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hot mess

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.
What Lies Beneath

The World’s Largest Fungus Collection May Unlock the Mysteries of Carbon Capture

unblinding effect

The Case for MDMA’s Approval Is Riddled With Problems

Health

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.

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.

Wegovy Can Keep Weight Off for at Least 4 Years, Research Shows

Users receiving weekly injections saw their weight fall, plateau, and stabilize over the course of a four-year trial—but it’s still unclear how long these effects last after stopping taking the drug.

Saunas Are the Next Frontier in Fighting Depression

The preliminary results of a clinical trial of using heat exposure to combat depression are in—and are fueling cautious optimism that sauna practice could become an accepted treatment.

Space

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.

Boeing’s Starliner Has Finally Launched a NASA Crew Into Space

Seven years behind schedule, and after two scrubbed attempts last month, Starliner has at last sent two astronauts to space on a mission for NASA. The troubled company still has lots of catching up to do.

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.

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.

Environment

Don’t Believe the Biggest Myth About Heat Pumps

Not only do heat pumps work fine in cold weather, they’re still more efficient than gas furnaces in such conditions.

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.

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?

The Earth Is About to Feast on Dead Cicadas

Two cicada broods, XIX and XIII, are emerging in sync for the first time in 221 years. They’re bringing the banquet of a lifetime for birds, trees, and humans alike.

Climate

How Much Energy Would It Take to Pull Carbon Dioxide out of the Air?

A physicist runs the math on direct air capture and warns: This tech won't save us from climate catastrophe.

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.

Who Wants to Have Children in a Warming World?

Jade Sasser’s new book focuses on the racial dimensions of eco-anxiety. Among her findings: Women of color are likelier to say climate change will make them have fewer children than they want.

How Many Charging Stations Would We Need to Totally Replace Gas Stations?

The United States could fully transition to electric vehicles in about 20 years. When that happens, we’re going to need a lot of chargers.

Energy

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 due to climate change, experts say other countries need to take notice.

US Offshore Wind Farms Are Being Strangled With Red Tape

This year has seen wind farm costs rise and many projects canceled as developers struggle with opaque regulations and determined opposition—but the industry is far from dead.

Everyone's Pumped About Heat Pumps

This week on Gadget Lab, we talk about the surging popularity of heat pumps, the ultra-energy-efficient heating and cooling appliances we’ve called “climate superheroes.”

Tesla’s Controversial Factory Expansion Is Approved

After anti-Tesla activists clashed with police in Germany last week, local councillors today backed Elon Musk’s plan to make Tesla’s only European Gigafactory even bigger.

Physics and Math

The Hunt for Ultralight Dark Matter

Perhaps dark matter is made of an entirely different kind of particle than the ones physicists have been searching for. New experiments are springing up to look for these ultra-lightweight phantoms.

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.

What’s Up With These Crazy Northern Lights?

Solar winds at a million miles an hour and freaky magnetic turbulence are sparking some of the best light shows in centuries.

An Old Abstract Field of Math Is Unlocking the Deep Complexity of Spacecraft Orbits

Mathematicians think abstract tools from a field called symplectic geometry might help with planning missions to far-off moons and planets.

Biotech

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.

Gene-Edited Salad Greens Are Coming to US Stores This Fall

Biotech giant Bayer plans to distribute mustard greens that have been genetically altered to make them less bitter to grocery stores across the country.

WTF Is With the Pink Pineapples at the Grocery Store?!

Using DNA from tangerines and tobacco, food scientists have made a familiar fruit tastier—and more Instagrammable—than ever. We looked into it so you don’t have to.

Lab-Grown Meat Is on Shelves Now. But There’s a Catch

A store in Singapore is selling lab-grown chicken, but it contains only 3 percent animal cells.

Robots

The Atlas Robot Is Dead. Long Live the Atlas Robot

Before the dear old model could even power down, Boston Dynamics unleashed a stronger new Atlas robot that can move in ways us puny humans never can.

Meet the Next Generation of Doctors—and Their Surgical Robots

Don't worry, your next surgeon will definitely be a human. But just as medical students are training to use a scalpel, they're also training to use robots designed to make surgeries easier.

AI Is Building Highly Effective Antibodies That Humans Can’t Even Imagine

Robots, computers, and algorithms are hunting for potential new therapies in ways humans can’t—by processing huge volumes of data and building previously unimagined molecules.

This Artificial Muscle Moves Stuff on Its Own

Actuators inspired by cucumber plants could make robots move more naturally in response to their environments, or be used for devices in inhospitable places.

Psychology and Neuroscience

Scientists Are Unlocking the Secrets of Your ‘Little Brain’

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.

Meet the Designer Behind Neuralink’s Surgical Robot

Afshin Mehin has helped design some of the most futuristic neurotech devices.

Are You Noise Sensitive? Here's How to Tell

Every person has a different idea of what makes noise “loud,” but there are some things we all can do to turn the volume down a little.

Why You Hear Voices in Your White Noise Machine

If you've ever heard music, voices, or other sounds while trying to sleep with a white noise machine running, you're not losing your mind. Here's what's going on.

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