Sleep evolved before brains. Hydras are living proof

PLUS: Best portable grills, the dog poodemic, remote weddings, and a cicada speaks.

View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter subscriptions 05.31.21   BUYING GUIDE | 11-MINUTE READ The 9 Best Portable Grills You Can Buy BY SCOTT GILBERTSON We barbecued for weeks to find the right charcoal and propane gas grills for the backyard or for lugging to the beach, park, or campsite.   IDEAS | 4-MINUTE READ I'm a Brood X Cicada. You're a Horny Human. We Are Not the Same BY ZAK JASON People preparing for a post-vax summer are likening themselves to the emerging insects. WIRED commissioned one cicada for its take.   WEAR PANTS | 6-MINUTE READ Remote Weddings (and Memorials) Are Here to Stay. Be Prepared BY SUSAN SHAPIRO Are you Zooming, streaming, or Skyping big life events? Here's how to better prepare for tech glitches, so you can get to the church on time.   LIGHTS OUT | 9-MINUTE READ Sleep Evolved Before Brains. Hydras Are Living Proof BY VERONIQUE GREENWOOD Some of nature's simplest animals suggest that sleep evolved long before centralized nervous systems. GET WIRED Memorial Day Sale! Ending Soon: Get WIRED for $10 $5. You can't see into the future, but you can subscribe to WIRED. Subscribe now.   OH CRAP | 6-MINUTE READ The Dog Poodemic Is Here. Call in the Dung-Hunting Drones BY JEREMY WHITE, WIRED UK Lockdown puppy madness has left sidewalks littered with feces. Robots that scan and scoop can help.   PARTY LINE | 5-MINUTE READ How to Master Google's AI Phone Call Features BY ERIC RAVENSCRAFT Your Android phone can do a lot of fancy tricks, from making reservations with Duplex to screening calls. Here's how to get the most out of them.   EVERYTHING'S AWESOME | 6-MINUTE READ The Lego Games and the Glory of Not Being Challenged BY JOE MOLANDER Though the series has entertained players for 20 years, the past 12 months in particular have given easy games the chance to shine.   BUYING GUIDE | 14-MINUTE READ The Gear to Carry on Your Bikepacking Adventure BY STEPHANIE PEARSON Here's what to consider (and what to buy) before safely heading out on a multiday cycling trip into the hinterlands.   DOT PHYSICS | 5-MINUTE READ This Dam Acts Like a Water Cannon. Let's Do Some Physics! BY RHETT ALLAIN Like a giant bucket with a hole, the Funil Hydropower Plant sprays out an enormous jet of water. We can use its speed to calculate the depth of the reservoir.     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   Copyright © Condé Nast 2021. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.