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Jeff Wise

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Jeff Wise is a New York–based science journalist specializing in aviation, technology, and psychology who contributes frequently to New York Magazine. A co-host of the podcast Finding MH370, he was widely seen in the Netflix documentary series MH370: The Plane That Disappeared and executive-produced the Showtime documentary feature Gringo: The Dangerous Life of John McAfee. He is the author of Extreme Fear: The Science of Your Mind in Danger as well as of the Kindle Singles The Plane That Wasn’t There: Why We Haven’t Found MH370 (named the Best Kindle Single of 2015) and Fatal Descent: Andreas Lubitz and the Crash of Germanwings 9525. A private pilot, he flies both light airplanes and gliders, and he is also a keen cyclist, runner, and kayaker who can often be found navigating the tidal channels of Hudson River marshlands.

  1. up in the air
    A drone swarm.
    Mysterious Drone Swarms Won’t Always Be This WeirdWhy it’s still hard to know what’s buzzing around overhead — and why you ain’t seen nothing yet.
  2. unitedhealthcare shooting
    How Luigi Mangione Probably Gave Himself AwayA former FBI agent spells out the methods law enforcement officials use to tighten their dragnet.
  3. crime
    The UnitedHealthcare CEO Shooting Has Corporate America PanickingAn executive-protection expert on whether his clients understand the public’s rage.
  4. apocalypse soon
    How Trump Will Change America This TimeA detailed look at his plans for the government — and for retribution.
  5. early and often
    How Trump Goes to PrisonIf he loses the race for the White House, the big house awaits.
  6. natural disasters
    Hurricane Milton Will Be Bad. The Next One Might Be Even Worse.Prepare for Category 6 storms.
  7. up in the air
    The Flying Car Is Finally Here. It’s Slightly Illegal.How the inventors of a new generation of aircraft are outsmarting the feds.
  8. foreign affairs
    The Real Goal of Israel’s Exploding-Pager Attack on HezbollahWhat experts say about the unprecedented strike.
  9. unnatural disasters
    The Creepy Coincidences of the Superyacht SinkingStarting with the name.
  10. all that glitters
    For a Billionaire, Trump Flies a Crappy PlaneThe truth about his vintage Boeing 757.
  11. unnatural disasters
    The Boeing NosediveA once-venerable company turned its soul over to shareholders and courted disaster.
  12. extraterrestrials
    An image from from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument showing thousands of galaxies.
    Have We Already Found Alien Life?Multiple pieces of evidence exist that we may someday recognize as the first real proof we’re not alone in the universe.
  13. unnatural disasters
    The Sea Creatures That Opened a New Mystery About MH370Could freaky barnacles do what advanced technology couldn’t — find the missing plane?
  14. weird science
    ‘I Almost Sound Like a Crazy Person, But I Think It’s a Superconductor’Scientists are again buzzing about a potential breakthrough in superconductivity. Will this be another disappointment?
  15. the money game
    Who Will Rid Us of This Cursed Plane?Despite its problems, Boeing’s troubled 737 Max isn’t going anywhere.
  16. aviation
    Alaska Airlines Inflight Blowout Raises New Doubts About 737 MAXThe scary incident raises new concerns about the wisdom of continuing to rely on an aircraft that has been so notoriously dogged by problems.
  17. unnatural disasters
    Everyone Could Have Died in the Tokyo Airport Crash. Here’s Why They Didn’t.“Runway incursions” are an increasingly common, extraordinarily dangerous occurrence.
  18. aviation
    Air Travel Is Not Ready for Electronic WarfareMilitaries are spoofing GPS signals, with civilian planes increasingly caught in the crossfire. What happens when someone actually targets them?
  19. israel-hamas war
    The Israel-Hamas Tunnel War Will Be Like No OtherFrom the air soldiers breathe to the guns they fire, everything is different underground.
  20. israel-hamas war
    How Long Can Gaza Survive Without Water?Even before Israel’s siege, the infrastructure run by Hamas was teetering on collapse.
  21. just asking questions
    Why NASA Wants Your UFO VideosDr. David Spergel, who headed a vaunted panel on unexplained aerial phenomena, explains how everyday citizens can solve the mystery.
  22. up in the air
    F-35 Fighters Are Supposed to Disappear — Just Not Like ThisThe super-expensive American stealth jet has had its share of mishaps. It’s still the envy of the world.
