Dec 9, 2016 7:00 AM

Gallery: The Disturbing Beauty of Oil Spills and Industrial Waste

J. Henry Fair
01
Fair-008.jpg
A petroleum tank in Fort McMurray, Canada, where refineries process oil from tar sands.
J. Henry Fair
02
Fair-007.jpg
Oil from the BP spill being burned in the Gulf of Mexico.

J. Henry Fair
03
Fair-003.jpg
Waste rock and tailings at the Kiruna Iron Mine in Kiruna, Sweden.
J. Henry Fair
04
Fair-005.jpg
Waste from processing of bauxite ore in Darrow, Louisiana.

J. Henry Fair
05
Fair-002.jpg
These buildings in Burns Harbor in Indiana process iron ore and coke fuel before they're transported to the blast furnaces on the right.
J. Henry Fair
06
Fair-006.jpg
Glyphosate, an herbicide, manufactured in Luling, Louisiana.

J. Henry Fair
07
Fair-010.jpg
Sludge collected from coal combustion in Nowe Czarnowo, Poland.
J. Henry Fair
08
Fair-004.jpg
An open-pit copper mine in Hurley, New Mexico.

J. Henry Fair
09
Fair-001.jpg
Red mud waste material in a water slurry in Gramercy, Louisiana.
J. Henry Fair
10
Fair-009.jpg
A collection pit in Springville, Pennsylvania, containing chemicals used during drilling and ground rock.

Here’s How Apple Is Updating Its Child Safety Features in iOS 27

Apple has announced several new Child Safety features coming soon to iPhones and other devices. Here’s what’s changing.

Julian Chokkattu

28 Amazing STEM Toys Approved by WIRED Kids

We found lots of math-filled and science-rich toys for tiny nerds to assemble, bake, squish—or even tear apart and rebuild.

Simon Hill

Scientists’ Side Hustle? Using AI and Quantum Computing to Generate New Peptides

Researchers cobbled together funding and time to show how quantum computing could aid in the development of drugs to help underserved populations and combat rare diseases.

Isabella Ward

The Best External Hard Drives to Back Up Everything You Have

Need an ultrafast drive for video editing or a rugged option to back up your photos in the field? We’ve got a solution for every situation.

Scott Gilbertson

The 10 Best WIRED-Tested Pet Cameras

Whether you’re near or far, keep an eye on your fur baby with our favorite pet cameras.

Molly Higgins

What’s Worse Than Romance Scams? Adoption Scams

This week in WIRED Book Club, we recap the final chapters of The Yahoo Boys.

Kate Knibbs

Beatbot’s New Pool Robot Cleans Itself (Mostly)

The AquaSense X brings self-cleaning technology to pool robots for the first time, but is it worth nearly twice the price of Beatbot’s flagship cleaner?

Christopher Null

Skylight’s Touchscreen Calendar Got my Whole Family on the Same Page

The Skylight has become the informational and organizational hub of my household. My touchscreen-native kids have also gained more agency over our family activities.

Jaclyn Greenberg

The Samsung Micro RGB R95H Is a Good, Not Great TV

There’s a new fleet of TVs using new mini and micro RBG display tech, and Samsung’s R95H model isn’t as impressive as it should be.

John Brandon

AI Found a Root Bug in Linux That Everyone Missed for 15 Years

Plus: The Pentagon is training amateurs to become part of its hacker army, a Flock license plate reader error led to cops surrounding a car reviewer, and more.

Dell Cameron