The unsettling truth about the ‘Mostly Harmless’ hiker

PLUS: Lucasfilm Games' new partnerships, dire wolf DNA, and the best of CES 2021. View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter subscriptions  01.13.21   FORCE POWERS Lucasfilm Games' New Partnerships Mean the Galaxy's the Limit BY ERIC RAVENSCRAFT The Disney-owned company just announced a new Star Wars title coming from Ubisoft and an Indiana Jones game from Bethesda. And that's just the beginning.   GAME OF GENOMES Scientists Have Sequenced Dire Wolf DNA. Thanks, Science! BY ANGELA WATERCUTTER The creatures made famous by Game of Thrones went extinct some 13,000 years ago. Now geneticists know a little more about where they come from.   CES The Best of CES 2021 BY GEAR TEAM These are the products, prototypes, and ideas that did the best job of signaling the future at this year's consumer tech showcase.   The Unsettling Truth About the 'Mostly Harmless' Hiker BY NICHOLAS THOMPSON His emaciated body was discovered in a tent, just a few miles from a major Florida highway. His identity—and troubled past—were discovered by the internet.   SPONSORED CONTENT Get a Free Security Camera and 24/7 Protection Most security companies send a technician to your home. SimpliSafe doesn't. Order online. Set it up in 30 minutes. After that you're protected 24/7. GET WIRED Get one year of WIRED access for less than $1 per month. Tech news and analysis you won't find anywhere else. Subscribe now.   DREAM SMP In Minecraft, All the Server's a Stage BY CECILIA D'ANASTASIO A pixelated political drama has played out in the sandbox game since May, drawing millions of viewers in the process.   EYES EVERYWHERE How Amazon Sidewalk Works—and Why You May Want to Turn It Off BY DAVID NIELD The premise is convenient. But the ecommerce giant's privacy track record isn't exactly inspiring.   SOCIAL MEDIA The Parler Bans Open a New Front in the 'Free Speech' Wars BY GILAD EDELMAN Apple, Google, and Amazon booted the site from their own platforms. But who moderates the moderators?   BACKCHANNEL The Case for Cannibalism, or: How to Survive the Donner Party BY CODY CASSIDY Don't be a young, healthy, single man. That's our first piece of advice.     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