Depending on who you talk to, American forces are stepping up wider-scale bombing in Iraq and Afghanistan — or they’re launching ultra-precise air strikes, only in the most extreme of circumstances. This video could probably support both points of view. The building that gets smushed seems abandoned. But it’s right near a mosque, and it gets whacked with an absolutely massive bomb.
Noah Shachtman is a contributing editor at WIRED and a contributing writer for The New York Times’ opinion section.
Shachtman previously served as editor in chief of Rolling Stone, where he led the storied outlet to a Polk Award and its first-ever Emmy nomination. Before that, he was the editor in ... Read More
Humans Watched This Supernova Explode Nearly a Millennium Ago. Now You Can See It in High Definition
The new image isn’t just stunning—it may also provide clues about how this star survived its own explosion.
Jorge Garay
The ‘Exotic Physics’ Behind a Mysterious 1,000-Mile Cloud on Mars
The cloud has baffled astronomers since its discovery in 2018. Now, a new study offers a possible cause for its appearance.
Tereza Ondráčková
The Atlantic’s Near-Record Hurricane Drought Is About to End
Tropical Storm Isaias is set to become the basin’s first hurricane of the season, bringing life-threatening rain and storm surge to the Gulf Coast.
Brian Kahn
Earth’s Condition Is ‘Serious and Getting Worse’ as Climate Change Intensifies
Seven of 16 planetary vital signs are in their most extreme state ever recorded, and El Niño is here to make matters even worse.
Brian Kahn
‘This Is Not a Drill’: Critical PHP Vulnerabilities Are Setting the Internet on Fire
The PHP Foundation has revealed two serious vulnerabilities that could impact millions of websites. Security experts warn that failure to quickly patch the flaws could have dire consequences.
Matt Burgess
Instagram Is a Streaming Service Now
Instagram’s long-form video update is more than a swipe at YouTube. It’s an attempt to capture the clip economy.
Reece Rogers
WIRED Ghost Stories
Five hauntings from the other side of technology.
French Government Calls Emergency Meetings With Platforms Over Protests
TikTok and other sites were told to curb protest footage and AI-altered images, while online retailers like Vinted and eBay reportedly signed an agreement stop looted goods from flooding resale sites.
Isabella Ward
Pour One Out for the Leap Second
The metric might not mean much to laypeople, but leap seconds have been a source of contention in the timekeeping community for years. Now, they’re dead.
Brian Kahn
The PHP Meltdown Shows How AI Makes Bugs More Exploitable
Security researchers used AI tools to help uncover years-old vulnerabilities in the PHP web scripting language. Then the AI-assisted attacks began.
Lily Hay Newman
Rural Data Centers Are in for a Big Federal Tax Break
Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, data center projects in rural areas could be eligible for major tax benefits starting next year. Some hyperscalers do not seem eager to take the free cash.
Molly Taft
You Probably Aren’t Going to Get the Plague
The death of a lab worker in Russia has authorities looking at whether plague played a role. Even if it did, though, the odds of it spreading are very low.
Emily Mullin