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How to Spot Abortion-Related Misinformation
Between pregnancy “crisis centers” and “abortion pill testing,” there's a lot of questionable info out there. Here's how to tell what's evidence-based and what's not. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
History Says the 1918 Flu Killed the Young and Healthy. These Bones Say Otherwise
A study of bones held in a Cleveland museum reveals a new side to the pandemic’s story—and a new way to think about pandemics to come. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
This Vaccine Protects Against Cancer—but Not Enough Boys Are Getting It
The HPV vaccine can effectively prevent a range of cancers if administered at the right age. But boys still can't access it in most countries. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Amazon Let Its Drivers’ Urine Be Sold as an Energy Drink
Amazon sold bottles of urine marketed as an energy drink, a new documentary reveals. The company also makes it alarmingly easy to sell dangerous items to children. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
AI Chatbots Can Guess Your Personal Information From What You Type
The AI models behind chatbots like ChatGPT can accurately guess a user’s personal information from innocuous chats. Researchers say the troubling ability could be used by scammers or to target ads. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Why Scientists Are Bugging the Rainforest
Scientists use microphones and AI to automatically detect species by their chirps and croaks. This bioacoustics research could be critical for protecting ecosystems on a warming planet. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
How Hop Nerds Are Saving Your Favorite Beer From Climate Change
Extreme heat and droughts are cutting into hop plants’ yields and making them less bitter. But scientists and farmers are brewing up clever solutions. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
X’s Sneaky New Ads Might Be Illegal
Experts say a new advertising format on the platform formerly known as Twitter is misleading for users and could fall foul of FTC rules. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Hydro Dams Are Struggling to Handle the World’s Intensifying Weather
Climate change is robbing some hydro dams of water while oversupplying others—forcing managers to employ new forecasting technology and clever strategies to capitalize on what they have. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
What Do We Owe the Octopus?
Mounting research suggests that cephalopods experience pain. Now, the National Institutes of Health is considering new animal welfare rules that would put them in the same category as monkeys. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Google’s AI Is Making Traffic Lights More Efficient and Less Annoying
Google is analyzing data from its Maps app to suggest how cities can adjust traffic light timing to cut wait times and emissions. The company says it’s already cutting stops for millions of drivers. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
New York’s Airbnb Ban Is Descending Into Pure Chaos
People are listing short-term rentals on social media and lesser-known platforms, bolstering a rental black market in New York City. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The Game Theory of the Auto Strikes
As the United Auto Workers strike against Detroit’s Big Three drags on, a classic behavioral theory provides a way to figure out how long they may continue. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Chatbot Hallucinations Are Poisoning Web Search
Untruths spouted by chatbots ended up on the web—and Microsoft's Bing search engine served them up as facts. Generative AI could make search harder to trust. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The Team Helping Women Fight Digital Domestic Abuse
Location-enabled tech designed to make our lives easier is often exploited by domestic abusers. Refuge, a UK nonprofit, helps women to leave abusive relationships, secure their devices, and stay safe. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
India Is Using Terrorism Laws to Target Journalists
Police seized laptops and phones from reporters working for the anti-establishment Newsclick website—the latest outlet to be raided during a crackdown on media in India. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
What Will Plants Be Like on Alien Worlds?
Scientists know enough about exoplanets to speculate about how simple plants might arise on them. But don't count on them being green. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
X Fires Its Election Team Before a Huge Election Year
The “last man standing” in X’s threat intelligence team has been fired, as the company guts its election integrity response ahead of a year in which more than 50 countries go to the polls. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
An Epic Fight Over What Really Killed the Dinosaurs
A deep learning model has joined a vigorous debate over whether volcanoes began dinosaur doomsday well before the asteroid hit. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Amazon’s All-Powerful ‘Buy Box’ Is at the Heart of Its New Antitrust Troubles
The US Federal Trade Commission filed a long-anticipated antitrust complaint alleging that Amazon uses its power over sellers to keep ecommerce prices artificially high. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Why Rain Is Getting Fiercer on a Warming Planet
Extreme rain is getting more extreme as temperatures rise. That may seem counterintuitive, but the underlying physics is crystal clear. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
California's Governor Vetoes State Ban on Driverless Trucks
California lawmakers, egged on by unions, voted to require a human onboard autonomous trucks over fears about safety and job losses. Governor Gavin Newsom was having none of it. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Revolut Needs to Get Its House in Order
The fintech unicorn Revolut needs a UK banking license to sustain its growth, but it keeps tripping up. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
How Elon Musk and Tesla Helped Spark the Auto Strikes
Tesla isn't involved in the strike at Detroit’s Big Three automakers. But the EV maker and its irrepressible CEO had plenty to do with why the walkouts happened. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The Mysterious 'Warming Hole' in the Middle of the US
The world is rapidly heating. So why has the central US been weirdly cool compared to the rest of the country? Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
