WIRED Science: Space, Health, Biotech, and More

Narrators read our favorite written stories. You can listen to them anywhere, including on your smart speaker. Play for audio versions of WIRED's latest Science stories on genetic engineering, robotics, space, climate change, and more.

Episodes

This Stamp-Sized Ultrasound Patch Can Image Internal Organs

August 5, 2022 • 8 min

Getting a scan usually means a visit to a doctor and some giant equipment. What if that gear was wearable?

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NASA Delayed the Psyche Launch. Here’s Why That’s a Big Deal

August 4, 2022 • 8 min

Heavenly bodies are always in motion: Pushing back the asteroid probe’s blastoff date could require a new trajectory, longer travel time, and much more power.

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California Wants to Make Cheap Insulin. Here’s How It Could Work

August 3, 2022 • 9 min

The state plans to roll out “biosimilars” that mimic brand-name versions at a dramatically reduced price.

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Ring Vaccination Beat Smallpox. Could It Work for Monkeypox?

August 2, 2022 • 11 min

The strategy prioritizes inoculating an infected person’s closest contacts, but it can’t succeed without good contact tracing and enough vaccines.

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Nuclear Power Plants Are Struggling to Stay Cool

August 1, 2022 • 9 min

Climate change is reducing output and raising safety concerns at nuclear facilities from France to the US. But experts say adapting is possible—and necessary.

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Europe Has Descended Into the Age of Fire

July 29, 2022 • 6 min

Climate change has primed the landscape to burn. But human migration has made Europe’s wildfires increasingly catastrophic.

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Glacier Collapses Are a Growing but Hard-to-Predict Threat

July 28, 2022 • 9 min

After 11 people were killed and eight hospitalized by a glacier in early July, Italian scientists are asking how future tragedies can be avoided.

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Gender-Affirming Care Improves Mental Health—and May Save Lives

July 27, 2022 • 12 min

Scores of bills in US states aim to block medical treatments for trans youth. But research shows that these bans could have dire consequences.

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What Turtles Can Teach Humans About the Science of Slow Aging

July 26, 2022 • 9 min

7/26 New data shows that several types of the shelled reptiles can slow—and even stop—aging if the environmental conditions are right.

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Why the Arctic Is Warming 4 Times as Fast as the Rest of Earth

July 25, 2022 • 7 min

The loss of sea ice is exposing darker waters, which absorb more of the sun’s energy. It’s a devastating feedback loop with major consequences for the planet.

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How Heat Waves Are Messing Up Your Sleep

July 22, 2022 • 7 min

Higher nighttime temperatures don’t just make it harder to drift off, they can disrupt your sleep cycles and leave you with low-quality rest.

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Can Reengineered Aluminum Help Fill the Demand for Copper?

July 21, 2022 • 6 min

As the world converts to electric vehicles and renewable energy, molecular tweaks to aluminum could improve its conductivity.

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Texas’ Precarious Power Grid Exposes a Nasty Feedback Loop

July 20, 2022 • 9 min

Air conditioning saves lives. But as the planet warms, more AC use stresses the grid and drives up emissions, accelerating climate change.

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What Humans Can Learn From the Sea Cucumber’s Toxic Arsenal

July 18, 2022 • 8 min

Sea cucumbers are squishy and soft. They also employ lethal strategies to protect themselves.

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Turkey Probably Hasn’t Found the Rare Earth Metals It Says It Has

July 15, 2022 • 8 min

The deposits discovered reportedly contain enough resources to meet global demand for 1,000 years—surpassing even China’s reserves. But experts are skeptical.

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Is There Good News for Monarch Butterflies? Scientists Disagree

July 14, 2022 • 8 min

A recent study suggests that gains during the summer breeding season are making up for losses during migration. But the insects’ fate is far from assured.

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Abortion Pills May Force States and the FDA Into a Standoff

July 13, 2022 • 9 min

Under the Constitution, federal laws overrule state ones. But challenges to medication abortion will test the agency’s ability to make nationwide regulations.

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Scientists Are Trying to Grow Crops in the Dark

July 12, 2022 • 6 min

Powering plant growth with solar panels instead of photosynthesis could be a more efficient way of using the sun’s energy for food. But it’s not all good news.

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The Secrets of Covid ‘Brain Fog’ Are Starting to Lift

July 11, 2022 • 9 min

Scientists are getting closer to understanding the neurology behind the memory problems and cognitive fuzziness that an infection can trigger.

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Why the Search for Life on Mars Is Happening in Canada’s Arctic

July 8, 2022 • 6 min

Scientists show how microbes living in a salty spring near the North Pole might resemble those that could have survived on the Red Planet—or in ocean worlds.

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WIRED Science: Space, Health, Biotech, and More

Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}This Stamp-Sized Ultrasound Patch Can Image Internal Organs

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}NASA Delayed the Psyche Launch. Here’s Why That’s a Big Deal

California Wants to Make Cheap Insulin. Here’s How It Could Work

Ring Vaccination Beat Smallpox. Could It Work for Monkeypox?

Nuclear Power Plants Are Struggling to Stay Cool

Europe Has Descended Into the Age of Fire

Glacier Collapses Are a Growing but Hard-to-Predict Threat

Gender-Affirming Care Improves Mental Health—and May Save Lives

What Turtles Can Teach Humans About the Science of Slow Aging

Why the Arctic Is Warming 4 Times as Fast as the Rest of Earth

How Heat Waves Are Messing Up Your Sleep

Can Reengineered Aluminum Help Fill the Demand for Copper?

Texas’ Precarious Power Grid Exposes a Nasty Feedback Loop

What Humans Can Learn From the Sea Cucumber’s Toxic Arsenal

Turkey Probably Hasn’t Found the Rare Earth Metals It Says It Has

Is There Good News for Monarch Butterflies? Scientists Disagree

Abortion Pills May Force States and the FDA Into a Standoff

Scientists Are Trying to Grow Crops in the Dark

The Secrets of Covid ‘Brain Fog’ Are Starting to Lift

Why the Search for Life on Mars Is Happening in Canada’s Arctic

Popular Podcasts

For You.css-1r2bfgw{margin:0 0 -2px 5px;}

This Stamp-Sized Ultrasound Patch Can Image Internal Organs

NASA Delayed the Psyche Launch. Here’s Why That’s a Big Deal

For You