The WIRED Podcast

Five family members, murdered. A sixth in prison for life. It’s one of Britain’s most infamous crimes. But did the justice system get it wrong? “Blood Relatives,” a six-part series from In the Dark, is coming on October 28th.New Yorker subscribers get early, ad-free access to “Blood Relatives.” In Apple Podcasts, tap the link at the top of the feed to subscribe or link an existing subscription. Or visit newyorker.com/dark to subscribe and listen in the New Yorker app.In the Dark has merch! Buy specially designed hats, T-shirts, and totes for yourself or a loved one at store.newyorker.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Election deniers are mobilizing their supporters and rolling out new tech to disrupt the November election. These groups are already organizing on hyperlocal levels, and learning to monitor polling places, target election officials, and challenge voter rolls. And though their work was once fringe, its become mainstreamed in the Republican Party. Today on WIRED Politics Lab, we focus on what these groups are doing, and what this means for voters and the election workers already facing threats and harassment.Listen to and follow WIRED Politics Lab here.Be sure to subscribe to the WIRED Politics Lab newsletter here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

We look back at the year in tech, science, business, and culture—through the medium of a quiz.Amit hosts the annual WIRED podcast quiz, with Morgan, Matt R, Grace, and Matt B vying for the prestigious title.Music by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by Matt Burgess Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Hello, WIRED podcast listeners. We’re on a short break from producing new episodes at the moment, with some big plans for next year. In the meantime, we need your help. Tell us: What are your burning questions about the future. The future of what? Anything. Big or small, strange or serious. We want to hear your questions.And they may even make it into a future episode of the show. Email us at the normal address: [email protected] Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: Morgan finds out what happens when an AI company steals your face, and Matt Burgess explores the most vulnerable place on the internetThis is going to be the last episode for a little while. We’re taking a short break to work on some exciting changes to the podcast for 2023, but we’ll be back with a new episode in a few weeks. We’ll see you then! The stories we talked about this week:Clearview Stole My Face and the EU Can’t Do Anything About Ithttps://www.wired.com/story/clearview-face-search-engine-gdpr/The Most Vulnerable Place on the Internethttps://www.wired.com/story/submarine-internet-cables-egypt/Music by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by James Temperton Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: the WIRED podcast team weighs in on Elon Musk’s dramatic Twitter takeover.The stories we talked about this week:Unverify Me, Daddyhttps://www.wired.com/story/twitter-elon-musk-verification/Elon Musk Has Fired Twitter’s ‘Ethical AI’ Teamhttps://www.wired.com/story/twitter-ethical-ai-team/Twitter Had a Plan to Fix Social Media. Will Elon Musk Follow It?https://www.wired.com/story/twitter-had-a-plan-to-fix-social-media-bluesky-will-elon-musk-follow-it/ Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: the deadly viruses lurking in the permafrost, and what the Bruce Willis deepfake means for the future of Hollywood.The stories we talked about this week:The Bruce Willis Deepfake Is Everyone’s Problemhttps://www.wired.com/story/bruce-willis-deepfake-rights-law/Thawing Permafrost Exposes Old Pathogens—and New Hostshttps://www.wired.com/story/arctic-spillover-risk/Music by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by Matt Burgess Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: how gig economy laws caused strip club chaos, and we assess your risk of dying in a nuclear war.The stories we talked about this week:The Gig Law Causing Chaos in California Strip Clubshttps://www.wired.co.uk/article/gig-economy-strip-clubsMusic by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by Matt Burgess Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

We look at how social media platforms have responded to the death of Molly Russell and explain why Elon Musk is wrong about depopulation.How A British Teen's Death Changed Social Mediahttps://www.wired.com/story/how-a-british-teens-death-changed-social-media/Elon Musk Is Totally Wrong About Population Collapsehttps://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-population-crisis/Music by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by James Temperton Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: as Elon Musk and Twitter (maybe) close in on a deal, we delve deep into the glorious, curious world of bots.(This show was recorded before Elon Musk said he would, in fact, buy Twitter.)The stories we talk about this week...The Quest to Find Twitter’s Elusive Bot Teamhttps://www.wired.com/story/the-quest-to-find-twitters-elusive-bot-team/The Problem With Mental Health Botshttps://www.wired.com/story/mental-health-chatbots/Read all our bot coverage https://www.wired.com/tag/series-bots-run-the-internet/Music by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by James Temperton Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: the devastating impact of Iran’s internet shutdown and we find out what happened when a Danish city banned Google from its schools.The stories we talk about this week:A Danish City Built Google Into Its Schools—Then Banned Ithttps://www.wired.com/story/denmark-google-schools-data/Iran’s Internet Shutdown Hides a Deadly Crackdownhttps://www.wired.com/story/iran-protests-2022-internet-shutdown-whatsapp/Music by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by Matt Burgess Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: