Latest Science and Technology Updates

Robotic vehicles from Firefly Aerospace of Texas and Ispace of Japan launched from the same SpaceX rocket early Wednesday and will soon part ways. Both are aiming for the lunar surface.

SpaceX has launched a pair of lunar landers for U.S. and Japanese companies looking to jumpstart business up there. The two landers rocketed away early Wednesday from Florida, the latest in a stream of private spacecraft aiming for the moon. They shared the ride to save money but planned to peel […]

Robotic vehicles from Firefly Aerospace of Texas and Ispace of Japan launched from the same SpaceX rocket early Wednesday and will soon part ways. Both are aiming for the lunar surface.

A new year of lunar exploration kicked off early Wednesday, when two robotic landers and a small rover began their journeys to the moon.

SpaceX launches a pair of lunar landers for U.S. and Japanese companies.

A polar vortex that has hit much of the U.S. with ice and snow has dealt a glancing blow to Florida and its manatee population. The manatees have been forced to seek warmer waters as coastal temperatures have dropped. The warm-water outflows of about a dozen power plants around Florida are a […]

Digital mental health platforms were supposed to expand access for the neediest patients. Researchers say that hasn’t happened.

Pigs, donkeys and even a mini cow named Cuddles found a temporary home after the LA fires.

A federal analysis that will shape the influential U.S. Dietary Guidelines questions alcohol’s overall benefits.

Less than a week before Donald Trump takes office, the SEC has filed a complaint against his most prominent benefactor.

The UK led the way in this field of science until recently - but now other countries have overtaken. So, how can that lead be recovered?

Never miss a rocket launch, meteor shower, eclipse or other event that’s out of this world.

The company, started by the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, reset its countdown clock repeatedly over a period of just over two hours before eventually postponing the test flight to another day.

Never miss a rocket launch, meteor shower, eclipse or other event that’s out of this world.

The company, started by the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, reset its countdown clock repeatedly over a period of just over two hours before eventually postponing the test flight to another day.

Analysis found that more than 64,000 Palestinians may have been killed by traumatic injury in the first nine months of the war.

An international commission made the case for focusing on body fat quantity and the illnesses people experience.

The agency issued designs for front-of-package lists that food companies would be required to include.

Severance, Silo, and Slow Horses are among the best shows on Apple TV+ this month.

Levels of PFAS in sewage sludge used as fertilizer can pose risks that sometimes exceed safety thresholds “by several orders of magnitude,” the agency said.

Catherine, Princess of Wales, confirmed Tuesday that her cancer is in remission during a visit with the staff and patients of the Royal Marsden in Chelsea.

Two open letters from scientists and science advocacy groups reflect a growing anxiety about the future of federal science under President-elect Trump

White supremacists and MAGA livestreamers are using the wildfires to solicit donations, juice social media engagement, and recruit new followers.

A look at the curious history of Venn diagrams and how they blend logic with geometry

Angelenos have their evacuation bags packed and their phones within reach because of the wildfires. How much longer do we have to live like this?

The OnePlus 13 sets the stage for a feisty battle for the smartphone crown in 2025.

The space agency’s Spinoff project displays the countless everyday technologies that were spurred by space-related research.

Deadly wildfires continue to ravage the Los Angeles area as firefighters battle windy conditions to contain the blazes. But what does it mean to “contain” a wildfire?

The WNYC science program “Radiolab” partnered with the International Astronomical Union to solicit nearly 3,000 submissions. The Roman goddess of doorways and transitions won out.

The WNYC science program “Radiolab” partnered with the International Astronomical Union to solicit nearly 3,000 submissions. The Roman goddess of doorways and transitions won out.

Recurring dreams may feature taking a test the dreamer didn’t study for, having to make a speech or being attacked. Here’s why our sleeping brain comes back to these unpleasant dreams again and again

Don’t cancel therapy just yet, but these portable, at-home massagers might be the hack you need after stressful days.

Even with innovative RGB applets, Das’ latest mechanical keyboard feels stuck in the past.

It won’t solve all of your privacy problems, but a virtual private network can make you a less tempting target for hackers.

