Gallery: 14 Essential Sources for Getting Up to Speed in Science

  • Image may contain Helmet Clothing Apparel Human Person and Astronaut
    Warner Bros. Pictures/Everett Collection
    01

    ff-cultlit-1-scicanon-gravity

    *[Gravity](https://youtu.be/OiTiKOy59o4)* | Great, now humans feel just as petrified—and just as inspired—by the awesome fragility of space travel as they did in the 1960s.
  • Image may contain Text Advertisement Poster Brochure Paper and Flyer
    02

    Chaos

    *[Chaos: Making a New Science](http://www.amazon.com/Chaos-Making-Science-James-Gleick/dp/0143113453)* | No one explains a tricky concept better than James Gleick. Here he shows how researchers have tamed wild randomness in everything from stocks to storms.
  • Image may contain Clothing Apparel Human Person Shirt Tie Accessories Accessory and Neil deGrasse Tyson
    Peter Yang
    03

    2203-UL-RUBIN-DH-140108-WiredTyson-078-cw3-FFF

    *[Cosmos](https://youtu.be/bzS39oghcnY)* (’80) and *[Cosmos](https://youtu.be/Fm4UV5_HsPA)* (’14) | Even devoted Sagan fans see the beauty in Neil deGrasse Tyson’s reincarnation—but you can’t beat the awesomely cruddy production values of the original.
  • Image may contain Advertisement Poster Mouth Teeth and Lip
    04

    ff-cultlit-1-scicanon-Spillover

    *[Spillover](http://amzn.com/0393346617)* | Many diseases originally leapt to humans from animals, and David Quammen went to the places where they arose. Spoiler: Stay away from bats.
  • Image may contain Advertisement and Poster
    05

    ff-cultlit-1-scicanon-biowars

    *[Biowars](http://www.biowars.com/comic/issue-1/)* | Anthropomorphized immune and nervous system cells in mortal combat? Yes please! Perfect for converting kids from comic nerds to science nerds.
  • Image may contain Comics Book Transportation Vehicle Bus Human Person Art and School Bus
    Everett Collection
    06

    ff-cultlit-1-scicanon-magicschoolbus

    *[The Magic School Bus](https://youtu.be/BTjXdzxhc_w)* | The one where Ms. Frizzle and her gang shrink to fly through the human body inspired a whole generation of doctors—probably even yours.
  • Image may contain Word and Text
    07

    man who mistook his wife for a hat

    *[The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat](http://amzn.com/1491514078)* | Oliver Sacks is the godfather of popular neuroscience writing. This collection was one of the first to introduce you to humans who think differently.
  • Image may contain Human Person Wood Workshop Clothing Apparel and Plywood
    Courtesy of Maker Media
    08

    ff-cultlit-1-scicanon-makers

    *[Maker Faire](http://makerfaire.com/)* | Like a Renaissance faire but from the future, with (slightly) more steampunk, more stuff to build, and more technology to explore.
  • Image may contain Advertisement Poster Brochure Flyer Paper Human and Person
    09

    ff-cultlit-1-scicanon-doublehelix

    *[The Double Helix](http://amzn.com/074321630X)* | James Watson’s memoir is shamelessly arrogant—and essential to understanding the most important biological finding of the 20th century.
  • Image may contain Human Person James Burke Glasses Accessories Accessory and Face
    BBC
    10

    ff-cultlit-1-scicanon-connections

    *[Connections](https://youtu.be/re1ZLwb1jLw)* | James Burke’s classic Brit docuseries shows how every major discovery started with some other major discovery.
  • Image may contain Henrietta Lacks Human Person Advertisement Poster and Performer
    11

    immortal-life

    *[The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks](http://amzn.com/1400052181)* | Rebecca Skloot’s incredibly reported story of the cell line that underpins modern cancer research—and the woman whose death made it possible.
  • Image may contain Outdoors Nature Land Ocean Sea Water Shoreline Advertisement Poster Flyer Brochure and Paper
    12

    ff-cultlit-1-scicanon-island

    *[The Theory of Island Biogeography](http://amzn.com/0691088365)* | Civilization is a rising sea surrounding islands of nature. This 1967 book explains what happens as creatures huddle on and hopscotch between the shrinking fragments.
  • Portal | The videogame that gets you thinking about alternate dimensions instead of just saying you146re in one.
    Valve
    13

    ff-cultlit-1-scicanon-portal

    *[Portal](https://youtu.be/TluRVBhmf8w)* | The videogame that gets you thinking about alternate dimensions instead of just saying you’re in one.
  • Image may contain Advertisement Poster Text and Alphabet
    14

    ff-cultlit-1-scicanon-making

    *[The Making of the Atomic Bomb](http://amzn.com/1451677618)* | The grand soap opera/secret reality show that turned Feynman into the trickster god of physics and Oppenheimer into the destroyer of worlds.
Read More
US Special Forces Soldier Arrested for Polymarket Bets on Maduro Raid
The master sergeant allegedly used classified intel to profit on the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, marking the first US arrest for insider trading on a prediction market.
Kate Knibbs
Newly Deciphered Sabotage Malware May Have Targeted Iran’s Nuclear Program—and Predates Stuxnet
Researchers have finally cracked Fast16, mysterious code capable of silently tampering with calculation and simulation software. It was created in 2005—and likely deployed by the US or an ally.
Andy Greenberg
Rednote Draws a Line Between China and the World
As the platform expands abroad, it’s taking steps to separate Chinese users from the international audiences it once brought together.
Zeyi Yang
Apple’s Next Chapter, SpaceX and Cursor Strike a Deal, and Palantir’s Controversial Manifesto
In this week’s episode of Uncanny Valley, we talk about Tim Cook’s legacy as CEO at Apple and what his long-rumored departure means for the future of one of the world's biggest companies.
Brian Barrett
At 'AI Coachella,' Stanford Students Line Up to Learn From Silicon Valley Royalty
CS 153 has gone viral on the Palo Alto campus—and on X. Not everyone is happy about it.
Maxwell Zeff
Palantir Employees Are Starting to Wonder if They're the Bad Guys
Interviews with current and former Palantir employees, along with internal Slack messages obtained by WIRED, suggest a workforce in turmoil.
Makena Kelly
This Is the Only Office Lamp That Does Double Duty on My Nightstand
Portable lamps are rarely, if ever, as powerful, precise, and multipurpose as the Lume Cube Edge Light Go.
Matthew Korfhage
These New Smart Glasses From Ex-OnePlus Engineers Have a Hidden Cost
The Kickstarter-funded glasses from L'Atitude 52°N have AI features bundled for one year, but the company doesn't know yet how much it will charge for access after that.
Boone Ashworth
The Best Pool-Cleaning Robots for a Truly Automated Summer
Send the pool guy packing. One of these robotic buddies can maintain your water quality instead.
Christopher Null
The Best Fitbit Models for Every Lifestyle
The fitness trackers I'd recommend to beginners, athletes, and kids.
Boutayna Chokrane
Robot Vacuums That Don't Suck (Unless It's Dirt)
Tired of vacuuming? Hand the reins to a robot vacuum.
Nena Farrell
They Made D4vd a Star. Now They Want Him Convicted of Murder
A legion of young fans propelled the singer D4vd to viral fame. Now that he’s been charged with the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, they say the clues were in their Discord all along.
Jennifer Swann