Gallery: 14 Essential Sources for Getting Up to Speed in Science
Warner Bros. Pictures/Everett Collection01ff-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.
02Chaos
*[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.
Peter Yang032203-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.
04ff-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.
05ff-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.
Everett Collection06ff-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.
07man 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.
Courtesy of Maker Media08ff-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.
09ff-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.
BBC10ff-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.
11immortal-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.
12ff-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.
Valve13ff-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.
14ff-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.
Ebay Has to Pay $55.7 Million in Settlement for Its Unhinged Harassment Campaign
For months on end, eBay employees and contractors made life hell for a couple that had criticized the company. Six years later, the company is finally paying up.
Lauren Goode
Laura Loomer’s Reversal on Ukraine Stirs Up the MAGA Civil War
Donald Trump’s base has been increasingly spilt. Laura Loomer’s sudden embrace of Ukraine has only widened that divide.
David Gilbert
Is the Electric Trike the Next Big Thing in Shared Micromobility?
Veo is launching accessibility-focused electric tricycles in Denver, with plans to put its e-trikes on the streets nationwide.
Boone Ashworth
What WIRED Writers Would Actually Give Their Moms
Your mom never gets you a thoughtless gift, so you shouldn’t get her one, either. Here’s every cool gift WIRED writers would give their mothers.
Nena Farrell
Which Apple Watch Should You Buy?
Should you splurge on the new Series 11, or will the SE 3 do? Let us help you figure out which version to get (and which to avoid).
Boutayna Chokrane
12 Adventurous Gifts for Hikers, Backpackers, and Outdoorsy People
Let them pick out their own hiking boots. Instead, try gifting a useful blade or a nature journal to delight your outdoorsy friend.
Scott Gilbertson
A Two-Person Startup Has Fixed One of the Most Hated Sounds in Modern Life
Beeeep. Beeeep. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.
Jeremy White
Can the New York Times Save Journalism From Our AI Overlords?
In 2023, the Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement. They’ve since spent more than $20 million on the case, and publisher A.G. Sulzberger has no plans to stop fighting it.
Katie Drummond
Silicon Valley’s Next IPO Billionaires Are Coming. Nonprofits Are Ready for Them
Anthropic and OpenAI employees are expected to give generously after their companies go public. “It’s going to be a wild ride,” says one nonprofit leader.
Paresh Dave
The Dyson V16 Piston Animal Can Do It All
Dyson’s new stick vacuum can vacuum and mop in a single cordless device—if you’re willing to really splurge.
Nena Farrell
‘They’re Fucking a Lot of People’: 7-OH Users Brace for DEA Ban
The opioid-like compound, which is found in kratom, can cause brutal withdrawal symptoms and will soon be a controlled substance. Some users tell WIRED it has relieved their pain and anxiety.
Manisha Krishnan
An Extreme Solar Storm May Be Even More Devastating Than Previously Imagined
Scientists have long assumed that there’s an upper limit to the intensity of the solar winds that reach Earth. New research suggests there’s not—and the implications are alarming.
Javier Carbajal