Why is it so hard to study Covid-related smell loss?

PLUS: Chrome extensions to prevent tracking, Bill & Ted, and Amazon's home drone. View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter subscriptions 09.26.20   DISTANCE LEARNING How Teachers Can Foster Community in Online Classrooms BY ELI REITER Remote learning doesn't have to mean distracted, disconnected students. Here's what you can do to build calm and trust.   LOOK OUT The Best Chrome Extensions to Prevent Creepy Web Tracking BY MATT BURGESS, WIRED UK Ad trackers follow you everywhere online—but it doesn't have to be that way.   PRODUCT REVIEW Sony's New Flagship TV Is Cosmically Good BY JESS GREY The company's A8H 4K OLED is a love letter to the home theater, a 65-inch display defined by its otherworldly vibrance.   SNIFF TEST Why Is It So Hard to Study Covid-Related Smelling Loss? BY SARA HARRISON Patients have long reported the sudden inability to smell. But restrictions on in-person exams are complicating efforts to figure out what's going on.   PODCASTS Bill & Ted Face the Music Strikes the Perfect Note BY GEEK'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY The first Bill and Ted movie in 30 years is a fitting tribute to the series that came before.   BUZZ BUZZ Amazon's Bizarre Home Drone Flies Around Inside Your House BY LAUREN GOODE Look at this freaking drone.   TWEET STORM How the Pandemic Transformed This Songbird's Call BY MATT SIMON When the San Francisco Bay Area locked down, urban noise levels plummeted. In response, the white-crowned sparrow changed its tune.   CORONAVIRUS Federal Executions During Covid-19 Put Innocent Lives at Risk BY EMMA GREY ELLIS The current wave of executions is increasing the likelihood that lawyers, observers, and correctional staff could be infected.   FANCY BEAR Facebook Busts Russian Disinfo Networks as US Election Looms BY LILY HAY NEWMAN The campaigns primarily targeted countries outside the US. But the same mechanisms could be used in "hack and leak" operations like those that roiled the 2016 campaign.     This e-mail was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book.   View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe or Manage your newsletter subscriptions