Science, Spoken

The fireflies of Moriyama City have long been prized (and hunted) for their yellow-green glow. To bring populations back up, amateur conservationists are hitting the books. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mounting research suggests that cephalopods experience pain. Now, the National Institutes of Health is considering new animal welfare rules that would put them in the same category as monkeys. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scientists use microphones and AI to automatically detect species by their chirps and croaks. This bioacoustics research could be critical for protecting ecosystems on a warming planet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Experiments show that asking AI chatbots to work together on a problem can compensate for some of their shortcomings. WIRED enlisted two bots to help plan this article. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're bringing an extra episode from our show What's New. Here’s what the science really says about teens and screens—and how to start the conversation with young people of any age.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

During a tour of Silicon Valley, EU vice president Věra Jourová said she expects tech giants to prioritize stamping out content that could distort democracy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Surgeons at NYU took out the pig kidney because it wasn’t getting enough blood flow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What goes on in artificial neural networks work is largely a mystery, even to their creators. But researchers from Anthropic have caught a glimpse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Drought-stricken hydro dams have led to daily electricity cuts in Ecuador. As weather becomes less predictable die to climate change, experts say other countries need to take notice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're bringing an extra episode from our show Security, Spoken. New research shows the number of deepfake videos is skyrocketing—and the world's biggest search engines are funneling clicks to dozens of sites dedicated to the nonconsensual fakes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're bringing an extra episode from our show Business, Spoken. Book publishers are experimenting with chatbot editions of new titles, providing "conversational companions" for readers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthropic and other big AI startups are teaching chatbots “tool use,” to make them more useful in the workplace. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Noland Arbaugh is the first to get Elon Musk’s brain device. The 30-year-old speaks to WIRED about what it’s like to use a computer with his mind—and gain a new sense of independence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're bringing an extra episode from our show What's New. Ecologist Thomas Crowther’s research inspired countless tree-planting campaigns, greenwashing, and attacks from scientists. Now he’s back with a new plan for nature restoration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Authorities and conservation groups are investigating the deaths of dozens of howler monkeys in Tabasco, where extreme heat and land-use change appear to be threatening the vulnerable species. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Increasing solar activity over the next year could bring more opportunities to see fantastic displays of the northern lights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Not only do heat pumps work fine in cold weather, they’re still more efficient than gas furnaces in such conditions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Research at Microsoft shows it’s possible to make AI models small enough to run on phones or laptops without major compromises to their smarts. The technique could open up new use cases for AI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Viruses called phages offer a promising treatment option for bacterial infections when antibiotics stop working, but they have limitations.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Not only is black carbon terrible for human health, but ever-fiercer wildfires are covering the Arctic with the dark particles, accelerating melting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Climate change is robbing some hydro dams of water while oversupplying others—forcing managers to employ new forecasting technology and clever strategies to capitalize on what they have. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Green spaces significantly cool our ever-hotter cities. New research suggests more trees could cut heat-related ER visits in LA by up to two-thirds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We wanted to bring back a favorite episode from 2023: 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A store in Singapore is selling lab-grown chicken, but it only contains 3 percent animal cells. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The preliminary results of a clinical trial of using heat exposure to combat depression are in—and are fueling cautious optimism that sauna practice could become an accepted treatment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices