At Twitter, it seems no one can hear the screams

PLUS: A strange radioactive cloud, rocket-catching helicopters, and why we still need Tumblr. View this email in your browser  08.15.19   BLOWBACK A Strange Radioactive Cloud Likely Came From Russia BY MEREDITH FORE In 2017 a plume of radioactive gas wafted across Europe. A study now shows it probably stemmed from a nuclear accident in southern Russia.   CHOICE WORDS Actually, Gender-Neutral Pronouns Can Change a Culture BY ADAM ROGERS In 2012 a nongendered pronoun dropped into Swedish discourse. Today it's widely used—and it's nudging people to see the world a little differently.   BACKSTORY How President Trump Scooped Me on a Google Story BY NITASHA TIKU Kevin Cernekee, a conservative firebrand inside Google, kept a low public profile. Then, WIRED's reporting propelled him to Fox News—and Trump's tweets.   LOOSE THREAD At Twitter, It Seems No One Can Hear the Screams BY ARIELLE PARDES Twitter's brass at an event this week struggled to balance the platform's reputation for viral rage with the conversational mecca it wants to become. GET WIRED Get 12 months of WIRED for just $49.99 $10.   Stories to help you understand the future.   Subscribe now   AI Algorithms Need FDA-Style Drug Trials BY WIRED OPINION Opinion: Algorithms cause permanent side effects on society. They need clinical tests.   DIGITAL CULTURE The Internet Needs Tumblr More Than Ever BY ANGELA WATERCUTTER It might be the last place that's not a wretched hive of scum and villainy.   GO FETCH Catch Rockets With a Helicopter? Yep, That's the Plan BY DANIEL OBERHAUS SpaceX was the first to bring a booster back from space and use it again. Other companies are now following in its footsteps—kind of.   IT'S OVER Clouds of Microplastics Are Blowing Into the Pristine Arctic BY MATT SIMON In snow samples collected across the Arctic and Europe, researchers find tens of thousands of microplastic particles per liter of snow—even in remote areas.   ON THE ROAD Truckers Gain More Freedom, Thanks to Tech's Watchful Eye BY ALEX DAVIES Proposed federal rules would give truckers more leeway in taking breaks—because regulators already know when drivers are driving and not driving.     This e-mail was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book.   View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe