There is an American toad in my parents' pond that has been absolutely cranking it out for weeks. Really hope that guy finds a mate.

Are MAHA snacks really better for you? Nutrition experts parse a grocery aisle gold rush From protein Pop-Tarts to avocado-oil chips, a MAHA-fueled snack revolution promises healthier eating. Experts say it may mostly be illusion.

The thing is, the vast majority of Americans are already eating plenty of protein. What we're not getting enough of is fiber, and protein-laden snacks are not going to help with that. www.statnews.com/2026/04/22/b...

Gazing Into Sam Altman’s Orb Now Proves You’re Human on Tinder Honestly, what’s hotter than a real person?

It's cool that Tinder now lets you see who has chosen to SUBMIT TO THE ORB. from @mzeff.bsky.social

New Gas-Powered Data Centers Could Emit More Greenhouse Gases Than Entire Nations A WIRED review of permits for data center projects using natural gas and linked to OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft, and xAI shows they could emit more than 129 million tons of greenhouse gases per year.

NEW: I've been shocked by some of the numbers I've been seeing on behind-the-meter power plants for data centers, so I did a little math.

less than a dozen gas plants being built to power data centers for big tech companies could emit a maximum of nearly 130 million tons of CO2e each year (!)

A Prominent PR Firm Is Running a Fake News Site That’s Plagiarizing Original Journalism at Incredible Scale A PR firm is running a strange AI-fueled plagiarism mill that's ripping off — and mangling — a huge amount of local and national reporting.

NEW: A PR company is operating a bizarre fake news site that's plagiarizing original journalism at a massive scale -- all while spewing misinformation, publishing hallucinated quotes, and replacing real people’s names with “Jane Doe.”

Also: it misquotes the Pope.

futurism.com/artificial-i...

Where the DOGE Operatives Are Now WIRED tracked down some of the most prominent figures of last year’s DOGE invasion. Here's where they are now—in government and beyond.

Musk’s DOGE may no longer exist as it did a year ago, but its impact continues to ripple across the government. Some of the young engineers have ascended to senior positions within government. Other people have decamped to the private sector. @wired.com

www.wired.com/story/where-...

RFK Jr. denies saying Black kids on SSRIs "are going to have a chance to go somewhere and get reparented to live in a community where there'll be no cell phones."

Says: "I don't even know what that means"

This Beanie Is Designed to Read Your Thoughts California-based startup Sabi is developing a thought-to-text wearable that could usher in the cyborg future.

NEW: Our cyborg future is closer than you think.

Silicon Valley startup Sabi says it is making a hat that will allow people to type with their thoughts—no keyboard required.

It plans to launch its first product by the end of 2026.

My latest for @wired.com:

www.wired.com/story/this-b...

Government Workers Say They're Getting Inundated With Religion “This has never happened before,” one government employee tells WIRED. “I have never gotten a message like this from anyone.”

“They always spend a lot of time carrying on like, ‘No one's forcing you to pray, these are voluntary,’” says one Department of Labor employee. “But it's happening in the middle of a government workplace.”

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to continue publishing after sale to nonprofit media group Toledo, Ohio-based Block Communications Inc. is selling the Post-Gazette assets to the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, publisher of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Baltimore Banner.

This is a huge win for Pittsburgh. The Post-Gazette was set to shut down on May 3. www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2...

You Should Be More Freaked Out by Shingles The viral infection leaves millions with chronic pain, increased stroke risk, and lifelong nerve damage—yet vaccination rates remain dangerously low.

I've never agreed with a headline more (and would add that you don't need to be elderly to get shingles -- and yes the scars on the left side of my neck are from shingles I got in my 30s, thank you for asking!)

Amy Goodman has spent 30 years staying true to her vision of what good journalism looks like—and she's created a blueprint for indie media in the process: www.wired.com/story/the-in...

No One Knows Where US Vaccine Policy Goes Next Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s sweeping changes to federal vaccine guidance are paused for now. But even if they’re reversed, lasting damage has already been done.

The fate of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s sweeping changes to federal vaccine guidance remains to be seen, but public health experts say that lasting damage has already been done.

With comments from @drsyramadad.bsky.social and @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social:

www.wired.com/story/no-one...

