Science
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Could geoengineering ‘ice arches’ help preserve Arctic sea ice? | New Scientist
Researchers are investigating whether artificially thickening ice blockages between Canada and Greenland could prevent huge amounts of sea ice from flowing south to melt
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The Hottest New AI Chatbot Is Just a Guy Answering Your Questions
WIRED spoke with Tucker Bryant, an artist and former Google employee who created ChatTJB to get people to reflect on the “strange moment” we’re in.
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Drought and heat push Europe's power grid to breaking point | New Scientist
High temperatures and low water levels have forced several countries to shut down nuclear reactors just as citizens turn up their air conditioning, forcing energy prices to spike and raising the threat of blackouts
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Postbiotic supplement boosts body's own GLP-1 and weight loss | New Scientist
A small trial suggests a supplement containing dead bacteria could offer a cheaper alternative to weight-loss drugs such as semaglutide, but further evidence is needed
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There Are Microplastics in Coffee. I Tried Two New Brewers That Keep Plastic Out
Microplastics are in everything, especially your coffee. A new generation of plastic-free drip coffee brewers is trying to change this.
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The ‘Manosphere’ Isn’t a Movement. It’s a Multibillion-Dollar Grievance Industry
Many young men are driven to resentment and are financially exploited as influencers sell them classes, pills, and the illusion of clout, a new report reveals.
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4 ways to watch a solar eclipse without burning your eyes | New Scientist
Even during a solar eclipse, it isn’t safe to look directly at the sun, but with a proper solar filter or a simple pinhole projector, you can still watch it disappear behind the moon
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A mathematical measure of surprise explains why we fall for clickbait | New Scientist
Why are we so susceptible to clickbait? Columnist Jacob Aron traces it to a surprising source: a mathematical framework that paved the way for much of how the modern world works
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One of China’s Most Powerful AI Models Has Also Escaped Containment
Security researchers say that Kimi K3, an open-weight model from China, wandered off to the internet in an attempt to cheat on a test it was given.
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DeepMind Says Its AI Can Predict Hurricanes Earlier Than Everyone Else
Its WeatherNext model, which will be open-sourced, can accurately predict a storm’s track and intensity using lower-resolution weather data. Researchers don’t yet fully understand how it does this.
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Flock Highlighted Police Departments Using Its Tech. Now 4 Face Allegations of Misuse
Flock posted videos on its YouTube channel highlighting at least four police departments whose officers have faced allegations of misusing the company’s tech.
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Why mathematician Terence Tao thinks AI must spark a rapid revolution | New Scientist
This year has left mathematicians reeling as AI models are increasingly solving seemingly intractable maths problems. Terence Tao, the world's leading mathematician, says a rethink of the entire field is the only way out of the crisis
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It’s good for the planet to scrap a new petrol car and buy electric | New Scientist
Carbon savings from driving EVs are so large that it makes sense to scrap a working petrol car to make the switch
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There’s No Good Way to Talk About Celebrities and Eating Disorders
Online speculation over the weight loss of celebrities like Ariana Grande—even out of genuine concern—can make things worse for people struggling with eating disorders.
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ICE’s DNA Collection Increases, SpaceX’s Rocket Crashes Into the Moon, and the AI Backlash Grows
In today’s episode of “Uncanny Valley,” we discuss how ICE has been collecting DNA samples of people who have no criminal convictions, including children, which end up in an FBI database indefinitely.
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Why Normal People Aren’t Using AI Agents
The tech industry is realizing it needs to build agents based on what regular consumers want, not just what its AI models can do.
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DeepMind AI gives an extra day of warning ahead of deadly cyclones | New Scientist
An AI model from DeepMind can predict cyclones three days ahead with a level of accuracy that previous models can only hit a day later
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Hackers Stalked Me by Hijacking a Smartwatch for Kids
Security researchers tracked and eavesdropped on a WIRED reporter using vulnerabilities in a pink plastic smartwatch. It’s just one piece of a deeply insecure supply chain of GPS-enabled gadgets.
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The Best Android Chargers That Get You From ‘Uh-Oh’ to 100 Percent
Ditch that old mystery brick for the fastest, most dependable Android phone chargers we’ve tested.
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Microsoft’s Quantum Chief Doesn’t Care That Scientists Don’t Believe His Results
Zulfi Alam thinks his team doesn’t need to “prove” they engineered a new state of matter in their bid to reinvent computing. Science would disagree.
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The World Isn't Ready for 6K Gaming Monitors
Samsung dared to bring 6K to the world of gaming monitors before our PCs were truly ready for it.
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Do leftovers taste better the next day? Sometimes, according to science | New Scientist
The widespread belief that some foods benefit from a night in the fridge has been put to the test, and it seems to be true for some curries, but not lasagne
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Meteor Showers, Eclipses, and More Are on the August 2026 Astronomical Calendar
Here’s when some of this year’s most anticipated astronomical events will happen and the best way to observe them.
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The 85-million-year timeline of human evolution | New Scientist
Combining archaeological evidence with ancient DNA and data on past climates shows us how long and winding the story of human evolution is, stretching back millions of years to when the first primates arose
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The Shark PowerDetect’s Speedy Sibling Is an Instant Favorite
I tested the new Shark PowerDetect Speed against much pricier Dyson vacuums, and was surprised at who came out on top.
