Plus loud rats and other weird things we learned this week. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. What's the weirdest thing you learned this week? Well, whatever it is, we promise you'll have an even weirder answer if you listen to's hit podcast . It's your new favorite source for the strangest science-adjacent facts, figures, and Wikipedia spirals the editors of can muster.

Sarah Martin investigates the virtual world of the children's online game Roblox with the profile of an eight-year-old girl with parental control settings turned on. Sarah Martin investigates the virtual world of the children's online game Roblox with the profile of an eight-year-old girl with parental control settings turned on. In seven days my young alter ego is cyberbullied and attacked while exploring clubs, casinos and horror games, all with parental controls in place. Is the platform safe for children - or an'X-rated paedophile hellscape'? Wed 5 Nov 2025 09.00 ESTLast modified on Wed 5 Nov 2025 09.01 EST I am an eight-year-old girl, standing near-naked in a room full of strangers. As the room spins and zooms upon me and people glide around me, I clock my features.

Last week, an American-Israeli company that claims it's developed proprietary technology to cool the planet announced it had raised $60 million, by far the largest known venture capital round to date for a solar geoengineering startup. The company, Stardust, says the funding will enable it to develop a system that could be deployed by the start of the next decade, according to Heatmap, which broke the story. As scientists who have worked on the science of solar geoengineering for decades, we have grown increasingly concerned about emerging efforts to start and fund private companies to deploy technologies that could alter the climate of the planet. We also strongly dispute some of the technical claims that certain companies have made about their offerings. This story is part of Heat Exchange, MIT Technology Review's guest opinion series offering expert commentary on legal, political and regulatory issues related to climate change and clean energy. Can "The Simpsons" really predict the future?

This story appears in the December 2025 print edition. While some stories from this issue are not yet available to read online, you can explore more from the magazine . Get our editors' guide to what matters in the world, delivered to your inbox every weekday. The social-media era is over. What's coming will be much worse. This article was featured in the One Story to Read Today newsletter.

New York's new mayor Zohran Mamdani tells Trump'I have four words for you' in blistering victory speech quoting his socialist hero, bragging about'toppling a dynasty' and promising a'new dawn' Driver screaming'Allahu Akbar' ploughs in to pedestrians'trying to hit everyone he encountered' on French holiday island leaving ten injured This Leftist election landslide was caused by the same vile disease that's triggered a GOP civil war. Amazon signals it's finally fed up with Whole Foods' sluggish sales - and is making sweeping, controversial changes Why Mamdani's socialist revolution in New York has sparked a civil war for Democrats... and Trump is secretly loving it Simone Biles details all the plastic surgery she's had after her boob job this summer Inside Kate and William's forever home: Princess is kitting out Forest Lodge in her preferred'classic contemporary style' to create a'lovely but absolutely inoffensive' look REVEALED: Fattest states in America ranked... including region where three-quarters of residents are obese Now he's dead, here's the full story of what happened that day... and the ghastly aftermath no one knows about Shocking moment Mexico's president is groped by man who grabs her breasts and tries to kiss her Miss Universe contestant called'dumb' in humiliating dressing-down by official hits back with powerful speech as furious organisers condemn her treatment and he issues grovelling apology Hollywood A-listers may be blacklisted for'antisemitism' under Paramount's new anti-woke leadership Nepo baby turns heads at Glamour Women Of The Year Awards in a glitzy gold sequin feathered gown - but can YOU guess who her A-list mother is? New footage reveals the moments before football manager collapsed and died mid-match, leaving his players in disbelief, as it emerges he'complained about fish he had eaten' hours before Texas teen'tears masterpiece from wall at the Met in unhinged meltdown' before being handed in by his MOTHER Scientists have been faced with a huge dilemma, as research reveals that reducing air pollution has increased global warming . While smog kills millions of people every year, it also whitens clouds - making them more reflective. So by slashing air pollution, we're inadvertently diminishing the brightness of clouds, which are key regulators of global temperature.