  23. aviation
    The Very Russian Politics of Prigozhin’s Plan CrashThe apparent downing of Prigozhin’s plane shows what Putin thinks about aviation safety.
  24. weird science
    The Floating Speck That Promised to Change the WorldA room-temperature superconductor would be a physics miracle, and for a few days, it looked real.
  25. january 6
    After Indictment, Could Trump Get Tossed Off the 2024 Ballot?Inside the effort to disqualify him across the country, using a Civil War amendment.
  26. high times
    Six Things to Know About Flying With the Superrich“First class sucks in comparison.”
  27. disasters
    The Titanic Sub Passengers Probably Died Days AgoRecovered debris indicates a ‘catastrophic implosion’ that likely happened just after Titan’s voyage began.
  28. titanic
    Deep-Sea Search Expert Is Aboard Missing Titanic SubmersiblePaul-Henri Nargeolet is known as “Mr. Titanic” for his frequent explorations of the ship’s wreckage.
  29. smokepocalypse
    What Wildfire Smoke Does to the Human BodyThe Air Quality Index in New York hit a staggering 352, the worst in the world.
  30. unnatural disasters
    When Flying Private KillsThe freak accident that killed a D.C. power broker and the hidden risk of traveling in the lap of luxury.
  31. space
    Why Elon Musk’s SpaceX Doesn’t Mind That Its Rocket Blew UpThis is not typically the reaction to a test failure. Then again, nothing about this is typical.
  32. unsolved mysteries
    MH370 Is a Cold Case. But It Can Still Be Solved.After nine years — and with a new Netflix series debuting — there are still positive steps that we can take to unravel the mystery.
  33. military industrial complex
    Understanding the UFO WarWhy the United States Air Force is suddenly blasting away at unidentified objects.
  34. flying is a nightmare!
    Why Air Travel Melted Down … AgainThe FAA temporarily grounded flights Wednesday, just weeks after Southwest stranded thousands of passengers.
  35. social studies
    America’s Population Could Use a BoomFailing to reverse the country’s population decline may exact a heavy toll.
  36. social studies
    Do You Have a Right Not to Be Lied To?Freedom of speech is being reconsidered by a group of legal scholars, who argue it is not absolute and may be outdated in a world of disinformation.
  37. plagued
    Has Long COVID Always Existed?The pandemic might not have spawned a new chronic illness but rebranded an old one.
  38. aviation
    The Return of Supersonic Travel Is an Eternal DisappointmentEvery few years, there’s a new promise that passengers will soon feel as if they’re in a Concorde, but there are good reasons it never takes off.
  39. covid-19
    What Happened to Paxlovid, the COVID Wonder Drug?The much-hyped antiviral arrived too late for the Omicron wave, but it remains a powerful — and potentially versatile — weapon against COVID-19.
  40. ukraine
    The Hunt for the Butchers of BuchaAcross the world, sleuths look for clues on social media to find Russian war criminals.
  41. luxuries
    The Superyacht Market Is Shrugging Off the Loss of Russian BuyersTurns out there are now plenty of other billionaires looking for massive yachts to buy.
  42. covid-19
    Is the U.S. Facing Another COVID Wave?There are warning signs flashing in Asia and Europe.
  43. ukraine
    The DIY Intelligence Analysts Feasting on UkraineMeet the would-be Jack Ryans of OSINT.
  44. covid-19
    What to Expect From the COVID Variants to ComeThe evolution of the coronavirus remains difficult to predict, and future strains could be at least as dangerous as Omicron and its predecessors.
  45. aviation
    5G Will Not Make Your Plane Fall Out of the SkyWhy did U.S. airlines fly into a panic over this?
  46. media
    Ian Urbina’s Perfect StormDid a journalist get into the music business to help save the oceans or help himself?
  47. the media
    ‘It Was Weird and Culty’: Carlos Watson’s Mismanagement of Ozy“The ritual humiliation began with the lull. When you were comfortable, he came in with a hammer,” says a top staffer. “It was shocking.”
  48. explainer
    There’s a Vaccine for Lyme Disease. So Why Can’t We Get It?It’s yet another frustrating aspect of this mysterious disease.
  49. ufos
    How to Decipher the Pentagon’s UFO ReportThe crucial, missing context for what pilots might actually be seeing — and why the military is okay with letting us think it might be aliens.
  50. aviation
    Why Belarus Grounding of Ryanair Flight Broke International LawThe country’s dictator tears a page from Vladimir Putin’s playbook to snatch a dissident.
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