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The Genesis Engine

We now have the power to quickly and easily alter DNA. It could eliminate disease. It could solve world hunger. It could provide unlimited clean energy. It could get real

You Finally Got a Wikipedia Page. Then It Vanished

Every day, Wikipedia biographies of living people are flagged for deletion because the subjects are not “notable” enough. How do these poor souls take the news? Written

The Big Fight Over 403 Very Small Wasps

Earth is teeming with unknown species, and they’re dying off faster than ever. Now biologists are battling over an old question: how to catalog life? Written by Brooke J

How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans From Tehran

Sneaking six Americans out of Iran in 1979 would take an audacious plan, false identities, and an epic Hollywood cover story. Written by Joshuah Bearman. Originally publ

She Was the DEA’s Premier Crypto Detective. The Clues Led Straight to Her Own Family

To escape the chaos of her Russian childhood, Lili Infante became an American law enforcement prodigy. She pioneered the DEA’s investigations of the dark web—never suspec

Inside the Bitcoin Bust That Took Down the Web's Biggest Child Abuse Site

They thought their payments were untraceable. They couldn’t have been more wrong. The untold story of the case that shredded the myth of Bitcoin’s anonymity. Written by

Evan Ratliff Tried to Vanish: Here's What Happened

He shed his identity with the goal of disappearing for one month. Then the manhunt began. Written by Evan Ratliff. Originally published on November 20th, 2009. For more

Nathan Fielder Tells Us Everything

Including what Elizabeth Holmes said to him last week. A WIRED exclusive interview with the comic auteur, as his first feature film hits theaters. The conversation betwe

A College Girl Was Exploited on Camera. A Network of Anonymous Men Got to Work

Maddie Kowalski is one of countless young women who’ve had their lives destroyed by the burnerverse, a loosely connected online community of sports fans. Now she’s fighti

The Accidental Zillionaire

Microsoft spawned two billionaires. Paul Allen is the other one. Written by Paulina Borsook. Originally published on August 1st, 1994. For more of the most ambitious, f

In Search of the Heart of the Online-Cat Industrial Complex

A cat wearing a short tie plays music on a cat-shaped keyboard (“Pancake Meowsic Video,” 185,459 views). A woman performs sun salutations with a cat on her back (“Cat Lov

The Internet Runs on Cats and Porn. It’s About to Get Cattier and Pornier

Soon, hundreds of new top-level domains, including .meow and .fart, could be added to the internet. WIRED goes inside the backroom shenanigans of ICANN, the organization

Billions Registered

Right now, there are no rules to keep you from owning a bitchin’ corporate name as your own internet address. Written by Joshua Quittner. Originally published on October

Why the Future Doesn't Need Us

Our most powerful 21st-century technologies—robotics, genetic engineering, and nanotech—are threatening to make humans an endangered species. Written by Bill Joy. Origin

Choke Points

Lost time. Lost jobs. Lost friends. Lost family. Lost Lives. How Israeli checkpoints suffocate Palestinian life in the occupied West Bank. Written by Lama Rabah, Sab

How a Research Blog Took on Big Surveillance in China—and Won

Digging through manuals for security cameras, a group of gearheads found sinister details and ignited a new battle in the US-China tech war. Written by Amos Zeeberg. Ori

Greetings From Burning Man!

Dispatches from the New American Holiday: Writer Bruce Sterling takes the kids to the Temporary Autonomous Zone, where survival is a personal choice. Written by Bruce St

She's 28, Loves God and Her Family, and Might Be the Reason You Can't Have Kids

No IVF. No surrogacy. No polygenic tests. Emma Waters is leading a national fight against fertility tech—with her hot husband’s permission, of course.For more of the most

Sayaka Murata Inhabits a Planet of Her Own

The novelist makes the Earthly rituals of sex, marriage, childbirth—and all of human life—appear delightfully outlandish. For more of the most ambitious, future-defining