Best Reusable Water Bottles of 2026, Tested by WIRED

We dropped them, tossed them in bags, and cleaned their fiddly lids. Here are the ones we recommend.

WIRED’s Midterms Races to Watch

From data centers to Elon Musk funding to the AI lobby, the 2026 midterms are the most WIRED elections yet. These are the candidates we're following closely.

Tristan Harris’ Tech Nonprofit Is Laying Off Most Staff and Going ‘Founder-Led’

The Center for Humane Technology helped spark a movement against excessive screen time, but internal tensions over its direction and strategy have simmered for ...

A Scientist Working on the ‘IceCube’ Neutrino Detector Explains the Nobel Prize–Winning Technology

“Detecting a neutrino is like looking for a needle in a haystack,” says Juan Carlos Díaz Vélez, who breaks down why researchers are looking for the cosmic parti...

The Man Behind a West Bank Telegram Channel Trying to Keep Palestinian Drivers Safe

With no accurate Big Tech mapping app to help him, Anas Hattab launched a Telegram group to get himself home at night. Now nearly 350,000 Palestinians rely on i...

7 Best Cheap Phones (2026), Tested and Reviewed

There’s little reason to pay top dollar for a smartphone. These iPhones and Android devices—ranging from $100 to $800—stood up to WIRED’s testing.

Tropical Storm Isaias Set to Be First Atlantic Hurricane of 2026 Season

Tropical Storm Isaias is set to become the basin’s first hurricane of the season, bringing life-threatening rain and storm surge to the Gulf Coast.

How a (Weirdly Chill) Celebrity Thinks About Personal Cybersecurity

At a recent event for security firm NordVPN, NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal revealed that he got hacked—and warned the public about the need to “have control of...

Elon Musk’s America PAC Is Quietly Funding November’s Most Consequential Elections

America PAC’s approach has been unusual: for every dollar it has spent supporting GOP Senate candidates, it has spent almost three dollars attacking Democrats.

The Science Behind the Nobel-Winning Technology That Controls Neurons With Light

Optogenetics revolutionized neuroscience, but its origins come from an entirely brainless organism—an alga.

Best Shark Prime Day Vacuum Deals (2026)

Save on two Shark models I recommend after testing, including my favorite robot vacuum and a powerful cordless stick.

Meet the Vendors Selling ‘Cornell Seven’ Merch

Brands, influencers, and Etsy sellers claim they're hawking T-shirts, mugs, and buttons out of solidarity with the woman who accused seven male classmates of se...

These Researchers Made AI Drive a Toyota Corolla to Get In-N-Out

Three engineers put GPT, Claude, and Grok in charge of a real car. Only one of them was successful.

The New ChatGPT Is More Show Than Tell

OpenAI is updating ChatGPT for all users with an “Intelligent UI” that’s more visual—generating interactive elements as part of the chatbot’s outputs.

The Shark CryoGlow LED Mask Is Cheaper Than Ever on Prime Day

The Shark CryoGlow face mask is my favorite LED device, and it’s $299 on Amazon Prime Day. Act fast.

The Pentagon Hopes to Speed Up ‘Kill Chain’ AI Buys With 5-Minute Videos

The US government’s Tradewinds initiative has made it easier to throw millions of dollars at “nontraditional” defense contractors, including OpenAI, Anthropic, ...

19 Best Prime Day Deals on Mobile Accessories (2026)

Just bought a new phone or looking to enhance an existing one? Prime Day is the time to save on accessories like batteries, chargers, and more.

‘The Social Reckoning’ Already Feels Irrelevant

Aaron Sorkin’s sequel to The Social Network attempts to shame a ruling class that has proved itself shameless.

I Put on Meta and Xreal’s XR Glasses. Face Computers Are Finally Getting Good

Xreal’s long-hyped Aura glasses arrive soon for $1,279. Here’s how they fare against Meta’s recently announced VR Glasses.

OpenAI Wants Its New Agent to Run Your Life. Mine Said It Loved Me

Dots are designed to automate online tasks, like buying furniture. In my initial experience, the always-on agent was a bit buggy and couldn’t complete a captcha...

‘Digger’ is a Box Office Flop. It Might Be the Most Relevant Film of the Year

Sold by its trailer as a gag reel, Tom Cruise’s strangest movie may be the most unsettling portrait of our tech and climate moment yet.

A Mysterious Nonprofit Run by SpaceXAI’s Top Lawyer Is Paying the Salaries of Government Workers

The National Design Studio has been something of a successor agency to DOGE. A WIRED investigation finds some of its members are on loan from a nonprofit run by...

A Startup Has a Plan to Make Water From Air Using Data Centers’ Waste Heat

Atoco’s new machines use specialized materials that can harvest water from some of the driest air on Earth without using electricity.

Elon Musk’s America PAC Is Spending Big on the Midterms. We’re Tracking It Daily

To follow Elon Musk’s America PAC money, WIRED created a live-updating tracker that highlights the trillionaire’s overall influence on November’s elections.

Your Next Great Read Might Be Certified ‘Organic’

Amid a sea of AI writing slop, a new stamp for “organic literature” will help readers to pick out books authored by real, corn-fed, free-range humans.

Jaguar Finally Reveals Its Biggest Gamble: the Type 01

Following a viral rebrand and two years without selling a new vehicle, the British marque takes the covers off the most divisive electric car yet seen.

You Probably Aren’t Going to Get the Plague

The death of a lab worker in Russia has authorities looking at whether plague played a role. Even if it did, though, the odds of it spreading are very low.

Best Prime Day Digital Wall Calendar Deals: Skylight, Everblog, Apolosign (2026)

Digital wall calendars can organize multiple family calendars, meal plans, chores, and to-do lists, and even double as a digital photo frame. And best of all, t...

The Best Anti-Prime Day Deals for Amazon Haters

Want to save money without supporting Amazon? This roundup is full of deals on WIRED-approved favorites.

Best Prime Day Laptop Deals: Save Up to $500 (2026)

My favorite MacBook, gaming PC, and budget laptop are all on sale for Prime Day, some at the lowest prices I’ve seen in months.