Gallery: 14 Essential Sources for Getting Up to Speed in Science
Warner Bros. Pictures/Everett Collection01ff-cultlit-1-scicanon-gravity
*[Gravity](https://youtu.be/OiTiKOy59o4)* | Great, now humans feel just as petrified—and just as inspired—by the awesome fragility of space travel as they did in the 1960s.
02Chaos
*[Chaos: Making a New Science](http://www.amazon.com/Chaos-Making-Science-James-Gleick/dp/0143113453)* | No one explains a tricky concept better than James Gleick. Here he shows how researchers have tamed wild randomness in everything from stocks to storms.
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*[Cosmos](https://youtu.be/bzS39oghcnY)* (’80) and *[Cosmos](https://youtu.be/Fm4UV5_HsPA)* (’14) | Even devoted Sagan fans see the beauty in Neil deGrasse Tyson’s reincarnation—but you can’t beat the awesomely cruddy production values of the original.
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*[Spillover](http://amzn.com/0393346617)* | Many diseases originally leapt to humans from animals, and David Quammen went to the places where they arose. Spoiler: Stay away from bats.
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*[Biowars](http://www.biowars.com/comic/issue-1/)* | Anthropomorphized immune and nervous system cells in mortal combat? Yes please! Perfect for converting kids from comic nerds to science nerds.
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*[The Magic School Bus](https://youtu.be/BTjXdzxhc_w)* | The one where Ms. Frizzle and her gang shrink to fly through the human body inspired a whole generation of doctors—probably even yours.
07man who mistook his wife for a hat
*[The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat](http://amzn.com/1491514078)* | Oliver Sacks is the godfather of popular neuroscience writing. This collection was one of the first to introduce you to humans who think differently.
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*[Maker Faire](http://makerfaire.com/)* | Like a Renaissance faire but from the future, with (slightly) more steampunk, more stuff to build, and more technology to explore.
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*[The Double Helix](http://amzn.com/074321630X)* | James Watson’s memoir is shamelessly arrogant—and essential to understanding the most important biological finding of the 20th century.
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*[Connections](https://youtu.be/re1ZLwb1jLw)* | James Burke’s classic Brit docuseries shows how every major discovery started with some other major discovery.
11immortal-life
*[The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks](http://amzn.com/1400052181)* | Rebecca Skloot’s incredibly reported story of the cell line that underpins modern cancer research—and the woman whose death made it possible.
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*[The Theory of Island Biogeography](http://amzn.com/0691088365)* | Civilization is a rising sea surrounding islands of nature. This 1967 book explains what happens as creatures huddle on and hopscotch between the shrinking fragments.
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*[Portal](https://youtu.be/TluRVBhmf8w)* | The videogame that gets you thinking about alternate dimensions instead of just saying you’re in one.
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*[The Making of the Atomic Bomb](http://amzn.com/1451677618)* | The grand soap opera/secret reality show that turned Feynman into the trickster god of physics and Oppenheimer into the destroyer of worlds.
The Best Water Filter Pitchers for PFAS- and Lead-Free Living
Water filters promise the moon—but only some back up their claims. Here are the best filtered-water pitchers for those who prefer their water free of heavy metals and forever chemicals.
Matthew Korfhage
The Internet's Most Powerful Archiving Tool Is in Peril
As major news outlets cut off the Wayback Machine, journalists and advocacy groups are rallying to protect the Internet Archive’s vast collection of web pages.
Kate Knibbs
The Dumbest Hack of the Year Exposed a Very Real Problem
Last April, a hacker hijacked crosswalk announcements to mimic Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk. Records obtained by WIRED reveal how unprepared local authorities were.
Paresh Dave
AI Agents Are Coming for Your Dating Life
The developers of Pixel Societies are using AI agents to simulate social interactions. It's an attempt optimize the process of choosing new colleagues, friends, and even romantic partners.
Joel Khalili
The Audacity Is the Broligarchy Takedown You Were Waiting For
AMC’s new black comedy about a manchild tech titan spinning out of control is a skewering Silicon Valley’s billionaire class deserves.
Miles Klee
A Lot of Shops Won't Fix Electric Bikes. Here's Why
Bike shop mechanics have lost fingers and their shirts while repairing ebikes of dubious origins. Make sure yours is repairable and third-party certified.
Stephanie Pearson
It’s a Tablet! It’s a Laptop! After Testing the Best 2-in-1s, Here’s What I Recommend
Whether you want a detachable tablet or a laptop screen that spins, these 2-in-1 devices manage to balance being both a tablet and a laptop.
Luke Larsen
There’s a Secret Ingredient to Making Luxury Ice at Home
Nice ice is big business, but you can get perfectly clear cubes at home without freezing your assets.
Jeremy White
The Screenmaxxers Who Spend Every Waking Hour on Their Phones
As debates over social media addiction rage, people with extreme screen times tell WIRED they have no plans to cut back.
Miles Klee
Mammotion’s Spino E1 Pool Cleaner Isn’t Bad for the Price—It's Just Not That Good
This compact pool robot keeps its price down, but its performance doesn’t match that of more capable cleaners.
Christopher Null
The Best Coffee Mug Warmers Are Smart. But They Don’t Need an App
The first rule of coffee is that it must stay hot. After weeks or even years of testing, these are the three coffee warmers that will best keep it that way.
Matthew Korfhage
Crimson Desert Is a Cat Dad Simulator
Step into the shoes of the strongest, goodest boy in a game that is beautiful, baffling, and impossible to put down.