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IN CHARTS: A visual breakdown of the Smithsonian’s billion-dollar taxpayer-funded budget
The Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum, education and research complex, has drawn increasing political scrutiny over its reliance on more than $1 billion a year in federal funding, with President Donald Trump’s proposed 2026 budget seeking to cut that support below the billion-dollar mark. The move forms part of a wider administration push to…
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4 Best Compression Boots: Therabody, Hyperice, and More (2026)
This WIRED buying guide reviews at-home compression boot systems, gadgets that use sequential air pressure to squeeze the legs and aid muscle recovery after exercise. It highlights that while many wellness products lack scientific backing, intermittent pneumatic compression has decades of use in medical and rehabilitation settings, giving these devices more credibility for treating post-workout…
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We know sleep, exercise and diet are vital for health. But why?
A Guardian science article explores why sleep, exercise and diet are all so central to health, arguing that emerging neuroscience points to a common underlying mechanism: mitochondria, the tiny structures within our cells that generate energy. Rather than being separate prescriptions that work in different ways, the piece suggests these three habits are essentially all…
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‘Grief became my brand’: Freya Bromley on writing about personal tragedy
Freya Bromley, whose brother died from a rare bone cancer when she was 22, describes how writing her 2024 memoir The Tidal Year helped her process grief that had once left her isolated and numb. The book, ostensibly about swimming in Britain’s tidal pools, became a means of connecting with readers who shared their own…
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Britain is paying the price for failing to invest in its young people | Richard Partington
Writing for the Guardian, Richard Partington argues that Britain is now reaping the consequences of years of underinvestment in young people, as highlighted by Alan Milburn’s review into youth unemployment. He contends that austerity-era cuts to education, youth services and family support have left a generation disillusioned, with only one in four young people believing…
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‘Juice snatcher’ Lucy Powell could bar schools from serving fruit drinks to pupils under anti-obesity drive
Education Secretary Lucy Powell is considering banning schools in England from serving fruit juice and smoothies to pupils as part of a wider crackdown on childhood obesity, prompting critics to brand her the “juice snatcher”. The move would form part of government efforts to curb sugar consumption among children, though it has drawn accusations that…
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Hostile review – surreal spaghetti western is a wild and wordless ride
A review of “Hostile”, a wordless one-man spaghetti western at the Edinburgh international festival, praises French performer Olivier Rannou for a surreal, physically inventive show blending clowning, mime and existential angst. Performed at the Church Hill theatre, the piece follows a lone, wanted cowboy stranded in a desert, using movement, sound and visual trickery rather…
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Jon Bernthal’s 2-Part Military Series Is Pleasing ‘Reacher’ Fans Before Season 4
Jon Bernthal is enjoying a standout year, with renewed interest in his role as Frank Castle helping push his two-season Punisher series back into the global top 10 on Disney Plus in several countries. The revival in viewership follows his reprisal of the character in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is performing strongly at the…
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Fauci contempt vote presents DOJ with ‘incredibly messy’ choices
A Senate committee’s vote to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress has placed the US Justice Department in a difficult legal and political position. The referral stems from Fauci’s repeated use of the Fifth Amendment during questioning about the COVID-19 pandemic, while Republicans argue that a presidential pardon means he could not validly claim…
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Remembering When Two Beatles Made an Awkward Appearance on a Johnny Carson-Less ‘Tonight Show’ in 1968
In May 1968, John Lennon and Paul McCartney appeared on NBC’s The Tonight Show to promote Apple, the Beatles’ new business venture, but found the usual host Johnny Carson absent, leaving them to be interviewed by stand-in Joe Garagiola, a former baseball catcher turned broadcaster. The mismatch made for an awkward, stilted exchange, as Garagiola…