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01.26.26
The Search for Alien Artifacts Is Coming Into Focus
BY BECKY FERREIRA | 5-MINUTE READ
From surveys of the pre-Sputnik skies to analysis of interstellar visitors, scientists are rethinking how and where to look for physical traces of alien technology.
Capturing the Moment a White Dwarf Exploded
BY RITSUKO KAWAI | 3-MINUTE READ
A research team has successfully imaged a nova in high resolution—and the images suggest that the nova was not a single, impulsive explosion.
The AI Boom Will Increase US Carbon Emissions—but It Doesn’t Have To
BY MOLLY TAFT | 6-MINUTE READ
A new analysis finds that data centers’ energy demands will drastically increase power plant emissions over the next decade. Renewables, though, could cut them while helping keep prices from rising.
‘Veronika’ Is the First Cow Known to Use a Tool
BY JORGE GARAY | 2-MINUTE READ
This is the first recorded instance of a bovine using tools from her environment to relieve an itch—leaving scientists astonished.
No One Is Quite Sure Why Ice Is Slippery
BY PAULINA ROWIŃSKA | 6-MINUTE READ
A thin, watery layer coating the surface of ice is what makes it slick. Despite a great deal of theorizing over the centuries, though, it isn't entirely clear why that layer forms.
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China’s Renewable Energy Revolution Is a Huge Mess That Might Save the World
BY JEREMY WALLACE | 9-MINUTE READ
A global onslaught of cheap Chinese green power is upending everything in its path. No one is ready for its repercussions.
Your First Humanoid Robot Coworker Will Probably Be Chinese
BY WILL KNIGHT | 8-MINUTE READ
Explosive acceleration, limited dexterity, eyes in the back of its head. What could possibly go wrong?
The Math on AI Agents Doesn’t Add Up
BY STEVEN LEVY | 4-MINUTE READ
A research paper suggests AI agents are mathematically doomed to fail. The industry doesn’t agree.
How Claude Code Is Reshaping Software—and Anthropic
BY MAXWELL ZEFF | 6-MINUTE READ
WIRED spoke with Boris Cherny, head of Claude Code, about how the viral coding tool is changing the way Anthropic works.
Why Minnesota Can’t Do More to Stop ICE
BY GARRETT M. GRAFF | 10-MINUTE READ
Democratic lawmakers have few options that wouldn’t trigger something like civil war.
