Uncertainty, Social Media, and the Radicalization of the US
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Episodes
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The latest in-depth coverage covering the intersection of technology and culture will help you make sense of a world in constant transformation. Join us as we explore the ways technology is changing our lives.
Episodes
The Holiday Travel Blob Has Begun
Remote and hybrid work has reshaped the typical seasonal rush. Airlines and hotels see dollar signs. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Check back in tomorrow to hear more stories from WIRED.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Americans Are Moving Into Danger Zones
Folks are flocking to areas plagued with wildfires and extreme heat. Climate change will only make things worse. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Check back in tomorrow to hear more stories from WIRED.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Everyone Is Sick Right Now
For the past two years, social distancing kept seasonal viruses at bay. Now they’re roaring back. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Check back in tomorrow to hear more stories from WIRED.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Park Rangers Are Using Silent Ebikes to Catch Poachers
A Swedish electric bike is helping Mozambique’s park rangers protect game and reducing the need for fossil fuel infrastructure in Africa’s remotest areas. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Check back in tomorrow to hear more stories from WIRED.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Tesla’s Berlin Hub Can’t Hire Enough People, or Keep Them
Tesla’s staffing problems have been magnified in Germany, where it is unable to meet targets as more workers head for the exit. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Check back in tomorrow to hear more stories from WIRED.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The World Needs Processed Food
The stigma against processed food is growing, but there's no way to sustainably feed 8 billion people without it. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Check back in tomorrow to hear more stories from WIRED.com Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Amazon’s Creep Into Health Care Has Some Experts Spooked
Using Amazon’s new telehealth service will mean trusting it with your private data. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Check back in tomorrow to hear more stories from WIRED.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Apple Won’t Let Staff Work Remotely to Escape Texas Abortion Limits
Apple managers in Texas said employees who are fearful of the state’s abortion restrictions can’t work from home or transfer to another office. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Check back in tomorrow to hear more stories from WIRED.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Scientists Reexamine Why Zebra Stripes Mysteriously Repel Flies
While biologists still aren't exactly sure how it works, a new study closes in on why the insects that pester Savannah animals zig when anything zags. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Check back in tomorrow to hear more stories from WIRED.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
A Peek Inside the FBI’s Unprecedented January 6 Geofence Dragnet
Google provided investigators with location data for more than 5,000 devices as part of the federal investigation into the attack on the US Capitol. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Check back in tomorrow to hear more stories from WIRED.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The US Congress Is Starting to Question This Whole Crypto Thing
Think Washington lawmakers have what it takes to tackle the volatile world of cryptocurrencies? Neither do they. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Check back in tomorrow to hear more stories from WIRED.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
America’s Billion-Dollar Tree Problem Is Spreading
Grasslands are being overrun by drought-resistant invaders that wreck animal habitats, suck up water supplies, and can cost landowners a fortune. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Check back in tomorrow to hear more stories from WIRED.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Air Quality Mirrors the Racial Segregation of US Neighborhoods
A new study shows that the more divided a community is, the higher the residents’ exposure to hazardous metals and particulates. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Check back in tomorrow to hear more stories from WIRED.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Twitter’s Layoffs Are a Blow to Accessibility
The company recently took major steps to make the platform more inclusive after pressure from disabled users. Then Elon Musk gutted its accessibility team. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Check back in tomorrow to hear more stories from WIRED.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
There Is No Replacement for Black Twitter
A series of missteps by Elon Musk that has called the fate of the platform’s cultural engine into question. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Check back in tomorrow to hear more stories from WIRED.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The Twitter Bubble Let Democrats Defy Political Gravity
The midterm elections showed that the far-right's manufactured narrative about trans kids doomed the GOP when they made it policy. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Check back in tomorrow to hear more stories from WIRED.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Want to Archive Twitter? Good Luck With That
Twitter’s meltdown has shed light on the steep challenge of preserving social media data. But not everything is worth saving. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Check back in tomorrow to hear more stories from WIRED.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
‘Dark Ships’ Emerge From the Shadows of the Nord Stream Mystery
Satellite monitors discovered two vessels with their trackers turned off in the area of the pipeline prior to the suspected sabotage in September. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The $6 Billion Shot at Making New Antibiotics—Before the Old Ones Fail
Antimicrobials cost as much to develop as other drugs, but don’t earn the same returns. Congress could give drugmakers a boost, but time is running out.Thanks for listening to WIRED. Check back in tomorrow to hear more stories from WIRED.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Despite Big Layoffs, Tech Workers Are Still in Demand
Tens of thousands of job cuts have rocked the industry, but unemployment among tech workers remains low—and plenty of companies are desperate for talent. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Check back in tomorrow to hear more stories from WIRED.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Protest Is Risky at Egypt's Climate Talks. That Won't Stop Activists
At the international climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, long-standing restrictions on protesters and dissidents are front and center. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Check back in tomorrow to hear more stories from WIRED.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Twitter Users Have Caused a Mastodon Meltdown
Mastodon’s servers have been overrun by almost half a million new sign-ups, as Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover has thrust it into the spotlight. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Check back in tomorrow to hear more stories from WIRED.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Scientists Are Uncovering Ominous Waters Under Antarctic Ice
A super-pressurized, 290-mile-long river that’s running under the ice sheet. And that could be bad news for sea-level rise. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Europeans Are Burning Trees to Keep Warm
Sky-high energy prices have people turning to wood to provide a cheaper alternative—and EU laws are helping incentivize this. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Check back in tomorrow to hear more stories from WIRED.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The UN Climate Talks Are About to Face Maddening Uncertainties
Negotiators at this week’s COP27 conference need to get serious about massively reducing emissions—and fast. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Check back in tomorrow to hear more stories from WIRED.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The Harms of Psychedelics Need to Be Put Into Context
As psychedelic therapy trials get bigger and the drugs become more accessible, researchers need to start talking about their potential adverse effects. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Check back in tomorrow to hear more stories from WIRED.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Inside the Underground Market for Fake Amazon Reviews
Seedy scam networks are using social media to organize campaigns that influence product ratings. They’re a headache for shoppers—and tough to crack down on. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Check back in tomorrow to hear more stories from WIRED.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Would You Sell Your Vacation Days for Cash?
More startups are inviting workers to trade their unused PTO, a perk that can also benefit employers. It may also worsen US workers' vacation deficit. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Check back in tomorrow to hear more stories from WIRED.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The World Needs More Gigantic Sci-Fi Sea Dams
As solar and wind proliferate, the power lurking in the world’s oceans is yet to make waves. In fact, tides could become the next essential energy source. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices