit a Florida House Came From
Space law just got a little more complicated.
Published:4/18/2024 8:15:00 PM
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[Science]
We Finally Know Where Neuralink’s Brain Implant Trial Is Happening
After months of secrecy, Neuralink revealed that the partner site for its brain implant study is the Barrow Neurological Institute.
Published:4/18/2024 5:04:59 PM
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[Science]
The Rise of the Carbon Farmer
Farmers around the world are reigniting the less intensive agricultural practices of yesteryear—to improve soil health, raise yields, and trap carbon in the atmosphere back down in the soil.
Published:4/18/2024 5:16:31 AM
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[Science]
US Infrastructure Is Broken. Here’s an $830 Million Plan to Fix It
WIRED spoke with US transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg about recent grants to fix ancient roads, bridges, and other critical infrastructure before it’s too late.
Published:4/16/2024 6:54:27 AM
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[Science]
The Paradox That's Supercharging Climate Change
Humanity needs to burn less fossil fuels. But that means fewer aerosols to help cool the planet—and a potential acceleration of global warming.
Published:4/15/2024 6:48:50 AM
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[Science]
The Quest to Map the Inside of the Proton
Long-anticipated experiments that use light to mimic gravity are revealing the distribution of energies, forces, and pressures inside a subatomic particle for the first time.
Published:4/14/2024 6:05:13 AM
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[Science]
Toronto Wants to Manage Storms and Floods—With a Rain Tax
Outcry reached such a crescendo last week that the city canceled public hearings on the tax, which is intended to help offset the hundreds of millions spent managing stormwater and basement flooding.
Published:4/13/2024 6:11:15 AM
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[Science]
Can You Really Run on Top of a Train, Like in the Movies?
To pull off this classic Hollywood stunt, you gotta know your physics!
Published:4/12/2024 9:59:32 AM
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[Science]
Bird Flu Is Spreading in Alarming New Ways
H5N1 has infected cattle across the US and jumped from a mammal to a human for the first time. Experts fear it may someday evolve to spread among humans.
Published:4/11/2024 1:05:21 PM
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[Science]
This Woman Will Decide Which Babies Are Born
Noor Siddiqui founded Orchid so people could “have healthy babies.” Now she’s using the company’s gene technology on herself—and talking about it for the first time.
Published:4/10/2024 5:24:00 AM
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[Science]
Mexico City’s Metro System Is Sinking Fast. Yours Could Be Next
Subsidence is causing parts of Mexico City to sink, and it’s happening at an uneven rate. That’s bad news for its sprawling public transportation system.
Published:4/10/2024 4:13:52 AM
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[Science]
The Honeybees Versus the Murder Hornets
Under threat from murder hornets, climate change, and habitat loss, UK honeybees are getting help from AI-enabled apiculturists tracking everything from foraging patterns to foreign invaders.
Published:4/10/2024 1:05:26 AM
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[Science]
Europe Rules That Insufficient Climate Change Action Is a Human Rights Violation
In a landmark ruling, the European Court of Human Rights found that Switzerland had not done enough to protect its citizens from climate change—blowing open the door for further cases against governments.
Published:4/9/2024 2:02:02 PM
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[Science]
The Best Total Solar Eclipse Photos (2024)
Whether you're in the path of the totality or keeping track from afar, these are the best total solar eclipse photos we've found.
Published:4/8/2024 4:11:14 PM
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[Science]
Total Solar Eclipse of April 8, 2024: Watch Online, What Time, Path of Totality
Here’s how to view the total solar eclipse on April 8 as the moon casts a slender shadow across Mexico, the United States, and eastern Canada.
Published:4/7/2024 6:44:57 AM
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[Science]
A Popular Alien-Hunting Technique Is Increasingly in Doubt
Recent controversies bode ill for the effort to detect life on other planets by analyzing the gases in their atmospheres.
Published:4/7/2024 6:11:04 AM
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[Science]
Searching for 'Forever Chemicals' From an Endless Landfill Fire
Alabama residents are considering blood or urine tests to see if “forever chemicals” have resulted from a nearby landfill fire that has burned since 2022.