we go on the hunt for the people who’ve never caught Covid and take a look at the wild logistics of replacing the Queen’s iconography on everything from bank notes to post vans.The stories we talk about this week:The Mystery of Why Some People Don’t Get Covidhttps://www.wired.com/story/the-mystery-of-why-some-people-dont-get-covid/What Happens to Everything With Queen Elizabeth II’s Image?https://www.wired.com/story/updating-british-royal-iconography/Music by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by Matt Burgess Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: we talk about the juicy business of plant-based meat and the equally juicy business of Russian censorship.The stories we talk about this week:Plant-Based Burgers Aren’t Denting People’s Beef AddictionAlternative proteins were meant to reduce the carbon footprint of our diets. But it doesn’t look like consumers are switching ... yet.https://www.wired.com/story/plant-based-meat-replacing-animal-meat/This Clever Anti-Censorship Tool Lets Russians Read Blocked NewsSamizdat Online syndicates banned news sites by hosting them on uncensored domains—allowing people to access independent reporting.https://www.wired.com/story/russia-internet-censorship-samizdat-online/Music by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by Matt Burgess Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: Matt Reynolds on Russian gas supplies, and Grace on why the psychedelics bubble could be about to burst.Europe’s Plan to Wean Itself off Russian Gas Just Might Workhttps://www.wired.com/story/russian-gas-europe/Is the Psychedelic Therapy Bubble About to Burst?https://www.wired.com/story/psychedelic-hype-bubble/Music by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by Matt Burgess Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: the tech behind a high-school prank, and the hunt for Covid’s originsThe stories we walked about this week:The Origins of Covid-19 Are More Complicated Than Once Thoughthttps://www.wired.com/story/tracing-covid-pandemic-origins/Inside the World’s Biggest Hacker Rickrollhttps://www.wired.com/story/biggest-hacker-rickroll-high-school-prank/Music by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by Matt Burgess Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: how NFTs conquered football, and why captchas are getting more confusingThe stories we walked about this week:NFTs Are Conquering Footballhttps://www.wired.com/story/nfts-conquering-soccer/Smiling Dogs? Horses Made of Clouds? Captcha Has Gone Too Farhttps://www.wired.com/story/smiling-dogs-horses-made-of-clouds-captcha-has-gone-too-far/Music by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by Matt Burgess Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: Grace explores the monkeypox vaccine pipeline problems and Matt Burgess looks at Facebook's European data woes.The stories we walked about this week:The Chaotic Monkeypox Vaccine Pipeline Is Leaving Everyone Shorthttps://www.wired.com/story/monkeypox-vaccine-supply-chain/Will Europe Force a Facebook Blackout?https://www.wired.com/story/facebook-eu-us-data-transfers/Music by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by Matt Burgess Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: Morgan explores a plan to tackle deadly heatwaves through afternoon naps, and Grace investigates the technology hoping to tap into your brainThe stories we walked about this week:The Age of Brain-Computer Interfaces Is on the Horizonhttps://www.wired.com/story/synchron-brain-computer-interface/How Siestas Might Help Europe Survive Deadly Heat Waveshttps://www.wired.com/story/how-siestas-might-help-europe-survive-deadly-heat-waves/Music by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by Matt Burgess Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: Morgan explores the global trade in abortion pills, and Matt Burgess investigates the strange case of the severed internet cablesThe stories we walked about this week:Abortion Pill Demand Is Driving an Underground Networkhttps://www.wired.com/story/the-wild-abortion-pill-supply-chain/The Unsolved Mystery Attack on Internet Cables in Parishttps://www.wired.com/story/france-paris-internet-cable-cuts-attack/Music by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by Matt Burgess Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: how China took control of the world’s lithium supply and we explain why your next car could be a threat to national security. Western automakers built their fortunes on the internal combustion engine. Now China has ambitions to define the electric vehicle age.The stories we talked about this week (and more!):China Built Your iPhone. Will It Build Your Next Car?https://www.wired.com/story/foxconn-apple-car-china/The Rise and Precarious Reign of China’s Battery Kinghttps://www.wired.com/story/catl-china-battery-production-evs/Is Your New Car a Threat to National Security?https://www.wired.com/story/china-cars-surveillance-national-security/Music by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by Matt Burgess Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

