Science, Spoken
WIRED
Get in-depth coverage of current and future trends in technology, and how they are shaping business, entertainment, communications, science, politics, and society.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 15, 2021 • 8min
The Tide Is High–and Getting Higher
A trove of historic records show that dredging and sea level rise are making nuisance high tides worse along the US coasts.
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Mar 12, 2021 • 12min
If You Transplant a Human Head, Does Its Consciousness Follow?
In her new book, Brandy Schillace recalls the unbelievable legacy of a Cold War era neurosurgeon’s mission to preserve the soul.
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Mar 11, 2021 • 13min
Sleuths Read Old Booby-Trapped Letters Without Opening Them
People once folded their correspondence in intricate ways, known as “letterlocking,” to keep out snoops. A fancy new imaging technique sees right through it.
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Mar 10, 2021 • 12min
Anthony Fauci Pleads: Don’t Declare Victory
The Covidologist-in-chief says we can’t relax on masks and social distancing yet. Hear that, Texas?
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Mar 9, 2021 • 8min
This Is What It's Like to Live Without Smell
Losing any sense can be devastating, even if you never appreciated it before it was gone.
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Mar 8, 2021 • 8min
The Mantis Shrimp Inspires a New Material—Made by Bacteria
By 3D-printing scaffolds and dipping them in microbe juice, scientists make robust structures that could one day lead to self-growing roads.Â
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Mar 5, 2021 • 8min
Million-Year-Old DNA Rewrites Mammoths' Evolutionary Tree
The oldest DNA ever sequenced shows how the genus split off into new species.
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Mar 4, 2021 • 11min
When the Grid Goes Down, Can a Fleet of Batteries Replace It?
In a power crisis, maybe the solution is a network of smaller energy sources distributed across multiple places—like your garage.
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Mar 3, 2021 • 10min
Nature Makes Wood. Could a Lab Make It Better?
For millennia, humans have been chopping down trees and harvesting plants. Lab-grown plant material might change that.
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Mar 2, 2021 • 10min
Birders’ Tweets Are Causing an Online Flap
Sharing photos and location details of rare bird sightings is boosting the birdwatching community. But some worry that the exposure threatens the animals.
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