A Medieval French Skeleton Is Rewriting the History of Syphilis

PLUS: How NASA Is Protecting Its Precious Asteroid Bennu Sample, and more.

View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter preferences 09.27.23 Your weekly roundup of the best stories on health care, the climate crisis, genetic engineering, robotics, space, and more. For all our science coverage, visit WIRED Science.   A Medieval French Skeleton Is Rewriting the History of Syphilis BONE TO PICK | 6-MINUTE READ  Christopher Columbus was blamed for bringing syphilis to Europe. New DNA evidence suggests it was already there. Maybe both stories are true. By Maryn McKenna   How NASA Is Protecting Its Precious Asteroid Bennu Sample UNBOXING | 3-MINUTE READ  The OSIRIS-REx capsule containing a "treasure trove" of space rocks has now arrived at Johnson Space Center, where scientists will gingerly unpack it. By Ramin Skibba   The Dumb Alien Mummy Story Takes an Entirely Predictable Turn LLAMA SKELETONS | 2-MINUTE READ  A week ago, two bodies believed to be a muddle of human and animal bones were presented in Mexico's Congress as proof of alien life. Now the scientific community is fighting back. By Anna Lagos   Everything You Need to Know About Getting Your Genome Sequenced WIRED30 | 7-MINUTE READ  DNA sequencing can assess your risk of developing certain diseases. It could even help provide medicines personalized to your genes one day. Governments want you to get involved. By Rachael Pells   Why Rain Is Getting Fiercer on a Warming Planet CLIMATE CHANGE | 4-MINUTE READ  Extreme rain is getting more extreme as temperatures rise. That may seem counterintuitive, but the underlying physics is crystal clear. By Matt Simon   Another Person Just Got a Pig Heart. Scientists Have a Plan to Make It Last CHANGE OF HEART | 4-MINUTE READ  The first human to receive a genetically engineered pig heart survived two months. Surgeons are hoping this transplant will last longer. By Emily Mullin ADVERTISEMENT More from WIRED Science Inside the Race to Stop a Deadly Viral Outbreak in India Quick thinking and medical sleuthing allowed Kerala to contain a potentially disastrous Nipah virus outbreak this month—but with viral spillovers happening more frequently, containment is a fragile shield. The Secret of How Cells Make 'Dark Oxygen' Without Light In some subterranean aquifers, cells have a chemical trick for making oxygen. It offers new insight into how life survives deep underground on Earth—and where it might lurk in space. The World's Largest—and Stinkiest—Flower Is in Danger of Extinction The 42 known species of the parasitic plant Rafflesia, known as the corpse flower, are endangered due to the destruction of forest habitats. Behold the Latest Treasures Unearthed at Mexico City's Templo Mayor A stone chest with 15 anthropomorphic sculptures and numerous beads, shells, and corals have been discovered in the heart of the ancient Aztec capital. Trending on WIRED IN MEMORIAM | 4-MINUTE READ Google Mourns Veteran Engineer Luiz André Barroso, Who Invented the Modern Data Center By Paresh Dave Brazilian engineer Luiz André Barroso, who ripped up the rule book at Google, has died. His radical ideas for data centers laid the foundations for cloud computing. GET WIRED Get WIRED for just $29.99 $5. That includes subscriber-only content like Steven Levy's Plaintext column, plus free stickers! Subscribe now. ADVERTISEMENT Have questions or comments? Reply to this email.   This email was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our email address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book.   View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe or Manage your newsletter subscriptions   Copyright © Condé Nast 2023. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.