A tech industry insider's guide to where to stay, eat, work, and play while visiting the tech scene's mothership, San Francisco. All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. You've probably read plenty of recent news stories about how San Francisco is a failed city. Our infrastructure is crumbling, our streets are scary, our social fabric is torn and frayed. Most of that stuff is false. Yes, San Francisco has issues, but they're the same problems nearly all US cities are facing as they struggle to reorient themselves to our new, post-pandemic economic reality. The "doom loop" narrative that's often repeated in the national press is a gross exaggeration. The truth is that San Francisco is thriving.

New York's new mayor Zohran Mamdani tells Trump'I have four words for you' in blistering victory speech quoting his socialist hero, bragging about'toppling a dynasty' and promising a'new dawn' Driver screaming'Allahu Akbar' ploughs in to pedestrians'trying to hit everyone he encountered' on French holiday island leaving ten injured This Leftist election landslide was caused by the same vile disease that's triggered a GOP civil war. Why Mamdani's socialist revolution in New York has sparked a civil war for Democrats... and Trump is secretly loving it Simone Biles details all the plastic surgery she's had after her boob job this summer Kim Kardashian's new TV show All's Fair is SAVAGED by critics as it's branded'the worst drama ever', 'existentially terrible' and'a crime against television' while debuting at 0% on Rotten Tomatoes Putin orders increased drone'incursions' in Europe as Russia ramps up'hybrid war' - with Belgium's biggest airport forced to close overnight Inside Kate and William's forever home: Princess is kitting out Forest Lodge in her preferred'classic contemporary style' to create a'lovely but absolutely inoffensive' look REVEALED: Fattest states in America ranked... including region where three-quarters of residents are obese I was so desperate for a baby I stole sperm from my husband's condom: It's the most shocking confession. Now for the first time LIZ JONES tells what happened next... and the consequence no one saw New footage reveals the moments before football manager collapsed and died mid-match, leaving his players in disbelief, as it emerges he'complained about fish he had eaten' hours before Hollywood A-listers may be blacklisted for'antisemitism' under Paramount's new anti-woke leadership Texas teen'tears masterpiece from wall at the Met in unhinged meltdown' before being handed in by his MOTHER Is this how the world will end? Scientists have revealed a grim prospect for humanity's future, as they warn Earth will eventually be consumed by the sun. In roughly five billion years, our star will burn the last of its hydrogen fuel and begin expanding into a monstrous red giant.

Asian markets recorded the sharpest slide in seven months on Wednesday. Asian markets recorded the sharpest slide in seven months on Wednesday. Global stock markets have fallen sharply amid concerns that a boom in valuations of artificial intelligence (AI) companies could be rapidly cooling. Markets in the US, Asia and Europe have fallen after bank bosses warned a serious stock market correction could lie ahead, after a run of record stock market highs led some companies to appear overvalued . In the US, the tech-focused Nasdaq and the S&P 500 on Tuesday suffered their largest one-day percentage drop in almost a month.

SoftBank Group's Japanese mobile unit and OpenAI are set to launch AI services for local companies next year. SoftBank Group's Japanese mobile unit and OpenAI will launch AI services for local companies next year, seeking to realize real revenue in the face of growing concerns over sky-high valuations. SoftBank Corp. and Open AI are still fine-tuning the products the two companies are co-developing for Japanese enterprises, said Junichi Miyakawa, president of the country's third-largest mobile carrier. Miyakawa said he has seen a test version of the services, which once launched would "completely change" the speed in which business is done. One feature is voice recognition that would allow users to rely less on manual typing, he said.

A new company called Sandbar has unveiled a smart wearable called Stream Ring, which uses a microphone to record your softly spoken thoughts. Everyone has an inner monologue. When you're commuting on the train, riding a bike, or in the shower, chances are you're thinking about the day ahead, tasks you need to do, or maybe just mulling over a conversation you had the night before. Much of this stays in our brains, soon to be forgotten or pushed away when the train comes to the station. But what if you could have it all subtly recorded in one place, ready for you to digest later on?