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What's New

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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

Google’s AI Is Making Traffic Lights More Efficient and Less Annoying

Google is analyzing data from its Maps app to suggest how cities can adjust traffic light timing to cut wait times and emissions. The company says it’s already cutting stops for millions of drivers. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices...

Oct 11, 20239 minTranscript available on Metacast

New York’s Airbnb Ban Is Descending Into Pure Chaos

People are listing short-term rentals on social media and lesser-known platforms, bolstering a rental black market in New York City. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Oct 10, 20238 minTranscript available on Metacast

The Game Theory of the Auto Strikes

As the United Auto Workers strike against Detroit’s Big Three drags on, a classic behavioral theory provides a way to figure out how long they may continue. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Oct 09, 20239 minTranscript available on Metacast

Chatbot Hallucinations Are Poisoning Web Search

Untruths spouted by chatbots ended up on the web—and Microsoft's Bing search engine served them up as facts. Generative AI could make search harder to trust. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices...

Oct 06, 20237 minTranscript available on Metacast

The Team Helping Women Fight Digital Domestic Abuse

Location-enabled tech designed to make our lives easier is often exploited by domestic abusers. Refuge, a UK nonprofit, helps women to leave abusive relationships, secure their devices, and stay safe. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices...

Oct 05, 20237 minTranscript available on Metacast

India Is Using Terrorism Laws to Target Journalists

Police seized laptops and phones from reporters working for the anti-establishment Newsclick website—the latest outlet to be raided during a crackdown on media in India. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices...

Oct 04, 20235 minTranscript available on Metacast

What Will Plants Be Like on Alien Worlds?

Scientists know enough about exoplanets to speculate about how simple plants might arise on them. But don't count on them being green. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Oct 03, 20239 minTranscript available on Metacast

X Fires Its Election Team Before a Huge Election Year

The “last man standing” in X’s threat intelligence team has been fired, as the company guts its election integrity response ahead of a year in which more than 50 countries go to the polls. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices...

Oct 02, 20237 minTranscript available on Metacast

An Epic Fight Over What Really Killed the Dinosaurs

A deep learning model has joined a vigorous debate over whether volcanoes began dinosaur doomsday well before the asteroid hit. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Sep 29, 202310 minTranscript available on Metacast

Amazon’s All-Powerful ‘Buy Box’ Is at the Heart of Its New Antitrust Troubles

The US Federal Trade Commission filed a long-anticipated antitrust complaint alleging that Amazon uses its power over sellers to keep ecommerce prices artificially high. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices...

Sep 28, 20236 minTranscript available on Metacast

Why Rain Is Getting Fiercer on a Warming Planet

Extreme rain is getting more extreme as temperatures rise. That may seem counterintuitive, but the underlying physics is crystal clear. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Sep 27, 20237 minTranscript available on Metacast

California's Governor Vetoes State Ban on Driverless Trucks

California lawmakers, egged on by unions, voted to require a human onboard autonomous trucks over fears about safety and job losses. Governor Gavin Newsom was having none of it. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices...

Sep 26, 20237 minTranscript available on Metacast

Revolut Needs to Get Its House in Order

The fintech unicorn Revolut needs a UK banking license to sustain its growth, but it keeps tripping up. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Sep 25, 20236 minTranscript available on Metacast

How Elon Musk and Tesla Helped Spark the Auto Strikes

Tesla isn't involved in the strike at Detroit’s Big Three automakers. But the EV maker and its irrepressible CEO had plenty to do with why the walkouts happened. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices...

Sep 22, 20237 minTranscript available on Metacast

The Mysterious 'Warming Hole' in the Middle of the US

The world is rapidly heating. So why has the central US been weirdly cool compared to the rest of the country? Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Sep 21, 20235 minTranscript available on Metacast

The Auto Strike Threatens a Supply Chain Already Weakened by Covid

A prolonged autoworker strike would be especially painful for smaller players inside the complex auto supply chain. It could also impact thousands more workers and push up car prices. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices...

Sep 19, 20236 minTranscript available on Metacast

Autoworkers Prepare to Strike for a Place in the EV Future

Some 150,000 US autoworkers are poised to strike this week for better pay and pledges that green jobs won’t be worse jobs. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Sep 15, 202310 minTranscript available on Metacast

Why Some Animals Thrive in Cities

Why does some wildlife thrive in the city? Figuring this out is the first step to boosting urban biodiversity. And that's good for everyone. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices...

Sep 14, 20239 minTranscript available on Metacast

Is Google’s Search Engine Smart or Sneaky? A Court Will Decide

Google’s search dominance is going on trial in the biggest US antitrust case since a crackdown on Big Tech that started in 2019. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Sep 13, 202310 minTranscript available on Metacast

Facebook Is Giving Up on News—Again

Meta says it will retire Facebook's "news" tag in the UK, France, and Germany, ahead of rules that might force it to pay for content. Users may not care, but it has left the media scrambling. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices...

Sep 12, 202310 minTranscript available on Metacast

Big Batteries Are Booming. So Are Fears They'll Catch Fire

The world needs thousands of new grid battery installations to fight climate change. They rarely catch fire—but many people are skeptical of having one next door. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices...

Sep 11, 20239 minTranscript available on Metacast

Facebook Trains Its AI on Your Data. Opting Out May Be Futile

Here's how to request that your personal information not be used to train Meta's AI model. "Request" is the operative word here. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Sep 08, 20234 minTranscript available on Metacast

The UK Is Poised to Force a Bad Law on the Internet

WhatsApp and Signal have threatened to shut down services in Britain if the Online Safety Bill includes restrictions that undermine encryption. The government is pushing it through anyway. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices...

Sep 07, 20239 minTranscript available on Metacast

A Billion-Dollar Plan to Fix Farm Emissions Might Make Things Worse

Agriculture is a huge source of greenhouse gas emissions, so the US is getting serious about reform. But some scientists say current efforts are misguided. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Sep 06, 202310 minTranscript available on Metacast

Climate Change Has Finally Come For Burning Man

Unpredictable weather and delays following Hurricane Hilary turned the festival for ultra-wealthy techno-utopians and Hedonists into a literal quagmire. Welcome to the new normal. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices...

Sep 05, 20239 minTranscript available on Metacast

Meta Isn't Enforcing Its Own Political Ads Policy, While the 2024 US Election Looms

A nonprofit watchdog group has found that the right-wing group PragerU has pushed out more than 100 political ads on Facebook and Instagram, flouting Meta’s policies. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Sep 04, 20239 minTranscript available on Metacast

The Inventor Behind a Rush of AI Copyright Suits Is Trying to Show His Bot Is Sentient

Stephen Thaler’s series of high-profile copyright cases has made headlines worldwide. He’s done it to demonstrate his AI is capable of independent thought. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices...

Sep 01, 202311 minTranscript available on Metacast

Turtles Carry Signs of Humanity’s Nuclear History in Their Shells

Turtles’ shells contain a chemical record of the environment—including highly enriched uranium, an indicator of nuclear weapons development. What can we learn from these accidental archivists? Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices...

Aug 31, 202310 minTranscript available on Metacast

The Killer App for Threads Is the Web

Threads coming to the web doesn’t mean the new social app is the ultimate Twitter killer, but it makes it infinitely more usable. Thanks for listening to WIRED. Talk to you next time for more stories from WIRED.com and read this story here . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Aug 30, 20237 minTranscript available on Metacast
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