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.
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Oct 5, 2020 • 11min
Meet Curly, the Curling Robot That Beats the Pros
Curling is one of the world's most precise sports. An ice-going, stone-throwing robot just mastered it.Â
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Oct 2, 2020 • 5min
The Coronavirus Dashboard Creator Has a New Target: Elections
On Day 2 of WIRED25, coder Avi Schiffmann talks about his plans for a site that aggregates candidates' positions—in a way users can understand.
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Oct 1, 2020 • 0sec
Want to Save the Whales? Eavesdrop on Their Calls
A clever new system called Whale Safe listens for the cetacean chorus to alert vessels to slow down, potentially preventing deadly ship strikes.
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Sep 30, 2020 • 11min
Colds Nearly Vanished Under Lockdown. Now They’re Coming Back
The return of non-Covid respiratory illnesses is putting a new strain on testing supplies around the world—and is a preview of what’s in store for the US.
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Sep 29, 2020 • 11min
The Cool Physics of a Supersonic Baseball
For one thing, let's build a model of air drag and how it affects the ball differently when it's traveling faster and slower than the speed of sound.
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Sep 28, 2020 • 5min
What’s Causing the Mass Bird Die-Off in the Southwest?
Thousands of migrating birds have died, perhaps starved by drier conditions related to climate change or by having to fly inland to avoid wildfire smoke.
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Sep 25, 2020 • 8min
How the Pandemic Transformed This Songbird’s Call
When the San Francisco Bay Area locked down, urban noise levels plummeted. In response, the white-crowned sparrow changed its tune.
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Sep 24, 2020 • 12min
Is Lightning-Fast Plasma the Key to a Cleaner Car Engine?
Researchers have long experimented with “lean burn” engines, which boost efficiency and reduce the emissions from combustion. But getting them to ignite is tricky.
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Sep 23, 2020 • 8min
If You've Just Had Covid, Exercise Might Not Be Good for You
A growing number of studies are raising concerns about the coronavirus’ long-term effects on the heart. Athletes especially need to heed the warnings.
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Sep 22, 2020 • 10min
What’s in Wildfire Smoke, and How Dangerous Is It?
Blazes on the West Coast are spewing a haze clear across the country. Along the way, the complex chemistry of what we inhale gets even more complex.
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