Factor meal kits offer a free $200 Withings body-scanning scale after a three-week subscription. I was afraid, then maybe a little motivated?

Research shows that people who sleep poorly tend to have brain age that is older than their actual age. Chronic inflammation in the body caused by poor sleep likely plays a part.

Government staffing cuts and instability, including this year’s prolonged shutdown, could be hindering US digital defense and creating vulnerabilities.

Dating apps and AI companies have been touting bot wingmen for months. But the future might just be good old-fashioned meet-cutes.

The United States’ plan for dealing with Putin’s Russia and Xi’s China remains ill-defined among a shifting global order. That must change.

The reborn Commodore 64 is an astonishing remake—but daunting if you weren’t there the first time around.

If you've wondered what a preamplifier is, what it exactly does, and whether your audio setup is missing one, we've got the answers—as well as some of our top recommendations.

After 10 years of journaling, my only regret is not starting sooner.

US support for nuclear energy is soaring. Meanwhile, coal plants are on their way out and electricity-sucking data centers are meeting huge pushback. Welcome to the next front in the energy battle.

Amid historically low birth rates and economic pressures from its aging population, China will eliminate a decades-old tax exemption on contraceptives.

A fun diversion for retro gaming on the Nintendo Switch 2—if you can stand to look at it.

From university breaches to cyberattacks that shut down whole supply chains, these were the worst cybersecurity incidents of the year.

Privacy may be dead, but civilians are turning conventional wisdom on its head by surveilling the cops as much as the cops surveil them.

Google's AI is now even smarter, and more versatile.

From Donald Trump to DOGE to Chinese hackers, this year the internet's chaos caused outsized real-world harm.

Today’s global coral bleaching events are the worst kind of climate warning.

Drinking water in plastic bottles contains countless particles too small to see. New research finds that people who drink water from them on a daily basis ingest far more microplastics than those who don’t.

The battle for AI dominance has left a large footprint—and it’s only getting bigger and more expensive.

Questions around the reliability of the US greenback are dulling the luster of what was the world’s currency of trade. New, global alternatives are emerging.

In the mid-19th century, Bernhard Riemann conceived of a new way to think about mathematical spaces, providing the foundation for modern geometry and physics.

Money gifts burning a hole in your pocket? These deals on WIRED-tested gadgets and gizmos will stretch your dollars.

This copycat controller can’t clone the PS5’s best features, but it’s a solid option for Xbox and PC gamers.

Chinese companies have pledged hundreds of billions of dollars in clean energy manufacturing investments overseas, but the projects are having significant social, environmental, and human rights impacts.

Choosing a mattress for your guest room, Airbnb, or VRBO rental is challenging. This hybrid is up for it.

In a year that began with a memecoin trading frenzy, stablecoins have emerged as the respectable face of the crypto industry.

In the AI boom, chatbots and GPTs come and go quickly. (Remember Llama?) GPT-5 had a big year, but 2026 will be all about Qwen.

The future of conflict is cheap, rapidly manufactured, and tough to defend against.

In Pirates of the Caribbean, Jack and Will use an overturned dinghy to hold air underwater. Madness or brilliance?

Ricoh’s cult-inspiring pocketable camera gets a small update, with important improvements in autofocus and image quality.

Savvy countries will discover there’s a way to mitigate the harm incurred by Trump’s tariffs—and it’ll boost their own economies while making goods cheaper too.