Here’s a hard truth: People are gross. Even the cleanliest among us cannot prevent the things that permeate a mattress nightly, oftentimes without us even knowing. This includes things like dandruff, dead skin, dust mites, sweat, and even in accidental cases, urine and blood. Have the “ick” yet? Now imagine the worst comes to pass, […]
Elon Musk’s Lawyers Claim He ‘Does Not Use a Computer’
Elon Musk’s lawyers claimed that he “does not use a computer” in a Sunday court filing related to his lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI. However, Musk has posted pictures or referred to his laptop on X several times in recent months, and public evidence suggests that he owns and appears to use at least […]
Telegram Purged Chinese Crypto Scam Markets—Then Watched as They Rebuilt
Before they were taken down by Telegram, Xinbi Guarantee and Haowang Guarantee displayed similar posts offering explicitly illegal services in all those categories and more. Like the newly ascendant Tudou Guarantee, those other “Guarantee” marketplaces didn’t directly sell services, but instead offer escrow and deposit features that prevent vendors from defrauding customers. When WIRED asked […]
Donald Trump and Sean Hannity Set Off a Wave of Disinformation After Iran Bombing
Trump’s effort to frame the bombing as a decisive end to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, while heavily disputed by arms control experts, was picked up by supporters who claimed the bombing raid had effectively ended any potential conflict. “Nobody is celebrating war,” right-wing commentator Dave Rubin wrote on X on Sunday morning. “People are celebrating the […]
International Nuclear Watchdog Issues Stark Warning In Wake of US Iran Strikes
The idea of attacking facilities working to develop nuclear power might immediately bring to mind the worst images of disasters like Chernobyl and Fukushima. But experts say that even if the strikes hit crucial materials, bombing uranium enrichment sites is not likely to yield a large-scale nuclear catastrophe. Despite concerns about widespread radiation, the IAEA […]
India Is Using AI and Satellites to Map Urban Heat Vulnerability Down to the Building Level
“The more granular your data, the more targeted your response can be,” Krishna adds. Instead of generic advisories like “drink more water,” localized data could drive specific actions: change market or factory hours, deploy cost-effective heat shelters, or set up oral rehydration solution stations in high-footfall areas. “If you know who’s most vulnerable, you can […]
The Largest Camera Ever Built Releases Its First Images of the Cosmos
Perched atop the Cerro Pachón mountain in Chile, 8,684 feet high in the Atacama Desert, where the dry air creates some of the best conditions in the world to view the night sky, a new telescope unlike anything built before has begun its survey of the cosmos. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, named for the […]
China’s Electric Vehicle Factories Have Become Tourist Hotspots
Xiaomi released its first EV model, the SU7, in early 2024. By the end of the year, foreign diplomats, investors, and guests from other Chinese companies had already started arriving at the company’s factory in Beijing to participate in one-off tours, but the company didn’t create a standardized experience for the public until the start […]
Recycled Polyester Saved This American Factory. Environmentalists Hate It
In the bottle processing plant in Reidsville, North Carolina, drifts of plastic particles, like snow banks, are piled in every nook of the machinery that chops the bottles into flake. When I ask our tour guide, a floor manager, if he worries about breathing it in, he says he doesn’t. “We do a good job […]
Taiwan Is Rushing to Make Its Own Drones Before It’s Too Late
In the span of just a few years, drones have become instrumental in warfare. Conflicts in Ukraine, Iran, Nagorno-Karabakh, Sudan, and elsewhere have shown how autonomous vehicles have become a quintessential part of modern combat. It’s a fact that Taiwan knows all too well. The island nation, fearing imminent invasion from China, has both the […]