Published:4/6/2024 6:12:17 AM
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[Science]
How Will the Solar Eclipse Affect Animals? NASA Needs Your Help to Find Out
NASA’s Eclipse Soundscapes project will collect observations and soundscapes recorded by the public during the April 8 total solar eclipse.
Published:4/6/2024 5:50:37 AM
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[Science]
He Got a Pig Kidney Transplant. Now Doctors Need to Keep It Working
Researchers think a combination of genetic edits and an experimental immunosuppressive drug could make the first pig kidney transplant a long-term success.
Published:4/5/2024 4:39:26 PM
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[Science]
Can You View a Round Solar Eclipse Through a Square Hole?
Here’s a cool way to watch the eclipse on Monday—and learn about the weird physics of light while you’re at it.
Published:4/5/2024 5:12:57 AM
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[Science]
The Subtropical Jetstream Versus the Total Eclipse
We are now close enough to the April 8 total eclipse that the skill of our models is now appreciable.
Published:4/4/2024 8:01:43 PM
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[Science]
‘In 24 Hours, You’ll Have Your Pills:’ American Women Are Traveling to Mexico for Abortions
Since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, more women have been crossing the border to Mexico for abortion medications and procedures.
Published:4/3/2024 6:05:07 AM
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[Science]
International Space Station Trash May Have Hit This Florida House
The object tore through the roof and both floors of a two-story home. NASA will investigate whether it’s space junk.
Published:4/3/2024 4:04:15 AM
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[Science]
This Bag of Cells Could Grow New Livers Inside of People
Donor livers are in short supply for transplants. A startup is attempting to grow new ones in people instead.
Published:4/2/2024 8:13:17 AM
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[Science]
The Brain Region That Controls Movement Also Guides Feelings
The cerebellum is responsible for far more than coordinating movement. New techniques reveal that it is, in fact, a hub of sensory and emotional processing in the brain.
Published:3/31/2024 6:14:58 AM
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[Science]
One Couple's Quest to Ditch Natural Gas
Two climate journalists decided to decarbonize their home. Here's what happened.
Published:3/30/2024 6:12:32 AM
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[Science]
Smartphones Do or Don’t Harm Kids! So Which Is It?
Two new books offer radically different approaches to how people should think about smartphones and social media.
Published:3/29/2024 5:32:36 AM
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[Science]
The Next Heat Pump Frontier? NYC Apartment Windows
New heat pumps easily fit over window sills, meaning they could replace clunky apartment air-conditioning units.
Published:3/29/2024 4:14:55 AM
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[Science]
The Earth Will Feast on Dead Cicadas
Two cicada broods, XIX and XIII, are emerging in sync for the first time in 221 years. Birds, trees, and dirt are about to get the banquet of a lifetime.
Published:3/28/2024 7:10:54 AM
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[Science]
Meet the Designer Behind Neuralink’s Surgical Robot
Afshin Mehin has helped design some of the most futuristic neurotech devices.
Published:3/28/2024 3:06:40 AM
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[Science]
The Next Generation of Cancer Drugs Will Be Made in Space
Injectable immunotherapy drugs can be made, in theory, but gravity prevents them from crystallizing correctly. A startup thinks the solution could be right above us.
Published:3/27/2024 7:15:46 AM
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[Science]
The Real Reason Why Some Abortion Pill Patients Go to the ER
The abortion pill mifepristone went in front of the US Supreme Court on Tuesday. Antiabortionists say an increase in emergency room visits shows it’s unsafe. Medical experts disagree.
Published:3/26/2024 3:05:21 PM
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[Science]
Why the Baltimore Bridge Collapsed so Quickly
Steel structures aren't as strong as you might think—and immense power of a container ship shouldn't be underestimated.
Published:3/26/2024 12:57:20 PM
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[Science]
Enjoy Your Favorite Wine Before Climate Change Destroys It
Extreme heat and droughts are making it harder to grow grapes in many traditional regions. Here’s how scientists are helping the industry adapt.
Published:3/26/2024 11:14:18 AM
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[Science]
Large Language Models’ Emergent Abilities Are a Mirage
A new study suggests that sudden jumps in LLMs’ abilities are neither surprising nor unpredictable, but are actually the consequence of how we measure ability in AI.