They have a list of advisors on their website: www.epianeuro.com

Unmasking the Paramilitary Agents Behind Trump’s Violent Immigration Crackdown A WIRED analysis of DHS records identified dozens of specialized federal agents who used force against US civilians during the largest known deployment of its kind in US history.

A WIRED investigation has identified multiple members of the paramilitary units behind some of the most egregious immigration enforcement actions of the last year. from @awinston.bsky.social and @regret.bsky.social

A New Implant Aims to Rewire Stroke Patients’ Brains Epia Neuro’s brain-computer interface will include a motorized glove to help stroke patients recover movement in their hand.

EXCLUSIVE: Another brain-computer interface company just came out of stealth.

Epia Neuro of San Francisco is building an implant that sits in the skull and pairs with a motorized glove to help stroke patients regain hand function.

More at @wired.com: www.wired.com/story/a-new-...

Just to clarify: This drug still went through rigorous randomized trials required for FDA approval. The *review* process was expedited, not the testing.

It is a completely new drug. The 6-10 months is the typical FDA review process. The company did several trials to prove efficacy.

FDA Approves Eli Lilly's GLP-1 Pill Eli Lilly’s once-daily Foundayo is the second obesity pill to receive FDA approval. It will compete with Novo Nordisk’s pill version of Wegovy.

Not an April Fools' Day joke: The FDA approved an obesity pill from Eli Lilly in just 50 days. Usually drug approvals take 6-10 months.

This is the second oral GLP-1 drug for weight loss on the market now, after Novo Nordisk's Wegovy pill won approval in December.
www.wired.com/story/fda-ap...

I Asked ChatGPT What WIRED’s Reviewers Recommend—Its Answers Were All Wrong Want to know what our reviewers have actually tested and picked as the best TVs, headphones, and laptops? Ask ChatGPT, and it'll give you the wrong answers.

“As more people experiment with generative AI as a search tool, mistakes like these can damage reader trust when they believe they are going with a publisher’s top pick—and then purchasing a TV that’s not even part of their recommendations.”

www.wired.com/story/i-aske...

C.D.C. Pauses Testing for Rabies and Mpox

The CDC stopped doing rabies testing and experts are afraid they won't start back up again:

I hear you. I live in PA in a county with a very high rate of Lyme disease. There was an approved vaccine, Lymerix, but at the time it wasn't as big of a problem as it is now and there were lawsuits that it caused arthritis. www.aamc.org/news/lyme-di...

That's the idea here!

A Pill That Kills Ticks Is a Promising New Weapon Against Lyme Disease Your pets can already eat a chewable tablet for tick prevention. Now, a pill that paralyzes and kills ticks has shown positive results in a small human trial.

As Pfizer plans to seek FDA approval for its Lyme disease vaccine, a small pharma company is beginning a Phase 2 trial for a pill to provide "on-demand" protection: ir.tarsusrx.com/news-release...

We wrote about the approach back in 2024:
www.wired.com/story/pill-k...

Congrats, Will!

Wirehead: Music Created From Brain Signals | SIGGY (Official Music Video + Behind the Scenes) YouTube video by Siggy

Galen is a longtime musician and plays in a punk band. He incorporated some of the musical tones he made with his thoughts in this song, aptly named "Wirehead". Give it a listen: www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6E5...

Meet the Man Making Music With His Brain Implant Galen Buckwalter says brain-computer interfaces will have to be enjoyable to use if the technology is going to be successful.

Galen Buckwalter, a quadriplegic, received a brain implant in 2024 that is allowing him to create music with his thoughts.

"It is so empowering to be able to do entirely unique things," he says.

I spoke with Galen about the process and the importance of creativity: www.wired.com/story/meet-t...

Northern Kentucky family declines $26 million bid as data center plans advance Ida Huddleston and her children own 1,200 acres of rich farmland just outside of Maysville, Kentucky.

Not all heroes wear capes. local12.com/news/local/n...

ICE Invades Airports Across the US Agents from ICE are being deployed to over a dozen airports around the country, including New York, Atlanta, and Chicago.

NEW from me and @leahfeiger.bsky.social: ICE is in the airports as funding for TSA remains frozen. And like I said in an earlier post: if you're at the airport and seeing ICE, @wired.com wants to know. DM me here or on Signal at Vittoria 89.82

www.wired.com/story/ice-in...