Can a Virus Break Hardware? When Malware Causes Physical Damage
Computer viruses have a reputation for destruction. They can erase files, encrypt disks, steal passwords and make a computer...
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How Heavy Is the Cloud? The Massive Physical World Behind Our Digital Lives
“The cloud” may be the most successful disappearing act in modern technology. Upload a photograph and it seems to float away....
Why Is Bluetooth Named Bluetooth? The Viking King Behind the Technology
Bluetooth is such an ordinary part of modern life that its name barely sounds strange anymore. We tap an icon and headphones connect to a phone, a keyboard finds a comput...
Can Phones Read Your Mind? Why Targeted Ads Feel Uncomfortably Accurate
You mention hiking boots over dinner. The next morning, an advertisement for hiking boots appears on your phone. You never remember searching for them. The coincidence fe...
Is Cereal a Soup? Settling the Internet’s Strangest Breakfast Debate
Pour cornflakes into a bowl. Add cold milk. Pick up a spoon. You have made breakfast — unless, according to one of the internet’s most persistent culinary arguments, you...
Can It Rain Frogs? The Strange Science of Animals Falling From the Sky
Imagine stepping outside after a thunderstorm and discovering the road covered in frogs. Some are hopping. Others are lying in puddles or on rooftops. Witnesses insist th...