Scientists Just Discovered a New Type of Magnetism

PLUS: Elon Musk Says a Human Patient Has Received Neuralink's Brain Implant, and more.

View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter preferences 01.31.24 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.   Scientists Just Discovered a New Type of Magnetism LAWS OF ATTRACTION | 5-MINUTE READ  In an atomically thin stack of semiconductors, a mechanism unseen in any natural substance causes electrons' spins to align. By Michael Greshko   Elon Musk Says a Human Patient Has Received Neuralink's Brain Implant BCI | 2-MINUTE READ  Details are scarce, but Neuralink cofounder Elon Musk says initial results are "promising." By Emily Mullin   Texas Is Already Running Out of Water DRY JANUARY | 8-MINUTE READ  Parts of the state are starting the year with low reserves. With light winter rains failing to replenish supply, and a scorching summer predicted, key areas may be pushed to the brink. By Dylan Baddour   Two Nations, a Horrible Accident, and the Urgent Need to Understand the Laws of Space OF ALL MANKIND | 16-MINUTE READ  Welcome to the world's foremost training ground for saving space from disasters, disputes, and—perhaps one day—colonizers named Musk. By Khari Johnson   Watch a Deaf Child Regain Hearing After a Breakthrough Gene Therapy SOUND ON | 4-MINUTE READ  Several gene therapies aim to restore a protein necessary for transmitting sound signals from the ear to the brain. By Emily Mullin   How to Convince Your Flat-Earth Friends the World Is Round DOT PHYSICS | 4-MINUTE READ  Two experiments you can do yourself to finally, definitively put this question to rest. By Rhett Allain ADVERTISEMENT More from WIRED Science Tall Vehicle Hoods Really Are Increasing Pedestrian Deaths A new study of single-vehicle, single-pedestrian crash data for 2016–2021 finds high hoods on pickups and SUVs are more dangerous. Robots Are Fighting Robots in Russia's War in Ukraine Aerial drones have changed the war in Ukraine. Now, both Russia's and Ukraine's militaries are deploying more unmanned ground robots—and the two are colliding. Fiber Optics Bring You Internet. Now They're Also Listening to Trains "Distributed acoustic sensing" looks for disturbances in fiber to detect earthquakes and even insects. Can it also improve rail safety? The Extreme Sport of Ice Climbing Is at Risk of Extinction The winter sport is becoming more treacherous as the world warms and icefalls become less and less stable. Trending on WIRED TURN RIGHT | 5-MINUTE READ The 'Take Our Border Back' Convoy Is Already a Complete Mess By David Gilbert Instead of immigrants, the group of extremists mostly battled each other, paranoia, and their GPS systems. GET WIRED Our Winter Sale is Officially live! Subscribe to WIRED for only $29.99 $5. That includes subscriber-only content like Steven Levy's Plaintext column, plus FREE WIRED stickers as a special bonus! 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 2024. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.