In Nnedi Okorafor’s new book, Death of the Author, a young author experiences the exhilaration, and panic, of living in the world she’d previously only dreamed of.

These services deliver freshly roasted, delicious coffee picks right to your door—each with its own twist.

Fires can make drinking water, pipes and tanks unsafe. An environmental engineer explains why that’s so and what to do

Paying US federal and state taxes online can be confusing, and one wrong move can result in penalties or extra money owed. We break it down so you can have the most worry-free tax filing possible.

Signals from the global navigation satellite system can be jammed and spoofed, so a Google spinout is working on an alternative positioning and navigation system that uses the Earth’s magnetic field.

Tahnoun bin Zayed al Nahyan—the UAE’s chess-obsessed, jiujitsu-loving intelligence chief—controls vast sums of sovereign wealth. America’s AI giants are scrambling for a piece of it.

Los Angeles-area residents who already face warnings about their tap water could be without it for some time, experts told NBC News, owing to concerns about the damage done to local infrastructure and the chemicals released by wildfires.

Huione Guarantee, a gray market researchers believe is central to the online scam ecosystem, now includes a messaging app, stablecoin, and crypto exchange—while facilitating $24 billion in transactions.

From personalized gifts to business essentials, WIRED can help you save with our selection of VistaPrint promo codes.

Head into the new year with big savings from AirDoctor, including 25% off when you use our promo code.

TOKYO (AP) — A tsunami advisory was issued for part of southwest Japan after a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Monday, but the warnings to stay away from coastal areas were later lifted. A few instances of minor damage were reported. Japan’s Meteorological Agency initially estimated the […]

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New customers can get $150 off the first five weeks of their subscription with our featured Blue Apron deal.

Blue Origin did not immediately set a new launch date, saying the team needed more time to resolve the problem.

Wildfires burning in cities unleash a toxic, unpredictable combination of compounds into the air

Aircraft battling fires raging through the Los Angeles area are dropping more than water: Hundreds of thousands of gallons of hot-pink fire suppressant have been dumped ahead of the flames in a desperate effort to stop them before they destroy more neighborhoods. Fire agencies say the suppressants […]

That estimate is based on a new study that found a higher lifetime risk than previously thought

The National Weather Service’s Los Angeles page screams ‘Particularly Dangerous Situation’ in hot pink letters against a gray background. It’s a rare warning, aimed at seizing attention before extreme wildfire risk is predicted to start in Southern California at 4 a.m. Tuesday. PDS warnings […]

Despite the serious risks of drinking it, a growing movement — including the potential health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — claims it has benefits. Should we take them more seriously?

With a tool often used in the study of dinosaur fossils, scientists uncovered new details in ornate tattoos on the skin of members of the Chancay culture of Peru.

Proving skeptics wrong, he shared a Nobel Prize in 2013 for using computers to better understand chemical reactions and biological processes.

A UK judge ruled against James Howells, who has been trying to get a hard drive with private keys to a cryptocurrency fortune out of a landfill for over a decade.

Researchers have used lasers to uncover highly intricate designs of ancient tattoos on mummies from Peru. The preserved skin of the mummies and the black tattoo ink show a stark contrast. They reveal fine details in tattoos dating to around 1250 A.D. that aren’t visible to the naked eye. […]

Some say they joined Xiaohongshu, which translates to “little red book,” to spite the US government after a ban on TikTok became more likely.

Wildfires are storming into urban areas more frequently, and toxins in homes and cars are increasing cancer risk for firefighters

The ferocity and scale of the fires that tore through the Los Angeles area become clearer in photographs

He grew up playing with model construction sets. As an adult, he tinkered with molecules instead, creating nanomachines and winning a Nobel Prize.

Researchers see a growing health danger from the vast plumes of pollution spawned by wildfires like the ones devastating Los Angeles.

By 2060, new dementia cases per year could double to one million because of the growing population of older Americans, a study predicts.

A new study finds that dementia cases will increase at a much higher rate than expected, with lifetime risk rising to 42 percent after age 55

On Monday night you may have a chance to witness the moon obscuring the Red Planet at its brightest, as well as a comet’s closest approach to the sun.

