Worrisome new coronavirus strains are emerging. Why now?

PLUS: AI cancer screenings, Sci-Fi's made-up words, and a disruption for Emotnet. View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter subscriptions 01.27.21   EARLY SIGNS These Doctors Are Using AI to Screen for Breast Cancer BY WILL KNIGHT During the pandemic, thousands of women have skipped scans and check-ups. So physicians tapped an algorithm to predict those at the highest risk.   STAR WORDS A New Way to Trace the History of Sci-Fi's Made-Up Words BY ADAM ROGERS The Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction turns a century of neologisms (and neosemes!) into a redefintion of the genre.   BOTNETS Cops Disrupt Emotet, the Internet's 'Most Dangerous Malware' BY ANDY GREENBERG A global operation has taken down the notorious botnet in a blow to cybercriminals worldwide.   PUBLIC HEALTH Worrisome New Coronavirus Strains Are Emerging. Why Now? BY MEGAN MOLTENI Across the globe, SARS-CoV-2 is evolving ways to evade the immune system and become more infectious. Blown pandemic response plans are to blame. GET WIRED Winter Sale! Get 1 year of WIRED access for $10 $5. Tech news and analysis you won't find anywhere else. Subscribe now.   IDEAS The Ethics of Vaccinating Teachers—and Keeping Schools Closed BY DAVID ZWEIG Educators have lobbied to be prioritized for the Covid-19 vaccine, but they've also made the ethically questionable call to continue to wait to reopen.   PRODUCT REVIEW The Priority Apollo Gravel Bike Handles Both Roads and Mud BY ADRIENNE SO This light, versatile, and low-maintenance bicycle has reconciled me to the existence of gravel bikes.   HACKING North Korea Targets—and Dupes—a Slew of Cybersecurity Pros BY LILY HAY NEWMAN The sweeping campaign took advantage of the collaborative spirit among researchers, with an unknown number of victims.   CASUAL GAMER The Real Pleasure and Pain of Making Choices in Video Games BY SWAPNA KRISHNA Life is chaos, but needing to control a fictional story can be stressful too.   OPINION To Beat China on Tech, Biden Will Have to Learn from It BY LUKE PATEY If the president wants to win the race on 5G and other technologies, he'll need more than the support of America's traditional global allies.     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