Kurt Vonnegut is now known as a famous author, but for most of his life he lived in the shadow of his brilliant scientist brother, Bernard Vonnegut.
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Research Reveals the Optimal Way to Optimize
The leading approach to the simplex method, a widely used technique for balancing complex logistical constraints, can’t get any better.
Could You Use a Rowboat to Walk on the Seafloor Like Jack Sparrow?
In Pirates of the Caribbean, Jack and Will use an overturned dinghy to hold air underwater. Madness or brilliance?
The Oceans Are Going to Rise—but When?
The uniquely vulnerable West Antarctic Ice Sheet holds enough water to raise global sea levels by 5 meters. But when that will happen—and how fast—is anything but settled.
How Do Astronomers Find Planets in Other Solar Systems?
Even the best telescopes can’t see exoplanets. It’s all about watching for jiggly stars, blue shifts, and transits.
Google Data Centers Are Returning Nuclear Power to Tornado Country
A destructive storm in 2020 prematurely shut down Iowa’s only nuclear plant. With Google’s plans to reopen it to power nearby data centers, will extreme weather threaten the reactor’s safety?
How to Measure the Earth’s Radius With Legos
With just a friend, a phone, and a few Lego bricks, you can accurately measure the size of our planet.
Former DOGE Engineer Is Now Back in Government
Sahil Lavingia, previously a DOGE operative at the Department of Veterans Affairs, is now a career employee at the IRS. He said at WIRED’s Big Interview event that he expects to work there 10 years.
A New Las Vegas Attraction Serves Up Alien Foxes, Exoplanets, and VR Carl Sagan
Interstellar Arc is an immersive sci-fi experience that uses recent advances in headset tech to break new ground in virtual reality. And it all happens inside an empty-looking room in Las Vegas.
This Group Pays Bounties to Repair Broken Devices—Even If the Fix Breaks the Law
Fulu sets repair bounties on consumer products that employ sneaky features that limit user control. Just this week, it awarded more than $10,000 to the person who hacked the Molekule air purifier.
The Rare Earth Metal Driving Tensions Between the US and China
Yttrium plays a critical role in everything from aircraft engines to semiconductors. China controls the vast majority of the market—and that’s not changing any time soon.
Russia Wants This Mega Missile to Intimidate the West, but It Keeps Crashing
One of Vladimir Putin’s favorite sabers to rattle seems to have lost its edge.
The Military Almost Got the Right to Repair. Lawmakers Just Took It Away
The final language of the annual bill that funds the US military is in. It removes provisions that would have helped ensure service members’ ability to fix their own equipment.