High Blood Pressure Is the World’s Biggest Killer. Now There’s a Plan to Tackle It
Once considered a disease of the affluent, hypertension now affects a third of all adults. The WHO wants nations to get organized to combat it. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The Auto Strike Threatens a Supply Chain Already Weakened by Covid
A prolonged autoworker strike would be especially painful for smaller players inside the complex auto supply chain. It could also impact thousands more workers and push up car prices. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Autoworkers Prepare to Strike for a Place in the EV Future
Some 150,000 US autoworkers are poised to strike this week for better pay and pledges that green jobs won’t be worse jobs. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Why Some Animals Thrive in Cities
Why does some wildlife thrive in the city? Figuring this out is the first step to boosting urban biodiversity. And that's good for everyone. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Is Google’s Search Engine Smart or Sneaky? A Court Will Decide
Google’s search dominance is going on trial in the biggest US antitrust case since a crackdown on Big Tech that started in 2019. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Facebook Is Giving Up on News—Again
Meta says it will retire Facebook's "news" tag in the UK, France, and Germany, ahead of rules that might force it to pay for content. Users may not care, but it has left the media scrambling. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Big Batteries Are Booming. So Are Fears They'll Catch Fire
The world needs thousands of new grid battery installations to fight climate change. They rarely catch fire—but many people are skeptical of having one next door. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Facebook Trains Its AI on Your Data. Opting Out May Be Futile
Here's how to request that your personal information not be used to train Meta's AI model. "Request" is the operative word here. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The UK Is Poised to Force a Bad Law on the Internet
WhatsApp and Signal have threatened to shut down services in Britain if the Online Safety Bill includes restrictions that undermine encryption. The government is pushing it through anyway. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
A Billion-Dollar Plan to Fix Farm Emissions Might Make Things Worse
Agriculture is a huge source of greenhouse gas emissions, so the US is getting serious about reform. But some scientists say current efforts are misguided. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Climate Change Has Finally Come For Burning Man
Unpredictable weather and delays following Hurricane Hilary turned the festival for ultra-wealthy techno-utopians and Hedonists into a literal quagmire. Welcome to the new normal. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Meta Isn't Enforcing Its Own Political Ads Policy, While the 2024 US Election Looms
A nonprofit watchdog group has found that the right-wing group PragerU has pushed out more than 100 political ads on Facebook and Instagram, flouting Meta’s policies. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The Inventor Behind a Rush of AI Copyright Suits Is Trying to Show His Bot Is Sentient
Stephen Thaler’s series of high-profile copyright cases has made headlines worldwide. He’s done it to demonstrate his AI is capable of independent thought. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Turtles Carry Signs of Humanity’s Nuclear History in Their Shells
Turtles’ shells contain a chemical record of the environment—including highly enriched uranium, an indicator of nuclear weapons development. What can we learn from these accidental archivists? Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The Killer App for Threads Is the Web
Threads coming to the web doesn’t mean the new social app is the ultimate Twitter killer, but it makes it infinitely more usable. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Trump's Prosecution Is America's Last Hope
Social norms—not laws—are the underlying fabric of democracy. The Georgia indictment against Donald Trump is the last remaining tool left to repair that which he’s torn apart. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Brain Implants That Help Paralyzed People Speak Just Broke New Records
Two new studies show that AI-powered devices can help paralyzed people communicate faster and more accurately. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The Myth of ‘Open Source’ AI
A new analysis shows that “open source” AI tools like Llama 2 are still controlled by big tech companies in a number of ways. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
How to Talk to Your Kids About Social Media and Mental Health
Here’s what the science really says about teens and screens—and how to start the conversation with young people of any age. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
A Brain Implant Helped Stroke Survivors Regain Movement
Stimulating the brain with electricity has been used for 30 years to treat Parkinson’s disease. Now, researchers are testing whether it could help restore hand and arm motion. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
How the World’s Workers Are Donning Cooling Vests to Battle Record Heat Waves
Garments that can be packed with ice or equipped with fans are becoming increasingly popular among workers exposed to high heat. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
In the Dreams Favela, Wi-Fi and Ecommerce Promise a Better Future
A tech-led initiative to bring economic development to Brazil’s shantytowns starts with a radical idea: Listen to the people who live there. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Fake Meat Is Bleeding, but It’s Not Dead Yet
Beyond Meat’s weak sales led to headlines about “peak veganism” and the end of plant-based meats. But demand in Europe shows there’s still life in alternative proteins. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
How a Firefly Course Is Saving Japan’s Favorite Glowing Insect
The fireflies of Moriyama City have long been prized (and hunted) for their yellow-green glow. To bring populations back up, amateur conservationists are hitting the books. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
This Bold Plan to Kick the World’s Coal Habit Might Actually Work
Novel climate-financing deals are promising to shut off dirty energy plants in developing countries and retrain their staff to work in the green economy. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices