With Russia regularly knocking out Ukraine’s power grid, the country has turned to high-capacity batteries to keep it connected to the world—and itself.

Use your voice to control the lights! Summon the vacuum with your phone! Here’s everything you need to know, from Wi-Fi tips to security advice.

As high-risk individuals are marginalized from a society eager to ignore pandemic harms, tech companies must do more to expand accessible virtual spaces.

Software may be the defining cultural artifact of our time. So why isn’t there a culture of critical analysis around it?

This week on Gadget Lab, we talk about how streaming services like Netflix, HBO Max, and Hulu are growing in uncomfortable ways—and charging users more.

Lawmakers are increasingly hellbent on punishing the popular social network while efforts to pass a broader privacy law have dwindled.

Russian-backed groups are using political ads to subvert the democratic process in Moldova.

Whether you’re looking for new tech to get through long cool nights, or planning a spring camping trip, there are plenty of discounts that can help.

As Party Down embarks on a reboot, it’s time to revisit the scene that made it a cult classic.

In a factory on the outskirts of Glasgow, aerospace manufacturer Skyrora is building rockets for a space-bound taxi service for satellites.

How an idealistic community for exchanging free stuff tried to break away from Facebook and ended up breaking apart.

The company recently laid off thousands of human employees—it is also shutting down a unit working on robots that learned to open doors and clean tables.

A case before the court is challenging social media platforms’ legal protections. The outcome could be huge for the future of the web.

The government is using Clearview AI to identify fallen Russian soldiers, but this deployment distracts from face recognition’s dangers.

Everything you ever wanted to know about qubits, superpositioning, and spooky action at a distance.

A new leather alternative from the startup TômTex uses shrimp shells instead of petrochemicals. It looks, feels, and endures like the real thing.

Scientists are asking tough questions about the health effects of ultra-processed diets. The answers are complicated—and surprising.

Hundreds of thousands of workers lost jobs at Google, Meta, and other giants in recent months. Some are deciding to build their own companies.

As Russia has accelerated its cyberattacks on its neighbor, it's barraged the country with an unprecedented volume of different data-destroying programs.

Mark Zuckerberg has a new subscription service for Instagram and Facebook. That blue check mark looks awfully familiar.

Science wants to solve the problem of evil but some of the most mainstream concepts are little more than folklore.

Large law firms are using a tool made by OpenAI to research and write legal documents. What could go wrong?

They’re affordable, but the app store is extremely limited. Here’s how to get a broader selection.

“Loab” was just the beginning. Artificial intelligence will soon dredge up all kinds of secret fascinations and fears.

Security researchers found a class of flaws that, if exploited, would allow an attacker to access people’s messages, photos, and call history.

A new kind of “edgeless” engineered tissue can fit any irregular shape, paving the way for hand and face grafts that look and move better.

Powered by obsessed film buffs, it’s a crowdsourced juggernaut that’s older than Google and Wikipedia. Now AI is threatening to steal the starring role.

It’s George Washington’s birthday, and he wants you to have a robot vacuum. These deals are perfect for gearing up for spring.

Electrical stimulation applied to the spinal cord temporarily restored arm and hand movement in two patients.

Twitter is disabling SMS-based two-factor authentication. Switch to these alternatives to keep your account safe.

A movement to promote neighborhoods with amenities within walking distance has enraged far-right activists, climate deniers, and extremists.

In Alaska, people are flocking to buy electric appliances instead of fuel-guzzling furnaces, as oil prices soar and temperatures plummet.

In Indonesia, sickness and pollution plague a sprawling factory complex that supplies the world with crucial battery materials.

This new lab experiment explores the physics involved in our star’s tumultuous interior regions—by creating a sphere of plasma.

Passcodes are out.

Diffusion models generate incredible images by learning to reverse the process that, among other things, causes ink to spread through water.

This irresistible Bluetooth speaker has pretty lights that can sync up with your music and flash any color you like. And it makes a crazy racket too.

This new technology offers an opportunity to free animals from exploitation. So why are some vegans opposed to it?

The company will soon require users to pay for a Twitter Blue subscription to get sign-in codes via SMS. Security experts are baffled.

Also: Instagram launches a new messaging system for creators, and Minecraft gets some new branded casual footwear.

Algorithms struggle to understand human ambiguity. But such quirks are a flimsy shield against the threat of artificially intelligent hackers.

Agriculture beat the Salinas into submission. Now, it has returned with a fury.

Age verification laws miss the point. It’s time to talk to your children honestly not just about what they might see online, but about their own bodies.

Events in East Palestine are a stark reminder that plastic is destroying the planet. From its production to its use to its disposal, the stuff is a poison.

Plus: The FBI got (at least a little bit) hacked, an election-disruption firm gets exposed, Russia mulls allowing “patriotic hacking,” and more.

Soren Iverson’s satirical concepts for new features in popular apps expose our hidden fears and desires—while going viral on Twitter.

Everything you need to know about the past, present, and future of data security—from Equifax to Yahoo—and the problem with Social Security numbers.

The country’s climate woes are just beginning and will likely include rising heat and drought, as well as stronger cyclones.

The company aims to draw on the new technology’s code-writing ability to make its digital worlds even more customizable.

They’re not all that different from their predecessors, but they’re still some of the best phones you can buy.