Trump Wants Venezuela's Oil. Getting It Might Not Be So Simple
The administration has made it clear that Nicolás Maduro's capture was tied to Venezuela's vast oil reserves. Much less certain is how US companies will actually access them—or if they even want to.
https://www.wired.com/story/trump-wants-venezuelas-oil-getting-it-might-not-be-so-simple/
Unpicking How to Measure the Complexity of Knots
Two mathematicians have proved that a straightforward question—how hard is it to untie a knot?—has a complicated answer.
https://www.wired.com/story/unpicking-how-to-measure-the-complexity-of-knots/
How to Keep Subways and Trains Cool in an Ever Hotter World
As temperatures increase, trains and subways are becoming unendurable. Potential solutions include everything from cooling tunnels with water to painting rolling stock—but there’s no magic fix.
Easter Island's Moai Statues May Have Walked to Where They Now Stand
An archaeological mystery gets one step closer to being solved.
https://www.wired.com/story/easter-islands-moai-statues-may-have-walked-to-where-they-now-stand/
Mystery Object From ‘Space’ Strikes United Airlines Flight Over Utah
Government investigators are gathering data to confirm what exactly cracked the windshield of a 737 Max aircraft at above 30,000 feet.
https://www.wired.com/story/mystery-space-object-strikes-united-airlines-flight-over-utah/
Vaccine Panel Stacked by RFK Jr. Recommends Delaying MMRV Immunization
The vaccine advisory group ACIP, not all members of which seemed to know what the group does, recommended to the CDC that combined MMRV shots not be given before age 4.
https://www.wired.com/story/vaccine-panel-stacked-by-rfk-jr-recommends-delaying-mmrv-immunization/
The DOGE Subcommittee Hearing on Weather Modification Was a Nest of Conspiracy Theorizing
A House Oversight Committee hearing produced a flood of bizarre claims about cloud seeding, chemtrails, and solar geoengineering. Proven, human-driven changes to the weather were dismissed.
MAHA Wants Action on Pesticides. It’s Not Going to Get It From Trump’s Corporate-Friendly EPA
The White House’s new Make America Healthy Again strategy makes some asks of the EPA—but critics say the agency is too industry-friendly to make a difference.
https://www.wired.com/story/the-epas-closeness-to-industry-stands-in-the-way-of-it-helping-maha/
Top CDC Officials Resign After Director Is Pushed Out
The exodus has set off alarms among staff at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “My main concern is they will be replaced with puppets."
https://www.wired.com/story/centers-for-disease-control-prevention-cdc-resignations/
What Is the Magnetic Constant and Why Does It Matter?
This persnickety number determines the strength of magnetic fields. It figures in everything from motors and generators to audio speakers. Oh, and without it we’d live in eternal darkness.
https://www.wired.com/story/what-is-the-magnetic-constant-and-why-does-it-matter/
Scientists Have Identified the Origin of an Extraordinarily Powerful Outer Space Radio Wave
In March 2025 the Earth was hit by a fast radio burst as energetic as the sun, but lasting only milliseconds.
What Your Nighttime Breathing Says About Your Health
Once dismissed as just snoring, sleep apnea is now emerging as an early warning sign for serious conditions like Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and depression.
https://www.wired.com/story/sleep-apnea-biomarker-night-breathing/
The Hyperflexible People Who May Help Unlock Better Sleep Apnea Treatments
Patients with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome are six times more at risk for the sleeping disorder. Now scientists are studying them in hopes of finding remedies beyond the CPAP machine.
Meteorologists Say the National Weather Service Did Its Job in Texas
DOGE cut hundreds of jobs at the NWS, but experts who spoke to WIRED say the agency accurately predicted the flood risk in Texas.
https://www.wired.com/story/meteorologists-say-the-national-weather-service-did-its-job-in-texas/
Eli Lilly’s Obesity Pill Appears to Work as Well as Injected GLP-1s
New data from a Phase 3 trial show that the daily anti-obesity pill may be as safe and effective as drugs like Mounjaro and Ozempic for weight loss and lowering blood sugar.
https://www.wired.com/story/lilly-obesity-pill-effective-orforglipron-injected-glp-1-ozempic/
What Tear Gas and Rubber Bullets Do to the Human Body
So-called “less-lethal” weapons like those that have been used against demonstrators in Los Angeles can cause severe, lasting harm like nerve or brain damage or blindness. They can also kill.
https://www.wired.com/story/what-tear-gas-does-to-the-human-body/
WHO Monitors New Covid Variant Spreading in America and Europe
La variante de covid NB.1.8.1 presenta mutaciones específicas que podrían aumentar su capacidad de transmisión y disminuir parcialmente la eficacia neutralizante de ciertos anticuerpos.
https://www.wired.com/story/who-monitors-new-covid-variant-nb181-spread-america-europe-nimbus/
How to Make AI Faster and Smarter—With a Little Help from Physics
Rose Yu has drawn on the principles of fluid dynamics to improve deep learning systems that predict traffic, model the climate, and stabilize drones during flight.
https://www.wired.com/story/improving-deep-learning-with-a-little-help-from-physics/
Starship’s Latest Test Reveals New Problems for SpaceX to Solve
Unlike in recent tests, SpaceX’s ninth Starship survived launch, but a fuel tank leak meant it lost control before it could complete its objectives.
https://www.wired.com/story/starships-latest-test-reveals-new-problems-for-spacex-to-solve/
Why Women With Type 2 Diabetes Are Diagnosed Later Than Men
Researchers are trying to understand more about the biological and social differences that contribute to later diabetes diagnoses and worse outcomes in women.
https://www.wired.com/story/why-women-with-type-2-diabetes-are-diagnosed-later-than-men/
Making an RSV Vaccine Was Hard. Getting People to Take It Is Even Harder
New vaccines could help stem the spread of respiratory syncytial virus, but there are already huge inequities in access and uptake.