On Monday night you may have a chance to witness the moon obscuring the Red Planet at its brightest, as well as a comet’s closest approach to the sun.

Despite the hype over artificial intelligence in medicine, the systems require consistent monitoring and staffing to put in place and maintain

Outbreaks among the unvaccinated are a predictable consequence of falling immunization rates. But even vaccinated adults may be vulnerable to some illnesses.

Theoretical physicists predict the existence of exotic “paraparticles” that defy classification and could have quantum computing applications

In its original form, the virus survives in just two countries. But a type linked to an oral vaccine used in other nations has already turned up in the West.

Which type of RAM should you buy? Here are the differences explained in nerdy detail.

Ensuring your cat is drinking enough water is one of the best ways to keep your pet healthy. We tested many models, and these were our favorites.

Melted plastic pipes and drastic water-pressure drops are potentially leaching toxic chemicals and contaminants into local supplies. Multiple water authorities in north Los Angeles have issued Do Not Drink notices.

Arctic shipping routes and burgeoning mining opportunities may be part of Greenland’s appeal to President-elect Donald Trump, but each comes with challenges as well

The US government has announced a radical plan to control exports of cutting-edge AI technology to most nations.

WIRED sent reporters far and wide to find out who controls the world's wealth. What did they find? Men. From Trump, Musk, and Putin to the CEOs, crypto schmoes, and solar bros, meet the patriarchy controlling the purse strings.

Now that Novo Nordisk is the world’s weight-loss juggernaut, will it have to betray its first patients—type 1 diabetics?

From tunnels to Tesla factories to SpaceX launch facilities, there’s barely a place on Earth that doesn’t feel the gravitational pull of humanity’s wealthiest reply guy.

The next new thing doesn’t have to cost as much as next month’s paycheck.

AI finance apps are reaching Gen Z and millennial users with personalized chatbots that offer money advice—and upsell them big time.

The holders of the vast majority of the world’s wealth? Men. So many men—from Trump and Musk and Putin to every CEO, crypto schmo, and solar bro in between.

He thought he’d make millions of dollars selling solar panels door-to-door. The reality was much darker.

In this week’s news rundown, norovirus cases are up, a bird flu death is reported and Los Angeles has experienced devastating fires.

Behind the scenes, companies and governments are feeding a trove of data about international travelers into opaque AI tools that aim to predict who’s safe—and who’s a threat.

Nine in 10 new cars in the country are now battery-powered, and it aims to hit 100% later this year.

As many as two billion people suffer from it — including me. Can science finally bring us relief?

Panasonic makes a fiery return with one of the best TVs right now.

After developing chronic pain, I started looking into what scientists do — and still don’t — understand about the disease. Here is what I learned.

Tired of plain drinks and pour-overs? Turn your kitchen into a café with these barista-worthy machines.

Three exotic new species of superconductivity were spotted last year, illustrating the myriad ways electrons can join together to form a frictionless quantum soup.

The Los Angeles area fires represent a worst-case scenario. But fire experts, past reports and risk assessments had all anticipated a wildfire catastrophe to some degree.

Prolonged drought, an exceptionally dry winter and powerful Santa Ana winds set up a dangerous triple whammy of extreme conditions that have fueled several out-of-control wildfires in the Los Angeles area.

The Kenyan villagers surprised by falling satellite debris heralding a new year full of surprises.

Los Angeles' smoke levels pose unique risks to pregnant people and their fetuses. Here's what expectant parents should do to stay safe.

If New Glenn lifts off on Monday as planned, the Amazon founder’s rocket company will be on track to give Elon Musk’s SpaceX some genuine competition.

If New Glenn lifts off on Monday as planned, the Amazon founder’s rocket company will be on track to give Elon Musk’s SpaceX some genuine competition.

It’s widely used because it can slow flames in ways that water can’t. But it also contains heavy metals and other harmful compounds.

So far Meta has only abandoned fact-checking in the US. If and when it expands, the move will be a major blow to the Latin American news ecosystem.

The 1,100-pound mystery object landed in Kenya at the end of December. Experts are still baffled.

Shure’s new USB gaming mic looks familiar, but it might be too streamlined.

