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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jun 6, 2022 • 9min
Why Was the Tonga Eruption So Massive? Scientists Have New Clues
Early theories suggested an underwater landslide caused a catastrophic mix of magma and seawater. Recent evidence reveals an explosion unlike anything studied before.
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Jun 3, 2022 • 8min
The Story of Abortion Pills and How They Work
Mifepristone and misoprostol are a safe and effective way to end a pregnancy, but many people around the world still don’t know these drugs exist.
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Jun 2, 2022 • 6min
Undersea Cables Are Carrying Scientific Secrets
Rumbles and tides create tiny, detectable disturbances in fiber optics. The world’s cables could form a vast network for detecting earthquakes and tsunamis.
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Jun 1, 2022 • 9min
A Puzzling Quantum Scenario Appears to Violate a Law of Physics
By resolving a paradox about light in a box, researchers hope to clarify the concept of energy in quantum theory.
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May 31, 2022 • 8min
The Wetlands Are Drowning
A long-term study of a marsh was meant to ask whether rising levels of CO2 could help wetlands thrive despite rising seas. The plants aren’t keeping up.
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May 27, 2022 • 8min
This Is Where Dirty Old Cars Go to Die
The electric vehicle revolution is gathering speed—but what happens to all those polluting cars already on the road?
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May 26, 2022 • 6min
Carbon-Rich Peat Is Disappearing. But Is It Also Growing?
Scientists have discovered “proto-peat” forming in the Arctic as the Earth naturally sequesters carbon, but it could take centuries to mature.
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May 25, 2022 • 8min
With Dusty Solar Panels, InSight’s Days on Mars Are Numbered
After the InSight lander studied the strongest marsquake ever detected, scientists gave the space robot a negative prognosis because of its dwindling solar power.
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May 24, 2022 • 9min
This Gene Mutation Breaks the Immune System. Why Has It Survived?
Two new studies found genetic mutations that cause severe immune deficiencies are common in some remote populations, leaving them highly vulnerable to viruses.
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May 23, 2022 • 6min
A Powerful ISS Instrument Will Hunt for Minerals in Dusty Lands
NASA’s EMIT mission will better analyze the grime from dust-spewing regions, a critically understudied factor in climate change.
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