Science

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The Unfriendly Skies

France Records Its First-Ever Pyrocumulonimbus Cloud Amid Record-Smashing Fires

Extreme fire conditions on the ground have created unprecedented conditions in the atmosphere.

Brian Kahn

Turn Down the Heat

New Firefighting Technologies Could Help Battle Blazes Like Those in France and Spain

Fernanda González

In Depth

Inside the Wild Rescue Mission That Took 4 Beluga Whales to Chicago

Kate Knibbs

Health

Measles Is Becoming So Common That Treatments May Soon Be Needed

As the US sees its highest number of measles cases in decades and vaccination rates fall, researchers are developing drugs to help those who contract the virus or who are particularly vulnerable.

Emily Mullin

How Many Electrolytes Should You Be Taking, and Can You Have Too Many?

Electrolyte powders promise better hydration, energy, and recovery. But unless you’re losing serious fluid, water and food probably have you covered.

Megan Tomos

An FDA Panel Just Endorsed These Unproven Peptides

Outside experts—some with a vested interest in peptides—recommended adding a number of the amino acids to the FDA’s bulks list, including the “Wolverine stack” touted by Joe Rogan and other influencers.

Emily Mullin

‘The Child Is Terrified’: Measles Doctors Speak Out

Hear from six pediatricians in measles hot spot Utah, as the US faces infection levels not seen in over three decades and prepares to lose its status as a country that eliminated the dangerous disease.

Amy Maxmen, KFF Health News

Environment

Contagious Cancer Found in North American Catfish

Scientists identified the first known cancer transmissible among freshwater fish in a lake that spans the US and Canada.

Javier Carbajal

The Trump Administration Wants to Change Public Engagement Rules for Polluters

The EPA has proposed a rule change that would let states decide how much input the public has on air pollution permits. It would be a huge boon for data centers increasingly reliant on fossil fuels.

Molly Taft

Astronomers Have Found a Sugar Molecule in Deep Space for the First Time Ever

Researchers identified traces of erythrulose, a monosaccharide, thousands of light-years away.

Jorge Garay

Sotheby’s Big T. Rex Auction Raises Concerns Hype and Wealth Are Upending Science

Private buyers are increasingly outbidding museums for fossils. That’s making it difficult—or even impossible—for researchers to improve our understanding of the past.

Kate Wong

Climate

The 2026 El Niño Is on Track to Be the Strongest on Record

This climate phenomenon could cause a massive global temperature spike and cause economic losses of $10 trillion by 2032.

Fernanda González

Abdul El-Sayed Is an Epidemiologist Running for Senate. His State Is a Public Health Disaster

Michigan has been at the epicenter of the wildfire smoke and explosive diarrhea outbreaks. The progressive Democrat talks to WIRED about how he would tackle the forces behind them if he’s elected.

Molly Taft

Fans Flocked to World Cup Host Cities—Causing 80 Percent of the Tournament’s Emissions

The latest estimates reveal that the majority of greenhouse gas emissions from large-scale events such as the FIFA World Cup stem from spectators traveling to host cities.

Ritsuko Kawai

FIFA Doesn’t Have a Plan to Deal With Climate Change

This year’s World Cup has faced sweltering heat and humidity. Now it may need to deal with wildfire smoke.

Tik Root

Energy

The Solution to the Power Grid's Woes Might Just Be Sitting in Your Driveway

More electric vehicles are becoming capable of providing backup power at a time when the US is increasingly in need of more electrons.

Matt Simon

What Is Entropy, Really?

Never mind the “heat death of the universe.” Entropy is just a bridge between two levels of reality.

Rhett Allain

New York Governor Signs First Statewide Data Center Moratorium

“We have no choice but to address the challenges created by these massive facilities,” New York governor Kathy Hochul said. The executive order will pause construction for one year.

Molly Taft

Data Centers Are Quietly Taking Over Texas. The Pollution Could Be Catastrophic

Thousands of new fossil-fuel power sources are quietly firing up across the state to power the AI boom, thanks to a regulatory loophole, leaving residents feeling blindsided.

Evan Simon

Space

It’s Becoming Clear Why Black Holes Never Run Out of Fuel

Black holes eject powerful energy jets that blow away the surrounding gas to great distances. So how can they continue to grow?

Teruyuki Hayakawa

One of NASA’s Most Important Deep Space Observatories Hit by Spanish Wildfires

Flames burned through the Deep Space Communications Complex near Madrid, but NASA has been unable to assess the damage as a wildfire emergency grips the region.

Brian Kahn

The Search for Another Earth-Like Planet Just Took a Big Step Forward

Astronomers have discovered a rocky exoplanet that has an atmosphere and sits within the habitable zone of a solar system.

Jorge Garay

The US Approves Launch of Mirror Satellite That Can Reflect Sunlight and Illuminate the Earth at Night

The FCC authorized Reflect Orbital to launch the mirror satellite Eärendil-1. “For optical astronomy, this poses an existential threat,” the European Southern Observatory said.

Javier Carbajal

Physics and Math

Drive Slower, Save Money on Gas. Thanks, Physics!

Planning a Fourth of July getaway? Use less gas—and cut your emissions—by easing up on the pedal.

Rhett Allain

Venezuela’s Powerful Earthquakes Were a Rare ‘Seismic Doublet’

The country was hit hard by a pair of quakes that happened in quick succession and were likely driven by stress being transferred from one part of the fault that runs through the country to another.

Fernanda González

How Can Soccer Players Bend Their Shots in Midair?

As World Cup action kicks off, we look at the physics of the beautiful game.

Rhett Allain

A Fundamental Principle of Aeronautical Engineering Has Been Overturned

It’s long been accepted that the smoother the surface, the lower the aerodynamic drag. That turns out not always to be the case.

Ritsuko Kawai

Biotech

An Inventor of Apple’s FaceID Wants to Analyze Your Brain’s Health With AI

Gidi Littwin’s new AI startup, Hemispheric, makes diagnostic brain scans for conditions like depression, PTSD, and Parkinson’s. He wants the technology to be as cheap and easy as for a blood test.

Isabella Ward

Scientists’ Side Hustle? Using AI and Quantum Computing to Generate New Peptides

Researchers cobbled together funding and time to show how quantum computing could aid in the development of drugs to help underserved populations and combat rare diseases.

Isabella Ward

A Startup Is Using Special Polymers to Better Help Nerves Heal

The biodegradable material can help improve healing after surgery—or an avocado-related accident.

Isabella Ward

3 People Have Gotten Cancer-Detecting Implants in Their Brains

Coherence Neuro has started testing a brain-computer interface that could one day use electrical stimulation to prevent tumors from growing.

Emily Mullin

Psychology and Neuroscience

Study of Buddhist Monks Finds Meditation Alters Brain Activity

Meditation isn’t thinking about nothing. New research reinforces that it’s a mind-altering, dynamic state that promotes focus, learning, and well-being.

Javier Carbajal