In early January, soil moisture in much of Southern California was in the bottom 2 percent of historical records.

Citadel: Diana, The Rig, and Fallout are just a few of the shows you should be watching on Amazon Prime Video this week.

The arrival of La Niña is starving California of rain, and more high Santa Ana winds could be on the way.

These WIRED-tested indoor air-quality monitors have been teaching us things about our air quality we can never unsee.

On January 13, Atlas C/2024 G3 will reach its closest point to the sun.

If you find yourself wanting to say to someone who lost everything, 'You should make a gratitude list,' don't.

Wildfires can irritate our sinuses, skin and eyes. Here's how to care for each when it's smoky out from wind and wildfires.

As astrotourism booms, the northern lights get a boost from digital photography.

As astrotourism booms, the northern lights get a boost from digital photography.

As extreme wildfires become the new norm, scientists are trying to crack how to save lives.

He was a neuropsychiatrist who was studying consciousness when a patient explained what had happened to him. He came to believe the phenomenon was real.

Last year was the planet’s hottest in recorded history, NASA announced, marking two years in a row that global temperatures have shattered records.

While Supreme Court justices pressed both sides in Friday’s oral arguments, experts say it’s hard to see how TikTok gets enough votes to survive.

TikTok is on the clock: ByteDance, the app’s China-based owner, must sell it by January 19 or face a ban

TikTok transformed everyday users into influencers and made entrepreneurs rich via its Shop feature. With the US ban looming, they could lose everything—and many don’t know where to go next.

Experts in processing grief and trauma say there's no right way to comfort a friend during a time of devastation. The most important thing is that you reach out.

Global temperatures in 2024 soared to yet another record level, but this time it was such a big jump that Earth temporarily passed a major symbolic climate threshold. Three government climate agencies in Europe and Japan say last year’s global average temperature easily passed 2023's record heat […]

President-elect Trump has incorrectly blamed California water management for the destruction from the recent fires in the Los Angeles area

As he prepares to leave the White House, Ali Zaidi is sober about what’s coming—but says too much has already been built and invested for Donald Trump to undo it.

Scientists have identified a gene that causes production of a substance in some citrus that interferes with many medications.

Dr. Fenwick, a neuropsychiatrist, assembled anecdotes from more than 300 people in his book “The Truth in the Light.” Here are some of them.

Data WIRED collected during the 2024 Democratic National Convention strongly suggests the use of a cell-site simulator, a controversial spy device that intercepts sensitive data from every phone in its range.

The blaze threatened the observatory and communications infrastructure at the peak. Later, an observatory official said it appeared to be under control.

Touchscreens don’t always get the job done. Try one of these WIRED-tested controllers for your iPhone or Android instead.

Conventionally, the size, shape, and biomechanics of cartilages are determined by their voluminous extracellular matrix. By contrast, we found that multiple murine cartilages consist of lipid-filled cells called lipochondrocytes. Despite resembling ...

Sociosexual preference is critical for reproduction and survival. However, neural mechanisms encoding social decisions on sex preference remain unclear. In this study, we show that both male and female mice exhibit female preference but shift to male ...

How populations adapt to their environment is a fundamental question in biology. Yet, we know surprisingly little about this process, especially for endangered species, such as nonhuman great apes. Chimpanzees, our closest living relatives, are ...

Elucidating the interaction between membrane proteins and antibodies requires whole-cell imaging at high spatiotemporal resolution. Lattice light-sheet (LLS) microscopy offers fast volumetric imaging but suffers from limited spatial resolution. DNA-based ...

In a new proposal issued Friday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is seeking to regulate virtual currencies used in Roblox and other video games like US dollars.

The prion disease that causes deer, elk and other cervids to waste away could someday jump to humans, but many hunters are not convinced they should worry

Eggs can carry nasty viruses and bacteria. Here’s how to store and eat them safely

People talk more about past events than future ones—and memories hold clues for navigating the present

The heavens will provide a bounty of viewing treasures in the coming year

Pluto was unseated as the ninth planet in our solar system. Will we find a real Planet Nine?

Last year was the world's warmest on record, bringing temperatures above a politically symbolic milestone.

