The EPA Will Likely Gut Team That Studies Health Risks From Chemicals

In early May, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it would split up the agency’s main arm devoted to scientific research. According to a report from NPR, scientists at the 1,500-person Office of Research and Development were told to apply to roughly 500 new scientific research positions that would be sprinkled into other areas of […]

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Intelligence on Earth Evolved Independently at Least Twice

“How we end up with similar circuitry was more flexible than I would have expected,” Zaremba said. “You can build the same circuits from different cell types.” Zaremba and her team also found that in the bird pallium, neurons that start development in different regions can mature into the same type of neuron in the […]

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Dismantling NOAA Threatens the World’s Ability to Monitor Carbon Dioxide Levels

Even in the best of times, long-term observations can be very fragile. It is difficult to convince funding agencies to put money into long-term observations because, by definition, they are continuations; they have been done before. Most funding entities, from science agencies to philanthropic organizations, want to be associated with exciting, groundbreaking work, and sustained […]

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Diabetes Is Rising in Africa. Could It Lead to New Breakthroughs?

Chikowore says there are many possible explanations for this, ranging from as yet undiscovered genetic variants to the physiological structure of the pancreas. The latter theory arises from research carried out in East Africa, which found that some men develop type 2 diabetes despite having a healthy weight. An ongoing study led by Uganda’s Medical Research […]

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Trump’s Surgeon General Pick Is Tearing the MAHA Movement Apart

Means’ nomination was announced on Wednesday after Trump withdrew his nomination of Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, a former Fox News contributor whose résumé has been questioned in recent weeks. “Casey has impeccable ‘MAHA’ credentials, and will work closely with our wonderful Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to ensure a successful implementation […]

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As the US Cuts Scientific Talent, Europe Launches an Initiative to Attract It

These decisions, together with concerns about future funding cuts, have led to an exodus of researchers from the United States, with scientists now seeking to continue their careers outside of the country. An analysis published in Nature found that 75 percent of American scientists surveyed were considering leaving the country. Meanwhile, data from Nature Careers, […]

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This US Company Just Successfully Tested a Reusable Hypersonic Rocket Plane

“Demonstrating the reuse of fully recoverable hypersonic test vehicles is an important milestone for MACH-TB,” said George Rumford, director of the Test Resource Management Center, in a statement. “Lessons learned from this test campaign will help us reduce vehicle turnaround time from months down to weeks.” Krevor said Talon-A carried multiple experiments on each mission […]

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The Future of Manufacturing Might Be in Space

Jessica Frick wants to build furnaces in space. Her company, California-based Astral Materials, is designing machines that can grow valuable materials in orbit that could be used in medicine, semiconductors, and more. Or, as she puts it, “We’re building a box that makes money in space.” Scientists have long suggested that the microgravity environment of […]

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FEMA Is Ending Door-to-Door Canvassing in Disaster Areas

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is making significant changes to how it will respond to disasters on the ground this season, including ending federal door-to-door canvassing of survivors in disaster areas, WIRED has learned. A memo reviewed by WIRED, dated May 2 and addressed to regional FEMA leaders from Cameron Hamilton, a senior official performing […]

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How Mexico’s Fishing Refuges Are Fighting Back Against Poaching

It has been two hours since the divers left the coast behind. As they reach their designated GPS points in the Gulf of Mexico, their boats’ engines go from roaring to whispering. In pairs, they enter the Celestún Fishing Refuge Zone, one of the largest in Mexico. Their ritual is absolute: put on fins, adjust […]

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Scientists Have Just Discovered a New Type of Electricity-Conducting Bacteria

A new species of bacteria that functions like electrical wiring has recently been discovered on a brackish beach in Oregon. The species was named Candidatus Electrothrix yaqonensis in honor of the Yaquina tribe of Native Americans that once lived in and around Yaquina Bay, where the bacteria were found. This species is a type of […]

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Why Pigeons at Rest Are at the Center of Complexity Theory

By January 2020, Papadimitriou had been thinking about the pigeonhole principle for 30 years. So he was surprised when a playful conversation with a frequent collaborator led them to a simple twist on the principle that they’d never considered: What if there are fewer pigeons than holes? In that case, any arrangement of pigeons must […]

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The Phony Physics of Star Wars Are a Blast

I’m a huge fan of Star Wars. The first movie (no, not Episode 1) came out when I was young, so I grew up thinking about the Millennium Falcon and lightsabers. Perhaps it sparked my interest in science—even if it’s not exactly science fiction. Oh, there’s a nice way to start a nerd fight: Is […]

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Why Balcony Solar Panels Haven’t Taken Off in the US

Another issue in the US is the lack of a compatible safety device called a ground fault circuit interrupter, or a GFCI. They are typically built into outlets installed near water sources, like a sink, washing machine, or bathtub. They’re designed to minimize the risk of electric shock by cutting off power when, for example, […]

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What Caused the European Power Outage?

The causes of the power outage that left millions in Spain and Portugal without electricity on Monday have yet to be fully determined, though service has now been restored across 99 percent of the Iberian peninsula. Red Eléctrica, the public company in charge of operating Spain’s transmission infrastructure, has preliminarily ruled out a cyberattack, human […]

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The Dangerous Decline in Vaccination Rates

In the year 2000, measles were declared eliminated from the United States. But thanks to declining vaccination rates, Americans may have to contend with a much scarier future for the deadly disease. Today on the show, we talk about the state of measles, and we explain the role Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of  Health […]

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RFK Jr.’s HHS Orders Lab Studying Deadly Infectious Diseases to Stop Research

A research facility within the US National Institutes of Health that is tasked with studying Ebola and other deadly infectious diseases has been instructed by the Trump administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to stop research activities. According to an email viewed by WIRED, the Integrated Research Facility in Frederick, Maryland, was told […]

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Europe’s Devastating Power Outage in Photos

Grounded subways, canceled flights, stores, hospitals, and offices completely in the dark: This is the situation following the vast blackout that hit Spain, Portugal, and some regions of southern France. The power grid was sent down around noon local time on Monday, simultaneously blocking all public services in major Spanish cities. The restoration of the […]

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Muscle Memory Isn’t What You Think It Is

We all want to know if and how we can come back to form after injury, illness, or a long hiatus. Muscles adapt in response to the environment: They grow when we put in the work and shrink when we stop. But what if we could help them remember how to grow? As a general […]

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An Experimental Obesity Pill Mimics Gastric Bypass Surgery

The drug is based on research conducted at MIT by Giovanni Traverso, a gastroenterologist and mechanical engineer, and Robert Langer, a chemical engineer who has launched more than two dozen biotech companies. The two discovered the mechanism when working on a way to develop liquid drug formulations that could be given to children. They soon […]

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