Why Deleting Carbon From the Atmosphere Is So Controversial
Delegates just agreed on a historic climate deal at COP28. But without more ambition, humanity will have to rely ever more on a contentious strategy: carbon removal.
https://www.wired.com/story/why-deleting-carbon-from-the-atmosphere-is-so-controversial/
The US Supreme Court Will Now Decide the Fate of Medication Abortion
The Supreme Court will hear a case to determine access to the abortion pill in the US. If the court decides to curtail the availability of mifepristone, it would be a major blow to reproductive health care.
https://www.wired.com/story/supreme-court-medication-abortion-mifepristone/
Stop Planting Trees, Says Guy Who Inspired World to Plant a Trillion Trees
Ecologist Thomas Crowther’s research inspired countless tree-planting campaigns, greenwashing, and attacks from scientists. Now he’s back with a new plan for nature restoration.
https://www.wired.com/story/stop-planting-trees-thomas-crowther/
A Brilliant COP Agreement? It Depends Who You Ask
The agreement at COP28 satisfies no-one. But it’s probably the best that countries could have hoped for.
Here’s Scientific Proof Your Cat Will Eat Almost Anything
Free-ranging domestic cats eat over 2,000 animal species across the globe, including hundreds at risk of extinction. It’s a problem with no easy solution.
https://www.wired.com/story/cats-eat-2000-species-predator-diet-murder/
Biophysicists Uncover Powerful Symmetries in Living Tissue
After identifying interlocking symmetries in mammalian cells, scientists describe some tissues as liquid crystals. That lays the groundwork for a fluid-dynamic theory of how tissues move.
https://www.wired.com/story/biophysicists-uncover-powerful-symmetries-in-living-tissue/
All the Fish We Cannot See
In a dark, unexplored layer of ocean, a hidden cache of fish might play an unexpected role in our climate’s future. It seems like a bad time for a new fishery.
The First Crispr Medicine Is Now Approved in the US
The one-time gene editing fix is meant to halt debilitating pain crises for sickle cell patients, who formerly could only be cured with a risky stem cell transplant.
https://www.wired.com/story/the-first-crispr-medicine-is-now-approved-in-the-us/
This Pill Tracks Your Vitals From the Inside
An ingestible “digital pill” that measures heart rate and breathing from inside the stomach could detect the warning signs of sleep apnea, cardiac distress, and even opioid overdoses.
https://www.wired.com/story/this-pill-tracks-your-vitals-from-the-inside/
Don’t Worry, It’s Just ‘Fire Ice’
Methane hydrate is an ice-like substance you can set on fire. Now scientists have found that more of it may be in danger of melting—and releasing powerful greenhouse gas—than previously realized.
Jennifer Doudna Believes Crispr Is for Everyone
Pioneering biochemist Jennifer Doudna sat down with WIRED’s Emily Mullin to talk about the future of Crispr.
https://www.wired.com/story/livewired-jennifer-doudna-crispr/
Want to Store a Message in DNA? That’ll Be $1,000
French startup Biomemory is rolling out a credit-card-sized storage device that uses DNA to encode a kilobyte of text data.
An Invisible ‘Demon’ Lurks in an Odd Superconductor
Physicists have long suspected that hunks of metal could vibrate in a peculiar way that would be all but invisible. Now physicists have spotted these “demon modes.”
https://www.wired.com/story/an-invisible-demon-lurks-in-an-odd-superconductor/
Climate Cookbooks Are Here to Change How You Eat
Sustainable diets have been around for ages. An emerging cookbook genre that tackles the climate crisis signals a new appetite for change.
https://www.wired.com/story/climate-cookbooks-are-here-to-change-how-you-eat/
Was Bobi the World’s Oldest Dog—or a Fraud?
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A quest to uncover the truth about Bobi, named the “oldest dog ever” by Guinness World Records, led to dog fur experts and conspiracy theories, and left me with serious questions about how world records are verified.
Dr. Nergis Mavalvala Detected the First Gravitational Wave. Her Work Doesn’t Stop There
The dean of MIT’s School of Science embraces skepticism and failure, and she wants the next generation of scientists to jump right in.
https://www.wired.com/story/women-in-science-nergis-mavalvala/
Cicadas Are So Loud, Fiber Optic Cables Can ‘Hear’ Them
In 2021, scientists experimenting with fiber optics picked up a strange signal: the cacophony of cicadas. It could lead to a new way of monitoring insects.
https://www.wired.com/story/cicadas-are-so-loud-fiber-optic-cables-can-hear-them/
Dr. Ishwaria Subbiah Is Reimagining Cancer Care
All but raised in oncology wards, Dr. Subbiah is on a mission to make cancer care work for everyone, including those usually overlooked.
https://www.wired.com/story/women-in-science-ishwaria-subbiah/
Inside India’s Gargantuan Mission to Clean the Ganges River
The Ganges river is one of the world’s most sacred waterways—and one of its most polluted. To restore it, India is undertaking one of the biggest engineering programs in the history of sanitation.
https://www.wired.com/story/india-ganges-river-clean-project/
A Cutting-Edge Cancer Treatment Is Under FDA Investigation—for Cancer Risk
CAR-T cell therapy harnesses the immune system to attack blood cancers. Six years after approving the first treatment, the FDA is investigating whether it can give rise to secondary cancers.