Published:3/24/2024 7:16:21 AM
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[Science]
How to View April’s Total Solar Eclipse, Online and In Person
Here’s some advice for safely experiencing the total solar eclipse on April 8 as the moon casts a slender shadow across Mexico, the United States, and eastern Canada.
Published:3/24/2024 5:11:47 AM
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[Science]
A Gene-Edited Pig Kidney Was Just Transplanted Into a Person for the First Time
A 62-year-old Massachusetts man with failing kidneys is the first living patient to receive a genetically-altered kidney from a pig.
Published:3/21/2024 1:59:56 PM
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[Science]
The Feds Are Trying to Get Plants to Mine Metal Through Their Roots
Some species can absorb extreme amounts of nickel from soils. Such “phytomining” could help provide batteries essential for the renewable revolution.
Published:3/21/2024 1:15:40 PM
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[Science]
Europe Is Struggling to Coexist With Wild Bears
A fatal bear attack in Slovakia reignited accusations that conservationists are protecting the animals at the expense of human safety. Experts argue it's a people problem, not a bear problem.
Published:3/21/2024 1:05:46 AM
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[Science]
There Are Already More Measles Cases in the US This Year Than All of 2023
The CDC is begging Americans to get vaccinated against measles as cases continue to rise.
Published:3/20/2024 5:49:26 PM
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[Science]
Neuralink’s First Human Subject Demonstrates His Brain-Computer Interface
In a livestream on X, the paralyzed 49-year-old man used his Neuralink brain implant to control a computer.
Published:3/20/2024 5:03:50 PM
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[Science]
The World's E-Waste Has Reached a Crisis Point
A new UN report finds that humanity is generating 137 billion pounds of TVs, smartphones, and other e-waste a year—and recycling less than a quarter of it.
Published:3/20/2024 9:16:27 AM
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[Science]
Illegal Trawlers Are No Match for Undersea Sculptures
Trailing weighted nets across the seabed wrecks fish stocks and kills carbon-capturing seagrasses—but one fisherman’s sculpture project has turned the tide.
Published:3/19/2024 11:08:54 PM
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[Science]
A hidden Arctic cave holds secrets about our past and future
For half-a-century scientists have wondered what clues this enigmatic Greenland cave might hold. Now they're about to find out
Published:3/19/2024 11:01:54 PM
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[Science]
Google DeepMind's New AI Model Can Help Soccer Teams Take the Perfect Corner
TacticAI, a soccer AI model created by Google DeepMind, makes predictions about where corners will go, and suggests tweaks to make goals more—or less—likely.
Published:3/19/2024 11:32:12 AM
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[Science]
How to Live Forever
A Nobel Prize–winning biologist explores the science and charlatans of life-extension.
Published:3/18/2024 3:11:49 AM
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[Science]
Never-Repeating Patterns of Tiles Can Safeguard Quantum Information
Two researchers have proved that Penrose tilings, famous patterns that never repeat, are mathematically equivalent to a kind of quantum error correction.
Published:3/17/2024 8:17:31 AM
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[Science]
Insurance Rates Are Soaring for US Homeowners in Climate Danger Zones
Research shows the soaring costs hint at widespread, unpriced risk as the global climate warms, with states like California, Florida and Louisiana hit hardest.
Published:3/16/2024 3:03:44 AM
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[Science]
The Global Danger of Boring Buildings
Unloved buildings turn to ruin, leading to a deluge of construction waste worldwide. Designer Thomas Heatherwick tells WIRED why cities need to prioritize human health and joy in architecture.
Published:3/16/2024 1:56:24 AM
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[Science]
A Pill That Kills Ticks Is a Promising New Weapon Against Lyme Disease
Your pets can already eat a chewable tablet for tick prevention. Now, a pill that paralyzes and kills ticks has shown positive results in a small human trial.
Published:3/15/2024 7:12:25 AM
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[Science]
A Startup Will Try to Mine Helium-3 on the Moon
The Earth is in short supply of helium-3. The lunar surface may hold the answer.
Published:3/15/2024 5:16:04 AM
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[Science]
The Designer Who’s Trying to Transform Your City Into a Sponge
Kongjian Yu pioneered China’s “sponge city” concept—less concrete and more green spaces to exploit stormwater instead of fighting it. Metropolises all over the world are following suit.
