A Mountain of Used Clothes Appeared in Chile’s Desert. Then It Went Up in Flames
The fashion industry has created a sprawling informal disposal network across the world—that brings with it money, conflict, and environmental destruction.
The Surprising Things That Helped Make 2023 the Hottest Year Ever
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The numbers are in: 2023’s global temperatures not only soared, but smashed the previous record set in 2016. This year could be even hotter.
https://www.wired.com/story/the-surprising-things-that-helped-make-2023-the-hottest-year-ever/
These Mining Companies Are Ready to Raid the Seabed
Ocean exploration to prepare for deep-sea mining has been greenlit in Norway. These are the startups hoping to benefit.
https://www.wired.com/story/deep-sea-mining-companies-norway/
The Boeing 737 Max Crisis Reignites Arguments Over Infant Safety on Planes
A midair blowout on a Boeing 737 Max 9 showed seatbelts matter, but infants under two still aren’t required to have their own seats. Experts say changing the rules would make flying safer for children—but, counterintuitively, would result in more deaths.
https://www.wired.com/story/boeing-373-max-infant-child-safety-flying-airplane-seatbelt/
Norway’s Deep-Sea Mining Decision Is a Warning
Politicians claim the move could provide vital minerals for the green transition. Critics say opening up exploration creates geopolitical headaches and is environmentally unsound.
https://www.wired.com/story/norway-deep-sea-mining-arctic-svalbard-batteries-environment/
The Real Problem With the Boeing 737 Max
Two tragic crashes over the past six years, then a third plane with loose bodywork—the aircraft designed to send Boeing’s reputation soaring has sent it into a tailspin.
https://www.wired.com/story/boeing-737-max-accident-alaska-airlines-as1282-united-door-plug/
The Real Problem With the Boeing 737 Max
Two tragic crashes over the past six years, then a third plane with loose bodywork—the aircraft designed to send Boeing’s reputation soaring has sent it into a tailspin.
https://www.wired.com/story/boeing-737-max-accident-alaska-airlines-as1282-united-door-plug/
There’s a Huge Covid Surge Right Now and Nobody Is Talking About It
The US is in the midst of the largest Covid surge since Omicron, but with minimal testing and good population immunity, the wave is largely being ignored.
https://www.wired.com/story/theres-a-huge-covid-surge-right-now-you-probably-didnt-notice/
Why Humans Are Putting a Bunch of ‘Coal’ and ‘Oil’ Back in the Ground
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Startups are processing plant waste into concentrated carbon to be buried or injected underground. It’s like fossil fuels, but in reverse.
https://www.wired.com/story/why-humans-are-putting-a-bunch-of-coal-and-oil-back-in-the-ground/
Air Pollution Is Ruining Your Skin
Wildfire smoke and exhaust fumes are triggering spikes in eczema and other skin conditions.
https://www.wired.com/story/air-pollution-is-ruining-your-skin/
During Pregnancy, the Placenta Hacks the Immune System to Protect the Fetus
Cells in the placenta have an unusual trick for activating gentle immune defenses and keeping them turned on when no infection is present. It involves crafting and deploying a fake virus.
California Is Solving Its Water Problems by Flooding Its Best Farmland
https://media.wired.com/clips/659838b0dad13b94621a5257/master/pass/CV1.mp4
Restored floodplains in the state’s agricultural heartland are fighting both flooding and drought. But their fate rests with California’s powerful farmers.
https://www.wired.com/story/california-is-solving-its-water-problems-by-flooding-its-best-farmland/
How Your Body Adapts to Extreme Cold
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Scientists are finding a dynamic story in human physiology linked to frigid temperatures—a story that climate change may rewrite.
https://www.wired.com/story/how-your-body-adapts-to-extreme-cold/
Critical Infrastructure Is Sinking Along the US East Coast
Up and down the Atlantic Coast, the land is steadily sinking, or subsiding. That’s destabilizing levees, roads, and airports, just as sea levels are rising.
https://www.wired.com/story/critical-infrastructure-is-sinking-along-the-us-east-coast/
They Had PTSD. A Psychedelic Called Ibogaine Helped Them Get Better
Ibogaine, a plant-based psychoactive drug, drastically reduced symptoms of depression and PTSD in veterans with traumatic brain injuries.
https://www.wired.com/story/they-had-ptsd-a-psychedelic-called-ibogaine-helped-them-get-better/
A Gel Injected Into the Scrotum Could Be the Next Male Contraceptive
Biotech company Contraline has safely implanted a sperm-blocking hydrogel in 23 men. It’s designed to be a fully reversible vasectomy.
https://www.wired.com/story/male-contraceptive-contraline-vasalgel-hydrogel/
My Parents’ Dementia Felt Like the End of Joy. Then Came the Robots
Forget the crappy caregiver bots and puppy-eyed seals. When my parents got sick, I turned to a new generation of roboticists—and their glowing, talking, blobby creations.
https://www.wired.com/parents-dementia-robots-warm-technology/
This Ultrasound Bra Could Detect Cancer Sooner
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Inspired by her aunt’s battle with cancer, Canan Dağdeviren developed a wearable ultrasound monitor that can screen women between regular checkups. She says it could save 12 million lives a year.
https://www.wired.com/story/ultrasound-bra-breast-cancer-detection/
The Plan to Put Pig Genes in Soy Beans for Tastier Fake Meat
The molecular farming company has inserted pig genes into soy beans to generate meaty-tasting proteins that can be grown in plants.
https://www.wired.com/story/moolecs-plant-pig-hybrids-will-make-fake-meat-taste-meatier/
These Rogue Worlds Upend the Theory of How Planets Form
Scientists have recently discovered scores of free-floating planets that defy classification—forcing them to rethink their theories of star and planet formation.
https://www.wired.com/story/these-rogue-worlds-upend-the-theory-of-how-planets-form/