August 8, 2026

The US Department of Commerce, which oversees the Census Bureau, is circulating a proposed rule that would cease the collection of demographic data on racial minorities and LGBTQ+ people and prevent undocumented immigrants from being counted in the 2030 census, according to documents viewed by WIRED. The decision could have far-reaching implications for federal funding,…

For decades, scientists had theorized that the sun’s surface must be crisscrossed by tiny plasma vortices, generated by the interaction between its intense magnetic fields and the constantly flowing superheated material. This week, the world’s most powerful solar telescope has just confirmed this. The latest image captured by the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, located…