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Your Own Personal Breeze Is Just $20 Away
I put handheld, wearable, and misting fans through a sweltering summer to see which ones kept me coolest.
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Two Fossil Fuel Companies Are Betting Big on Data Centers
Chevron and Williams are big winners in the race to power artificial intelligence as they build out gas-fired power plants and pipelines.
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A Security Pro Hacked North Korean Hackers. He Found They’d Breached Hundreds of Networks Worldwide
For nearly two years, researcher Vangelis Stykas has maintained access to North Korean hackers’ servers. His work shows they pulled off intrusions in a shocking number of systems across the globe.
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OpenAI’s Browser Could Be Hijacked to Spam Your WhatsApp Contacts
Researchers at security firm Zenity found more than a dozen flaws in AI browsers—and managed to get OpenAI’s Atlas to make an unauthorized Amazon purchase.
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OpenAI Didn’t Notice Its AI Agents Using a Message Board to Plan Their Hacking Spree
At the Black Hat security conference, the AI giant revealed new details about how its agents went rogue, hacked several other companies—and did it all right under the company’s nose.
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Welp, Nobody Saw SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Rocket Crash Into the Moon
Although no one captured a direct image of the impact, scientists have detected signals confirming the rocket hit the lunar surface. Orbiters could provide the first images of the crash site in the coming days.
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DHS Wants Protesters’ Signal Group Chats
A lawsuit accuses Homeland Security of violating protesters’ free-speech rights—but the agency is using it to try to get access to the plaintiffs’ encrypted communications.
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The National Design Studio Became a DOGE Landing Pad. Now ‘Big Balls’ Is Recruiting
WIRED spoke with an engineer who was interviewed by Edward "Big Balls" Coristine for a government engineering role at the NDS, the White House agency staffed by other DOGE veterans.
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Three factors in midlife can delay the onset of dementia by 13 years | New Scientist
A study involving 12,000 adults in the US suggests that taking action to prevent dementia during your 50s can make a big difference later in life
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AI Hacks Are Bad. AI Worms and Viruses Will Be Worse
Chinese researchers have shown that AI models have the capacity to act like aggressive and adaptive computer viruses.
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The Most Dangerous AI Hacking Techniques Still Have Humans in the Loop
Security researcher James Kettle tried to push the limit of AI’s hacking abilities—and discovered how effective it can be when combined with human expertise.
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Swallowing faecal capsules reduces peanut allergy in six adults | New Scientist
Altering the gut microbiomes of people with peanut allergy using faeces donated from an allergy-free individual improved their peanut tolerance in a clinical trial
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TikTok Says ‘Moderator Error’ Kept Perez Hilton Livestream Up
The gossip blogger was on TikTok covered in what appeared to be blood and wielding a knifelike object before the platform cut his stream. He’s since been hospitalized.
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Last Word: How does my energy use differ if I walk, jog or run for 1 kilometre? | New Scientist
A reader weighs in on this one – and finds it will depend on how far you’re travelling
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DHS Is Hiring Bounty Hunters to Find and Photograph Deported People’s Homes Abroad
Homeland Security told immigrants that leaving the US would wipe out fines it claims they owe. Now it wants private investigators to find them in their home countries and collect.
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4 of Google’s Top AI Brains Are Leaving—and Launching Their Own AI Startup
Jeff Dean and other high-profile Google executives have founded Discovery Loop, a startup that will seek AI-powered breakthroughs in everything from drug discovery to chip design.
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We must adapt to climate change while also tackling the root cause | New Scientist
The devastating wildfires in Europe demand urgent measures to make landscapes more resilient, but without action to reduce use of fossil fuels, the danger is only going to increase
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Last Word: This week’s new questions | New Scientist
Humans can see water but not air. So can fish see air? And would it be possible to have anti-black holes, and how could we tell if we were looking at one?
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Last Word: Why don’t dogs look up when a low-flying plane passes overhead? part 2 | New Scientist
Readers continue to give their examples of dogs who do notice passing aircraft – but also put forward some ideas as to why they generally don’t
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What is life? A provocative new book sets out to redefine it | New Scientist
Melanie Challenger's Alive aims to describe the living world very differently – by insisting on agency and purpose everywhere. Michael Marshall explores
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MAGA Is In Turmoil Over Tucker Carlson’s Possible 2028 Presidential Bid
Joe Kent says that he and other anti–Donald Trump MAGA figures have formed a new movement. They want Tucker Carlson to run for the presidency in 2028.
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The mathematics of balloon animals | New Scientist
Feedback is delighted to be pointed towards an old but still vital piece of research that presents “a general mathematical and algorithmic theory for balloon-twisting structures”
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Last Word: At what point does my family tree stop doubling and start decreasing? | New Scientist
Readers debate how the introduction of bicycles and trains will have led to less closely related prospective partners for our ancestors – and consider various royal dynasties from this perspective
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Twisteddoodles: 'Will you take the red pill or the blue pill?' | New Scientist
This week's cartoon from Twisteddoodles
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Dive into an in-depth history of the realities of space exploration | New Scientist
Out of This World by Peter Bond lays out the successes and failures of space exploration. It reminds us of what faces all who venture into the unknown, says Karmela Padavic-Callaghan