Published:3/15/2024 1:18:50 AM
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[Science]
States Are Lining Up to Outlaw Lab-Grown Meat
Around 46 million Americans live in states that have introduced bills to ban cultivated meat, the latest escalation in a surprising culture war.
Published:3/14/2024 2:37:48 PM
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[Science]
Climate Change Is Bad for Your Health, Wherever You Are
Rising temperatures are a threat regardless of where you live on the planet—they’re just dangerous in different ways.
Published:3/13/2024 12:00:57 PM
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[Science]
Your Next Job: Brain-Computer Interface Surgeon
When everyone's hooking their brains up to computers, we'll need BCI surgeons to install the hardware.
Published:3/11/2024 7:29:26 AM
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[Science]
Get Ready to Eat Pond Plants
Meet the amazing azolla, a nutritious fern that grows like crazy, capturing carbon in the process. Could it be a food—and fertilizer and biofuel—of the future?
Published:3/11/2024 6:13:54 AM
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[Science]
Rampant Wildfires Are Threatening a Collapse of the Amazon Rainforest
Rainforests in South America are burning this year faster than ever before, setting the course for a collapse of the Amazon in the coming decades.
Published:3/11/2024 5:17:01 AM
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[Science]
How Do Heat Pumps Work?
Our in-house physics whiz explains how a heat pump can warm your home without burning fossil fuels.
Published:3/10/2024 2:56:36 PM
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[Science]
Selective Forgetting Can Help AI Learn Better
Erasing key information during training allows machine learning models to learn new languages faster and more easily.
Published:3/10/2024 8:14:17 AM
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[Science]
Solar-Powered Farming Is Quickly Depleting the World's Groundwater Supply
Farmers in hot, arid regions are turning to low-cost solar pumps to irrigate their fields, eliminating the need for expensive fossil fuels and boosting crop production. But by allowing them to pump throughout the day, the new technology is drying up aquifers around the globe.
Published:3/9/2024 7:13:28 AM
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[Science]
A 62-Year-Old German Man Got 217 Covid Shots—and Was Totally Fine
Hundreds of boosters over a 29-month period had little effect on the one person who tried it.
Published:3/6/2024 2:26:58 PM
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[Science]
Cities Aren’t Prepared for a Crucial Part of Sea-Level Rise: They’re Also Sinking
Coastal land is dropping, known as subsidence. That could expose hundreds of thousands of additional Americans to inundation by 2050.
Published:3/6/2024 10:09:04 AM
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[Science]
Less Sea Ice Means More Arctic Trees—Which Means Trouble
White spruce are spreading in the high north, thanks to extra snow. That “Arctic greening” has serious climate implications.
Published:3/4/2024 3:18:55 AM
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[Science]
This Is What Your Brain Does When You’re Not Doing Anything
When your mind is wandering, your brain’s “default mode” network is active. Its discovery 20 years ago inspired a raft of research into networks of brain regions and how they interact with each other.
Published:3/3/2024 7:12:50 AM
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[Science]
The US Buried Nuclear Waste Abroad. Climate Change Could Unearth It
A new report says melting ice sheets and rising seas could disturb waste from US nuclear projects in Greenland and the Marshall Islands.
Published:3/2/2024 7:16:17 AM
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[Science]
Good Climate Solutions Need Good Policy—and AI Can Help With That
Climate Policy Radar's tools scan global environmental laws to see what works and what doesn't. What its AI is discovering today will help shape the regulations of tomorrow.
Published:3/1/2024 2:20:41 AM
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[Science]
Spain's Tragic Tower Block Fire Exposes the World's Failing Fire Regulations
A deadly tower block blaze in Spain has focused attention on notorious flammable building materials—but around the world, there's little momentum to stop using them.
Published:3/1/2024 1:21:30 AM
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[Science]
Emergency Planners Are Having a Moment
Governments, businesses, and even militaries pay for the help of experts to help them prepare for the worst. In a world lurching from disaster to disaster, they're doing so more often.
Published:2/28/2024 12:03:35 PM
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[Science]
Humanity Is Dangerously Pushing Its Ability to Tolerate Heat
Extreme heat waves are already here, and they are killing tens of thousands of people. Blasting through 2 degrees Celsius of warming means they’ll happen many times more frequently.
Published:2/28/2024 4:08:30 AM
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