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WIRED Q&A

What Will Ethical Space Exploration Look Like?

Astrophysicist and Off-Earth author Erika Nesvold maps out the questions we need to ask before living on other planets.
Seeds of Change

As Kenya’s Crops Fail, a Fight Over GMOs Rages

Fountain of Youth

How Old Are You, Really? New Tests Want to Tell You

Health

Help, My Therapist Is Also an Influencer!

Counselors have moved from beside the chaise longue and into users’ TikTok feeds, fueling debates about client privacy and the mental health profession.

Fat, Sugar, Salt ... You’ve Been Thinking About Food All Wrong

Scientists are asking tough questions about the health effects of ultra-processed diets. The answers are complicated—and surprising.

How to Protect Your Kids From Adult Content—Without Censorship

Age verification laws miss the point. It’s time to talk to your children honestly not just about what they might see online, but about their own bodies.

The Ohio Derailment Lays Bare the Hellish Plastic Crisis

Events in East Palestine are a stark reminder that plastic is destroying the planet. From its production to its use to its disposal, the stuff is a poison.

Space

No, the James Webb Space Telescope Hasn’t Broken Cosmology

Reports that the JWST killed the reigning cosmological model have been exaggerated. But there’s still much to learn from the distant galaxies it glimpses.

On-Demand Rocket Launches Are Coming

In a factory on the outskirts of Glasgow, Scotland, aerospace manufacturer Skyrora is building rockets for a space-bound taxi service for satellites.

A Tiny Sun in a Jar Is Shedding Light on Solar Flares

This new lab experiment explores the physics involved in our star’s tumultuous interior regions—by creating a sphere of plasma.

Rovers Are So Yesterday. It’s Time to Send a Snakebot to Space

The student winners of a NASA competition designed a serpentine bot that could sidewind across lunar regolith or roll down hills.

Environment

Stop Saving Cute Animals

One million species are at risk of extinction, but a handful of charismatic creatures get all the hype. A new conservation strategy has a different focus.

The Disruptors Who Want to Make Death Greener

Startups rush to gain a foothold in a burgeoning industry as New York and California move to legalize human composting.

Robots Enter the Race to Save Dying Coral Reefs

Biologists are working to quickly grow hardier specimens that can be propagated and transplanted by robotic arms.

How Fiber Optic Cables Could Warn You of an Earthquake

By firing lasers through underground fibers, scientists can detect seismic waves and perhaps improve alerts—giving people precious time to prepare.

Climate

The Mystery Vehicle at the Heart of Tesla’s New Master Plan

Elon Musk says a new Tesla will rewire the company and help save the world, but he won’t tell investors what it is.

You Can Turn Your Backyard Into a Biodiversity Hot Spot

New research shows that if done right, urban farms and gardens can support all kinds of species—for the good of people and the environment.

The Dream of Mini Nuclear Plants Hangs in the Balance

A cluster of reactors that are just 9 feet in diameter is supposed to start a nuclear energy resurgence. Mounting costs may doom the project.

America’s Most Boring Association Is Fighting the Planet

The dominance of the water-guzzling lawn is starting to wane—if only homeowner communities could get on board. 

Energy

It’s Time to Fall in Love With Nuclear Fusion—Again

Let’s indulge: Once fusion arrives, handmade suns could wipe out all human problems in a go.

The Mining Industry's Next Frontier Is Deep, Deep Under the Sea

Companies are diving to the bottom to scoop up metals essential for our EV-driven future. But how much ocean are we willing to sacrifice?

Heat Pumps Sell Like Hotcakes on America's Oil-Rich Frontier

In Alaska, people are flocking to buy electric appliances instead of fuel-guzzling furnaces, as oil prices soar and temperatures plummet.

Workers Are Dying in the EV Industry’s ‘Tainted’ City

In Indonesia, sickness and pollution plague a sprawling factory complex that supplies the world with crucial battery materials.

Physics and Math

No One Knows If Decades-Old Nukes Would Actually Work

Atomic weapons are highly complex, surprisingly sensitive, and often pretty old. With testing banned, countries have to rely on good maintenance and simulations to trust their weapons work.

The Physics Principle That Inspired Modern AI Art

Diffusion models generate incredible images by learning to reverse the process that, among other things, causes ink to spread through water.

The Secret to Bruce Lee’s Superhuman One-Inch Punch

Martial arts moves can seem magical, but maybe they just display a mastery of physics.

What Would Earth’s Temperature Be Like Without an Atmosphere?

If you want to know what the cloud of gas that surrounds the planet is really doing for us, you have to see what the world would be like without it.

Biotech

This Lab-Grown Skin Could Revolutionize Transplants

A new kind of “edgeless” engineered tissue can fit any irregular shape, paving the way for hand and face grafts that look and move better.

A Stroke Paralyzed Her Arm. This Implant Let Her Use It Again

Electrical stimulation applied to the spinal cord temporarily restored arm and hand movement in two patients.

A Novel Male Birth Control Could Be an ‘On-Off Switch for Sperm’

A new compound halts sperm in their tracks. It’s fast-acting, temporary, hormone-free, and highly effective—in mice.

This Fake Skin Fools Mosquitoes—to Fight the Diseases They Spread

Research on new repellents and the viruses these insects carry relies on lab animals and human volunteers. What if there was a better option?

Robots

Robots Are Helping Immunocompromised Kids ‘Go to School’

Sure, my telepresence robot had some issues—but for students like me who can’t make it to campus because of disability or illness, these tools open new doors.

Forget Silicon. This Computer Is Made of Fabric

The jacket can raise and lower its own hood—without chips or batteries—and might one day help disabled wearers move.

Why DeepMind Is Sending AI Humanoids to Soccer Camp

The Alphabet-backed AI firm is using virtual games to help its digital creations move more like humans.

Swarms of Mini Robots Could Dig the Tunnels of the Future

The underground excavation industry is exploring mini robots, plasma torches, and superheated gas to replace the massive boring machines now in use.

Psychology and Neuroscience

Easily Distracted? You Need to Think Like a Medieval Monk

Focusing wasn’t much easier in the time before electricity or on-demand TV. In fact, you probably have a lot in common with these super-distracted monks.

Scientific Fraud Is Slippery to Catch—but Easier to Combat

Fakery spans “beautified” data, photoshopped images, and “paper mills.” Experts and institutions are employing tools to spot deceptive research and mitigate its reach.

How Your Brain Distinguishes Memories From Perceptions

The neural representations of a perceived image and the memory of it are almost the same. New research shows how and why they are different.

Your Brain Uses Calculus to Control Fast Movements

To sharpen its command over precise maneuvers, the brain uses comparisons between control signals—not the signals themselves.