Science
Articles about Science
A Startup Has a Plan to Make Water From Air Using Data Centers’ Waste Heat
Atoco’s new machines use specialized materials that can harvest water from some of the driest air on Earth without using electricity.
You Probably Aren’t Going to Get the Plague
The death of a lab worker in Russia has authorities looking at whether plague played a role. Even if it did, though, the odds of it spreading are very low.
OpenAI Is Pissing Off a Bunch of Mathematicians—Again
“There's a perception of mobster behavior” from leading AI companies, one mathematician tells WIRED as OpenAI prepares to release more than 100 new solutions to unsolved problems.
A New Neurotech Startup Launches to Rival Sam Altman’s Merge Labs
Bridge Neurotech is planning to build a wearable brain-computer interface that uses ultrasound.
Pennsylvania’s Measles Outbreak Is The Largest In US Since 1991
Pennsylvania has more than 1,000 measles cases this year, making it the largest state outbreak in decades.
California Scientist Celebrates Nobel Prize By Making His Kids’ School Lunches
In between congratulatory phone calls, Dr. Karl Deisseroth took care of his children’s lunchtime needs.
Astronomers Confirm Discovery of the Youngest Known Exoplanet Ever
Under 1 million years old, “Elias 2-24b” is now the youngest exoplanet ever observed, and it may force researchers to reevaluate theories about how planets are formed.
Rural Data Centers Are in for a Big Federal Tax Break
Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, data center projects in rural areas could be eligible for major tax benefits starting next year. Some hyperscalers do not seem eager to take the free cash.
Elusive ‘Geoneutrinos’ Are Building a New Map of Earth’s Volatile Interior
A global network of detectors are reporting some of the most substantial measurements yet of neutrinos created deep underground by the radioactive elements that power our planet’s tectonic activity.
A Decade-Long Experiment Is Unlocking the Mysteries of the Ocean’s ‘Deep Reefs’
Scientists left structures up to 100 meters under the surface. Here’s what they found when they retrieved them 10 years later.
Measles Is Forcing Hospitals to Adapt to a New Normal
The US resurgence of measles is forcing hospitals and health systems to adopt new protocols and procedures to deal with a disease they thought was in the past.
There Are Plenty of Reasons to Be Concerned About Bioweapons Development—Even Without AI
In her new book on biological warfare, Annie Jacobsen didn’t even discuss AI because scientists can already warp Mother Nature to create extinction-level events.
A Biotech Founder Makes the Moral Case for Gene-Editing Human Embryos
The practice of editing the genes of embryos remains highly controversial and risky, but Origin Genomics founder Cathy Tie argues its a “moral imperative” to address hereditary diseases.
Anthropic Says It Discovered a Crispr-Like System. Now What?
“The experiments are still in the queue. The PR is already live,” says one expert.
You've Never Seen Rain Like This In NSFW Weather Report
Who says talking about the weather is boring?
Plastic Is Melting Onto Corals
Scientists have found a new form of pollution, one where plastic and pieces of coral become irreversibly intertwined.
Maui Fire Affecting Lung Health With Raised Metal Levels
A new study finds that metal mixtures found in smoke, ash and debris after the 2023 Maui wildfires affected human lung health.
Space Lasers Are About to Get Their First Real Test Generating Energy
Startup Star Catcher is launching a system that, if successful, would be the first time energy has been beamed between two separate spacecraft.
Solving Math’s Greatest Problems Was an Art Form. Then Came AI
Mathematics has been one of humanity’s most creative endeavors, akin to painting and poetry. Now, mathematicians are trying to save it from the brute force of AI.
The Data Center Backlash Should Also Be a Climate Reckoning. It Isn’t Yet
Climate groups are latching onto the data center opposition movement, but it remains to be seen if they can get people to care about the facilities’ impact on the atmosphere.
Nicotine Is Mounting a Comeback in the Wellness Movement
Improving mood and increasing longevity are just some of the unfounded claims about this substance circling around the “natural” medicine corners of the internet.
Some Pancreatic Cells Are Just One Genetic Tweak Away From Treating Diabetes
By deactivating a gene, researchers were able to cause cells in the pancreatic ducts to produce insulin to regulate blood sugar.