After a brief pause last week, the WIRED podcast returns.Coming up today: Natasha on what it’s like working at Twitter amid Elon Musk chaos, and Matt Reynolds on a mad plan to grow plants without sunlight.The stories we talked about this week:As Elon Musk Walks, Twitter Workers Say No One’s in Chargehttps://www.wired.com/story/plants-growing-in-darkness/Scientists Are Trying to Grow Crops in the Darkhttps://www.wired.com/story/plants-growing-in-darkness/Music by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by Matt Burgess Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: how Covid tracking apps are pivoting for commercial profit and we talk about the future of genome sequencing.The stories we talked about this week:How Covid Tracking Apps Are Pivoting for Commercial Profithttps://www.wired.com/story/covid-19-data-switch/How Genome Sequencing Will Change Our Liveshttps://www.penguin.co.uk/books/112/1120653/genomics--wired-guides-/9781847943408.htmlMusic by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by Matt Burgess Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: we speak to the people picking up the slack after their colleagues quit and get stuck into a messy argument about microbe names.The stories we talked about this week:The Almighty Squabble Over Who Gets to Name Microbeshttps://www.wired.com/story/microbe-names-fight/They Quit. Now You're Picking Up the Slackhttps://www.wired.co.uk/article/they-quit-now-youre-picking-up-the-slackMusic by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by Matt Burgess Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: how Russia is remaking Ukraine’s internet in its own image and the pros and cons of Canada’s bold new drug law.The stories we talked about this week:Canada Moves to Decriminalize Possession of ‘Hard’ Drugshttps://www.wired.com/story/canada-moves-to-decriminalize-possession-of-hard-drugs/Russia Is Taking Over Ukraine’s Internethttps://www.wired.com/story/ukraine-russia-internet-takeover/Music by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by Matt Burgess Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: Morgan explores the problems facing Google in Russia, and Grace tells us all about the Great ReinfectionThe stories we talked about this week:Welcome to the Great Reinfectionhttps://www.wired.com/story/welcome-to-the-great-reinfection/Google's Russian Empire Faces an Uncertain Futurehttps://www.wired.com/story/google-russia-exit/Music by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by Matt Burgess Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: Natasha reveals the latest trick to lure people back to the office and Amit unmasks the many problems with the lie detector.The stories we talked about this week:Employers Are Luring Workers Back to the Office—With Plantshttps://www.wired.co.uk/article/office-plants-hybrid-workingMurder, Obsession and the Birth of the Lie Detectorhttps://twitter.com/amitkatwala/status/1513498832344174598Music by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by Matt Burgess Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: the fallout from the impending fall of Roe v Wade and we look back at four years of Europe’s landmark data privacy law.The stories we talked about this week:Patients May Not Receive Miscarriage Care in a Post-Roe Americahttps://www.wired.com/story/miscarriage-care-roe-versus-wade/The Ramifications of Roe v. Wade’s Fall Won’t Stop at Abortion Banshttps://www.wired.com/story/ramifications-of-post-roe-world/All of WIRED's coverage on a Post-Roe Americahttps://www.wired.com/tag/reproductive-rights/How GDPR Is Failinghttps://www.wired.com/story/gdpr-2022/Music by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by Matt Burgess Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: a potential roadblock on the route to nuclear fusion and how the Kremlin infiltrated Russia’s biggest social media network.The stories we talked about this week:Nuclear Fusion Is Already Facing a Fuel Crisishttps://www.wired.com/story/nuclear-fusion-is-already-facing-a-fuel-crisis/Music by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by Matt Burgess Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: we explain why the crypto world may be crumbling and look at the flaws in the European Union’s new plan to crack down on child sexual abuse images. The stories we talked about this week:The EU Wants Big Tech to Scan Your Private Chats for Child Abusehttps://www.wired.com/story/europe-csam-scanning-law-chat-encryption/Music by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by Matt Burgess Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: how Shanghai is rewriting the rules of Chinese censorship and we explain why Americans need to eat less cows.The stories we talked about this week:You Don’t Have to Quit Meat to Save the Planethttps://www.wired.com/story/beef-eating-deforestation/Shanghai Is Rewriting Chinese Censorship Amid Lockdownhttps://www.wired.com/story/shanghai-lockdown-china-censorship/Music by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by Matt Burgess Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: we delve into the latest European Big Tech regulation thriller and find out why a spike in hepatitis cases in kids has scientists hunting for answers.The stories we talked about this week:Ukraine War Prompts Europe's New Emergency Rules for the Internethttps://www.wired.com/story/europe-digital-services-act/Europe Has Traded Away Its Online Porn Lawhttps://www.wired.com/story/digital-services-act-deepfake-porn/Hepatitis Cases in Kids Have Scientists Hunting for Answershttps://www.wired.com/story/hepatitis-cases-in-kids-have-scientists-hunting-for-answers/Music by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by Matt Burgess Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: the future of mRNA vaccines, and how the gas crisis is creating a two-tier energy system in the UK.The Energy Crisis Is Pushing Solar Adoption—for Those Who Can Payhttps://www.wired.com/story/uk-energy-crisis-solar/For mRNA, Covid Vaccines Are Just the Beginninghttps://www.wired.com/story/for-mrna-vaccines-covid-was-just-the-beginning/Music by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited by Matt Burgess Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Coming up today: Matt Burgess dives into Ukraine’s information war, and Grace meets a woman who was born without her temporal lobe.She Was Missing a Chunk of Her Brain. It Didn’t Matterhttps://www.wired.com/story/she-was-missing-a-chunk-of-her-brain-it-didnt-matter/Russia Is Leaking Data Like a Sievehttps://www.wired.com/story/russia-ukraine-data/Music by Filip HnizdoProduced and edited (remotely) by Matt Burgess Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices