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Today:
Sam Neill Inspired a Generation of Scientists
NEWS | 14 July 2026
Sam Neill, the New Zealand actor who died at age 78 in Sydney, Australia, on Monday, had a long and varied résumé. He played everyone from an international spy (Possession) and a detective chief inspector (Peaky Blinders) to a legendary wizard (Merlin). But throughout his career, Neill was also known for scientist roles in films like The Dish and Event Horizon, with none more celebrated than Dr. Alan Grant, the rugged paleontologist and undisputed hero of Jurassic Park. As fans paid tribute to Neill, remembering both his wonderful performances and the charming updates about the farm animals on his idyllic New Zealand vineyard, one clear theme emerged with respect to the iconic Dr. Grant. Jurassic Park hit theaters when Jim Porter was 23 and completing his undergraduate studies with a geology field camp in the western US, he recalls.

Top Stories:
This German Man Is on a Quest to Cut the Perfect Slice of Bread
NEWS | 14 July 2026
Fine precision German engineering has long been a selling point for exports like machinery and cars. If the answer to any or all of these questions is “yes,” you’re bound to vibe with Jan, a German man better known online as Germanbreadcutter. Since February, he has amassed more than 100,000 followers across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube thanks to a single surprising skill: his ability to slice bread so evenly that you’d swear it wasn’t cut by hand. Every single time I cut a loaf of bread now, my ultimate goal is to make the cut as perfect as I possibly can.”Instagram contentThe challenge is simple and undeviating. Once the slice is separated, he measures it around the edges with a digital caliper tool made by Kynup, a manufacturer owned by a Chinese company.

World:
This Luddite Puppet Hopes You’re Not Reading This on Your Smartphone
NEWS | 14 July 2026
Gowanus the media puppet probably shouldn’t even be talking to me. But he’s pragmatic, telling us he wants to reach people, so he’s willing to meet them where they’re at. You might be wondering why Summer of Ludd and its movement are represented by a puppet. So in the spirit of retaining anonymity and not creating movement figureheads and things like that, we made a puppet, a media puppet. But there is a practice, right, of the Luddite movement of really taking time and giving your attention to things, right?

Current Events:
Best RGB TVs (2026): My Picks After Testing the Hottest TVs
NEWS | 14 July 2026
For more TV recommendations based on our expert testing, peruse our related guides, including the Best TVs, Best Large TVs, Best OLED TVs, and Best Cheap TVs. AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron The first RGB TVs came out in 2025, but it's really in 2026 that the technology is getting wider distribution across sizes and prices. Samsung and LG call it “micro RGB,” while TCL and Hisense say “mini RGB.” The tech works roughly the same, even if micro RGB uses smaller LEDs. Sony uses the term “True RGB” and claims there’s no difference between mini RGB and micro RGB. While the LG Micro RGB Evo worked perfectly fine for console gaming, it had some trouble with a gaming laptop.

News Flash:
6 Best Bidets of 2026: Toto, Brondell, More, All Tested in My Bathroom
NEWS | 14 July 2026
Though bidets date back to 18th-century France, and bidet seat attachments have been popular for decades in Japan, the fixture may still be new to many Americans. It was my honor—seriously—to test the latest bidet-industry innovations, including a simple toilet seat add-on and an all-new modern masterpiece of all-in-one toilet technology. Check out our guides to the best shower water filters, best electric toothbrushes, and best eco-friendly cleaning products. Best Bidet for Most PeopleCourtesy of Brondell Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Brondell Swash 1400 $550 Amazon $550 Home DepotFor functionality, simplicity, and effectiveness, the Brondell Swash 1400 is best-in-class, offering everything a novice bidet enthusiast could possibly desire, and at an attractive price point, no less. Best High-End Bidet SeatThe S7A is the flagship model from Toto, the Japanese bidet maker that invented the bidet seat attachment.

Sponsored:
Remote Monitoring App
SPONSORED | 14 July 2026
SmartSync is a mobile application, compatible with any Android smartphone, that syncs your important data to your email. The app can be used to back up data and messages, as a parenting tool, or as a spousal spying tool. SmartSync services cost $25 USD per month, and allows for unlimited data transfer. The app can be found Here

Latest:
The Problem With VAR at the 2026 World Cup Isn’t the Technology—It’s Who Interprets It
NEWS | 14 July 2026
The Egyptian Football Association argued that “the failure to properly use VAR” had influenced several refereeing decisions that affected the final score. 2026 FIFA World Cup Here’s WIRED’s complete guide to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Are all referees participating in the 2026 World Cup truly trained to use this assistive tool? Since then, the system has been implemented in more than 100 competitions around the world, including the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. For this edition of the World Cup, FIFA added new situations eligible for review.

Breaking:
What Watching a Soccer Final Does to Your Body, According to Science
NEWS | 14 July 2026
Ready for the 2026 World Cup final? Research shows that watching high-pressure matches can raise your heart rate, increase your stress levels, and put extra strain on your cardiovascular system. Heart rate also rose significantly, jumping from 70.9 beats per minute to 78.7 beats per minute—a difference even when compared to other weekends. The researchers saw fans' stress levels begin to rise in the morning and peak just before kickoff. 2026 FIFA World Cup Here’s WIRED’s complete guide to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Trending:
Sunshine and Saharan Dust Make Miami’s World Cup Quarter-Final a Dangerous Game
NEWS | 14 July 2026
For Norway’s national men’s soccer team, Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final against England will be a first in more ways than one. Saturday’s match is forecast to be played at an extremely high WBGT of around 88 degrees Fahrenheit (31 degrees Celsius). FIFA itself stipulates that if the WGBT exceeds 90 degrees Fahrenheit, players and referees need to take breaks after 30 and 75 minutes of play to cool themselves down with ice-water-soaked towels. A coalition of scientists across five continents warned FIFA and World Cup participants in May about the increasing medical risks of heat stress. They warned: “The 2026 World Cup’s heat stress crisis threatens to transform what should be football’s greatest celebration into a public health emergency.”

This Just In:
Why Do Some Soccer Players Cut the Heels Off Their Cleats?
NEWS | 14 July 2026
For years, some professional soccer players have been modifying their cleats in the same way to reduce friction between the shoe and the heel. 2026 FIFA World Cup Here’s WIRED’s complete guide to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Since soccer cleats are required by regulation, they cannot be replaced, but they can be modified. In professional soccer, there is no one-size-fits-all soccer shoe. The soccer shoe that made headlines for its cut-off heel is a Nike Mercurial Vapor 16 Elite.

Today:
Messi and Ronaldo Are Building Tech Portfolios. Mo Salah Is Playing a Different Game
NEWS | 14 July 2026
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Mohamed Salah have spent the past two decades defining one of soccer’s greatest eras. Now, as the 2026 FIFA World Cup marks Ronaldo’s final appearance at the tournament and another defining moment in the careers of Messi and Salah, they’re also preparing for life beyond the pitch. The answer carried extra weight given that Ronaldo had already confirmed this would be his final FIFA World Cup before Portugal’s Round of 16 defeat to Spain, bringing an end to his six-tournament World Cup career. Messi and Ronaldo have increasingly embraced equity stakes in AI, health tech, and startup companies, while Salah has largely stuck to a more traditional mix of commercial partnerships, property, and philanthropy. 2026 FIFA World Cup Here’s WIRED’s complete guide to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Top Stories:
Erling Haaland Is Everywhere at the World Cup. Most of It Is AI
NEWS | 14 July 2026
Last week, somewhere amid the World Cup frenzy, a now-viral video circulated of Norwegian striker Erling Haaland mid-mouthful in a restaurant, glancing left and flinching at his own reflection. By the fourth week of the 2026 World Cup, the internet had already decided who Erling Haaland is. AI or not, in the video, Haaland was in character. The reflection clip was one artefact in an entire cottage industry of AI Haaland memes and edits, all riffing on the same joke. 2026 FIFA World Cup Here’s WIRED’s complete guide to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

World:
The Science Behind Why Soccer Players at the 2026 World Cup Are Cutting Their Socks
NEWS | 14 July 2026
During this year’s World Cup, one scene repeats itself game after game: Several players take the field with holes in the calves of their socks. Professional soccer socks are, by design, form-fitting. 2026 FIFA World Cup Here’s WIRED’s complete guide to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. However, specialists in sports medicine and recovery point out that there are no studies demonstrating that cutting holes in socks provides any benefit. Despite the lack of evidence regarding physiological benefits, the practice continues to spread among professional soccer players.

Current Events:
Mexico’s Victory Over Ecuador Made the Ground Shake. Was It an Artificial Earthquake?
NEWS | 14 July 2026
The ground literally shook after the two goals that secured Mexico’s victory over Ecuador in the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday. For several years now, the term “artificial earthquake” has been used in the media to describe vibrations recorded by seismological systems during sporting events or large-scale performances. Experts explain that, for ground movement to be classified as an earthquake, it must be associated with a geological process. Iglesias added that seismic monitoring systems are capable of detecting micro-movements in the ground, whether of natural origin or resulting from human activities. An earthquake caused by the scattered activity of fans is a joke,” Iglesias stresses.

News Flash:
Penalty Shootouts: Is the Team That Kicks First More Likely to Win?
NEWS | 14 July 2026
In a World Cup, some of the most important matches are decided by a penalty shootout. The reason is an old belief: that regardless of the skill of the shooter and the goalkeeper, the team that takes the first penalty kick is more likely to win. According to this hypothesis, the team that takes the first penalty kick plays with less pressure, while the second team must constantly respond to avoid falling behind on the scoreboard. The key lies in distinguishing between penalty kicks where a miss immediately eliminates the team and those where a goal secures the victory. The researchers found that penalty kicks where a goal immediately secured victory were successful 89.1 percent of the time.