The Run of Record-Breaking Heat Has Ended, for Now
Air temperatures in July 2024 were fractionally cooler than in July 2023, probably because of a waning El Niño. But don’t expect things to be much cooler in coming years.
NASA Nears Decision Time on Boeing Starliner's Fate
There’s now a significant chance the spacecraft's crew will have to return to Earth on a different one—and maybe not until next year.
How to See the Conjunction Between Mars, Jupiter, and the Moon
On the 27th, the celestial bodies will form an unusual triangle in the sky just before dawn.
How to See the Conjunction Between Mars, Jupiter, and the Moon
On the 27th, the celestial bodies will form an unusual triangle in the sky just before dawn.
This Mpox Outbreak Isn't Like the Last One
The strain of mpox behind the current global health emergency is believed to be up to 10 times deadlier than the one that swept the globe in 2022.
https://www.wired.com/story/mpox-outbreak-global-public-health-emergency/
The Uncertain Path Forward for Psychedelic Medicine
After the FDA rejected its proposed MDMA treatment, Lykos Therapeutics is laying off 75 percent of its staff and its founder has left the company.
https://www.wired.com/story/where-does-psychedelic-assisted-therapy-go-next-mdma-fda-lykos/
This Is the Most Detailed Map of Brain Connections Ever Made
In a world first, Harvard biologists worked with Google to diagram a cubic millimeter of human cerebral cortex at the subcellular level, paving the way for the next generation of brain science.
This Code Breaker Is Using AI to Decode the Heart’s Secret Rhythms
Inspired by his expertise in breaking ancient codes, Roeland Decorte built a smartphone app that continuously listens for signs of disease hidden in our pulse.
https://www.wired.com/story/ai-doctor-roeland-decorte-future-industries/
This Gargantuan Lab Simulates Blasting Satellites Into Space
If you spend millions of dollars developing a satellite, you need to know it can handle the rigors of hurtling around the Earth at 17,000 mph. The UK's National Satellite Test Facility is here to help.
https://www.wired.com/story/national-satellite-testing-facility-uk-nstf/
Supplements Companies Are Cashing In on the Ozempic Wave
With demand for GLP-1 drugs sky-high, the supplement industry is elbowing into the market. Some products are meant to complement meds like Ozempic. Others are positioned as “natural” alternatives.
https://www.wired.com/story/the-ozempic-adjacent-supplement-gold-rush-is-just-getting-started/
Lawsuit Attacks Florida’s Lab-Grown Meat Ban as Unconstitutional
Upside Foods, a leading cultivated-meat company, argues that the ban violates the US Constitution in several ways.
Extreme Weather Poses a Challenge for Heat Pumps
Stronger winds, bouts of extreme low temperature, and higher humidity pose difficult but surmountable challenges for heat pumps.
https://www.wired.com/story/how-heat-pumps-are-affected-by-climate-change/
The Physics of Cold Water May Have Jump-Started Complex Life
When seawater gets cold, it gets viscous. This fact could explain how single-celled ocean creatures became multicellular when the planet was frozen during “Snowball Earth,” according to experiments.
https://www.wired.com/story/the-physics-of-cold-water-may-have-jump-started-complex-life/
How Do You Get Drugs to the Brain? Maybe Try a Parasite
A common parasite could one day deliver drugs to the brain. Here's how scientists are turning Toxoplasma gondii from foe into friend.
The FDA Just Rejected a Bid for MDMA’s Approval to Treat PTSD
The agency has asked drugmaker Lykos Therapeutics to run an additional study on the use of the psychedelic drug in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder, pushing back its next proposal by years.
https://www.wired.com/story/fda-rejects-mdma-ptsd-treatment/
Noah Lyles’ Olympic Run Is the New Normal for Living With Covid
Dozens of Olympic athletes competed with Covid as society increasingly treats it like the flu or the common cold. Public health experts warn that it's anything but.
https://www.wired.com/story/noah-lyles-covid-olympics-new-normal/
Does Jewelry and Big Hair Slow Down Olympic Runners?
Even a little added weight and air drag can make a measurable difference. But WIRED's physics guru says, if it makes you feel strong, go for it!
https://www.wired.com/story/does-jewelry-slow-down-olympic-runners/
Judging Breaking At the Olympics Is an Art, Not a Science
Breaking debuts as an Olympic sport at the Paris Games. To get there, the breaking community had to figure a way to objectively judge the subjective, while letting the dance remain a dance.
https://www.wired.com/story/judging-breaking-at-the-olympics-is-an-art-not-a-science/
NASA Still Hasn't Decided How to Get the Boeing Starliner Astronauts Home
One potential path forward involves hitching a ride from SpaceX—but not until 2025.
https://www.wired.com/story/boeing-starliner-astronauts-spacex-2025/
Beyond Meat Is Stalling in the US. Europe Could Be Another Story
The once-hyped company is now the most prominent victim of a broader downturn in the plant-based meat industry.
https://www.wired.com/story/beyond-plant-based-meat-sales-trends-us-europe/