Technology
A New Field Guide for Earth’s Wild Microbes
The most massive database of microbial gene sequences so far shows that the tree of life is much larger than we knew.
Wildfire Smoke Is Loaded With Microbes. Is That Dangerous?
Researchers are putting out a call to study the potential effects of bacteria- and fungi-filled haze on human health.
Vaccines Are Here. We Have to Talk About Side Effects
Disinformation could thwart distribution before government messages have a chance to push back. Debunking might turn out to be everyone’s...
How NASA Scrambled to Save OSIRIS-REx From Leaky Disaster
The $800 million craft successfully collected precious asteroid material from a near-Earth asteroid. Then it started spilling regolith...
Cops Are Getting a New Tool For Family-Tree Sleuthing
Verogen’s push into public crime labs with genetic genealogy may help solve more cold cases, but it raises concerns about DNA data...
The First Americans Are Being Vaccinated. Now, the Hard...
State and local officials are scrambling to figure out how to inoculate millions—after health care workers and the elderly—against...
All the Stuff Humans Make Now Outweighs Earth’s Organisms
Anthropogenic mass—concrete, metal, and other human creations—has grown to be heavier than plants, animals, and microbes combined....
The Steampunk Rover Concept That Could Help Explore Venus
50 years after the first spacecraft touched down on our super hot neighbor (and promptly died), NASA has a plan for a tougher mechanical...
A Letter to My Pandemic Baby
On this week's Get WIRED podcast, an editor captures the bizarre world of 2020 for his unborn daughter.
An AI Used Facebook Data to Predict Mental Illness
Volunteers let an AI scan their messages from more than a year before they received a psychiatric diagnosis. It was able to flag signs...