A Gravitational Battle Within the Earth Is Changing the Length of Days
A competition between the gravity of the inner core and other forces in the mantle is altering the Earth's rotation.
The Ovary Is Surprisingly Active After Menopause. Scientists Are Trying to Figure Out Why
A growing body of research is putting the ovary in a new light, not as an egg factory with an expiration date, but as an organ that shapes women’s health long after the fertile years have passed.
Why This Weekend’s Nor’easter Is Like a Hurricane
Nor’easters are usually a winter phenomenon. But this week’s storm is arriving earlier than usual, and it could take on some characteristics more typical of tropical systems.
Venus May Have Devoured Its Moon
One of the great mysteries in astronomy has been why Venus has no moon. Now a new theory provides a simple answer: It might have been eaten.
Scientists Detect Radio Signals from an Exoplanet for the First Time in History
No, it’s not aliens, but a phenomenon caused by magnetic activity that astronomers have never before been able to pin on a specific planet.
A Startup Wants to Power Data Centers With ‘Supercritical’ Carbon Dioxide
The technology could strap onto existing gas turbines and make them more efficient—but it wouldn’t do away with their emissions entirely.
The Organization Fighting Ebola Has Never Been More Worried
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is on track to be the largest ever.
Baby Raccoons Learning Basic Life Skills At Mississippi Boot Camp
The goal is to help sick or injured animals without mothers learn to survive in the south Mississippi wilderness.
After 8 Years in Space, ‘BepiColombo’ Is Finally Approaching Mercury
Following a difficult journey, the probe will soon begin unravelling the mysteries of Mercury’s magnetic field and internal structure.
Tiny Hairs That Help Corals Breathe May Malfunction in Warming Oceans
Several new studies have uncovered this long overlooked aspect of coral physiology that could be the key to the animals’ fate in a changing climate.
Mathematicians Hate AI. They Can’t Quit It
Powerful AI models have created an existential risk to the field, but researchers can’t stop relying on them because they’re too useful.
Residents Harmed by Oil Drilling May Soon Receive Reparations Under New California Law
While lawmakers iron out the details, advocates hope this approach could serve as a model for addressing histories of environmental hazards often concentrated in Black and low-income neighborhoods.
He Won the Nobel Prize for Protein Design. Now He Uses AI to Create Molecules Not Found in Nature
David Baker spoke with WIRED en Español about where biological design is headed next and the great potential and risks of taking biology outside the bounds of the natural world.
It Still Feels Like Summer in Parts of the US. Blame El Niño
Heat records are being shattered thanks to a boost from the natural climate pattern—and burning fossil fuels, of course.
Why AI Isn’t Likely to Wipe Out Humanity With Bioweapons
Of all the threats presented by uncontrollable artificial intelligence, scientists say death by plague ranks low.
The Trump Administration Sends a New Signal to Alien Disclosure Whistleblowers
The Defense Department issued a legal waiver authorizing current and former personnel to share unidentified anomalous phenomena–related classified information, but it doesn’t extend to other agencies.
Why It Seems Like Great White Sharks Are Overrunning Maine
While a bunch of sharks cruising the Maine coast may seem ominous, it’s actually a sign of a conservation success story.
‘Smart’ Nanoparticles Deliver mRNA Directly to Tumors in New Cancer Therapy
The treatment can reprogram immune cells that have been corrupted by the cancer, strengthening the body’s ability to attack.
Those Viral Bodega Peptides Aren’t Actually Peptides
WIRED tested samples of four types of peptides. The results show how lightly regulated the industry is, even as popularity surges.
A New Headset to Help With Depression Is Now Available in the US
The device made by Flow Neuroscience is approved by the FDA and could help people get off antidepressants—but it costs $2,200.
AI Agents Are Thirsty for Power
Silicon Valley is shifting away from chatbot queries toward a future filled with resource-intensive agentic AI—and it's driving the data center buildout.
With a Better Understanding of Physics, We Could Predict Volcanic Eruptions
“There’s no reason we can’t think that, at some point in the future, we can have volcano forecasts that are like weather forecasts.”