Earth records its hottest year ever in 2024 and passes major climate threshold.

The year 2024 was the hottest on record and the first to top 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming. All 10 of the hottest years have been in the past decade

Damages from the recent fires in the Los Angeles area could overwhelm California’s already stressed insurer of last resort

An international team of scientists say they’ve successfully drilled one of the oldest ice cores yet, penetrating nearly 2 miles to Antarctic bedrock to reach ice that's at least 1.2 million years old. The project was completed in January by a European-funded project called Beyond EPICA. Analysis […]

The latest in science and policy

A long-awaited La Nina has finally appeared, but meteorologists say the periodic cooling of Pacific Ocean waters is weak and unlikely to cause as many weather problems as usual. La Nina is the flip side of the better-known El Nino. It's an irregular rising of unusually cold water in a key part of […]

The Bird's Foot, critical for shipping and wildlife, is “one of the most threatened places in America”

Despite decades of doubt and dismissal, biochemist Katalin Karikó never gave up on the research that gave us mRNA COVID vaccines in record time

A spacecraft has beamed back some of the best close-up photos yet of Mercury's north pole. The European and Japanese robotic explorer buzzed the planet's polar region Wednesday. The European Space Agency released the snapshots Thursday, showing the permanently shadowed craters at the top of of our […]

Stevenage-built BepiColombo makes final flyby of Mercury ahead of entering the plant's orbit in 2026.

An international team of scientists announced Thursday they’ve successfully drilled one of the oldest ice cores yet, penetrating nearly 2 miles (2.8 kilometers) to Antarctic bedrock to reach ice they say is at least 1.2 million years old.

Identifying what drove the late Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions on the continents remains one of the most contested topics in historical science. This is especially so in Australia, which lost 90% of its large species by 40,000 years ago, more than ...

Axions, hypothetical elementary particles that remain undetectable in nature, can arise as quasiparticles in three-dimensional crystals known as axion insulators. Previous implementations of axion insulators have largely been limited to two-dimensional ...

Distinct brain circuits control sex preferences in mice

How mammalian herbivores evolve to feed on chemically defended plants remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the adaptation of two species of woodrats (Neotoma lepida and N. bryanti) to creosote bush (Larrea tridentata), a toxic shrub ...

Lipid-rich cartilage points to nonmetabolic functions of lipid vacuoles in mammals

HomeScienceVol. 387, No. 6730A river with a mind of its ownBack To Vol. 387, No. 6730 Full accessFeature Share on A river with a mind of its ownWarren CornwallAuthors Info & AffiliationsScience9 Jan 2025Vol 387, Issue 6730p. 130DOI: 10.1126/science.adv7636 PREVIOUS ARTICLELosing […]

Editors’ selections from the current scientific literature

HomeScienceVol. 387, No. 6730Green building materials undercut EU plastic goalsBack To Vol. 387, No. 6730 Full accessLetter Share on Green building materials undercut EU plastic goalsAnna Cipriani [email protected], Federico Lugli, and Vittorio MaselliAuthors Info & AffiliationsScience9 Jan […]

Haphazardly applied, frequently lost, and often ignored, the vital forensic tool also has a troubling past

The lack of consensus at the United Nations (UN) global plastics treaty negotiations in December may seem like a setback, but declaring the talks a failure is premature. The process has not collapsed but has been extended, with further negotiations ...

Emissions reductions may be met with relatively small costs

Achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions likely entails not only lowering emissions but also deploying carbon dioxide (CO2) removal technologies. We explored the annual potential to store CO2 in building materials. We found that fully replacing ...

A historian confronts the complicated origins and uncertain future of priming research

The impacts of degradation and deforestation on tropical forests are poorly understood, particularly at landscape scales. We present an extensive ecosystem analysis of the impacts of logging and conversion of tropical forest to oil palm from a large-...

HomeScienceVol. 387, No. 6730Teaming up to save Argentine Chaco forestsBack To Vol. 387, No. 6730 Full accessLetterOutside the Tower Share on Teaming up to save Argentine Chaco forestsMatias Mastrangelo and Micaela CaminoAuthors Info & AffiliationsScience9 Jan 2025Vol 387, Issue 6730p. 148DOI: […]

Bile acids differentially affect immune cell responses to liver cancer

Highlights from the Science family of journals

Building materials could facilitate long-term removal of atmospheric carbon dioxide

Over half of Earth’s land surface is covered with fire-prone vegetation, with grassy ecosystems—such as grasslands, savannas, woodlands, and shrublands—being the most extensive. In the context of the climate crisis, scientists worldwide are exploring ...

NASA sees two paths for saving its beleaguered plan to retrieve materials from the Red Planet but won’t choose between them until 2026

Findings reveal the memory-related brain processes that generate unwanted thoughts when people are sleep deprived

After staying flat for nearly two decades, electricity use is starting to rise again, and the boom in wind and solar power hasn’t kept pace.

What is probably the world's oldest ice, dating back 1.2m years ago, has been dug out from deep within Antarctica.

The sensation of being detached from your surroundings may point to a hard-to-diagnose condition.

Rescuers in the freezing, high-altitude Tibet region in western China searched a second day for any remaining victims of a deadly earthquake that struck near a holy city for Tibetan Buddhists, before shifting their focus to resettling the survivors. Tents, quilts and other relief items are being […]

Demand for water to fight the Palisades Fire led all three of the area's water tanks and some fire hydrants to temporarily dry up in the last roughly 24 hours.

The results of a new federal analysis were drawn from studies conducted in other countries, where drinking water contains more fluoride than in the United States.

Charon is large in size relative to Pluto, and is locked in a tight orbit with the dwarf planet. A new simulation suggests how it ended up there.

Charon is large in size relative to Pluto, and is locked in a tight orbit with the dwarf planet. A new simulation suggests how it ended up there.

In California and elsewhere, fast-moving fires are particularly damaging and expensive because they take people by surprise, making evacuations difficult

A new study found that flood deaths can rise by 25 percent three months after a disaster

A fire in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles has forced some residents to evacuate amid "life-threatening and destructive" winds.

It’s not causing panic! in the fossil record, but a 430-million-year-old mollusk discovery in Britain is a source of excitement for some scientists.

Pulsating blood vessels push fluid into and out of the brains of slumbering mice

Their keen noses are helping researchers document the diversity of fungi living underneath Pacific Northwest forests

Pluto and its largest moon Charon could have come together via a 10-hour “kiss-and-capture” encounter after a grazing collision

A federal court’s decision deals a legal blow to the open Internet

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms worsen right before and during a period, a new study finds, and this could impact treatment

The Trump administration may undermine U.S. leadership and the international system of global health cooperation. Pandemic preparedness, resilient health systems and reproductive rights will suffer worldwide

It seems like time slows in an emergency or in the heat of a sports match. Here are a few explanations for this altered perception

Back scratches with metal finger extensions? Face tracing with feather-tipped wands? It's not S&M; it's self-care at a Pasadena spa.

Nature can affect our nervous system and diversify our microbiome—and you don’t need to go on a hike to reap the benefits.

Active worker bumblebees were spotted in Scotland over the Christmas break.

NASA on Tuesday announced an overhaul to its plan to collect samples from Mars and return them to Earth.

The nature of the Santa Ana winds makes them perfectly suited to fueling blazes like the Palisades Fire, and climate change is increasing the risk

Platform fosters collegial interactions among scientists, but potentially limits interactions beyond the academic community

Louisiana has reported the first U.S. fatality from avian influenza. Most of the country’s human cases have been mild

The Mars Sample Return effort was billions of dollars over budget and not expected to return to Earth with its samples until 2040.

Rising temperatures might be altering the atmosphere in ways that cause more extreme winter weather, scientists say

Blasts of Arctic air have brought frigid temperatures that are much colder than normal to parts of the U.S., but that “normal” background is warmer than in the past

Not in this universe, a new study concludes.

A government efficiency panel threatens U.S. government competence and constitutional underpinnings, warn two administrative science experts

Transplanted chloroplasts endured two days inside animal cells—and got to work

In this six-part series, we'll give you quick exercises for different body parts every week to help you stay limber.