Our favorite longreads for your long weekend

How outer space changes our DNA, videos that help us understand tsunamis, and new science for sick children. View this email in your browser  12.01.19 A long weekend is the perfect time to start looking back on some of our favorite stories from the past year. They crisscross the WIRED world, from the almost miraculous achievements of cancer researchers to the quiet grief of recovery workers in Syria to the unlikely science of race-track dirt. We have a lot to be grateful for this time of year, most especially loyal and discerning readers like you. Mark Robinson | Features Editor, WIRED   How Scientists Built a 'Living Drug' to Beat Cancer BY CHARLES GRAEBER Researchers didn't know if it would work, but they had little to lose when they tried a new drug—a living cell reprogrammed to recognize and kill leukemia—on a dying 6-year-old.   BACKCHANNEL The Super-Optimized Dirt That Helps Keep Racehorses Safe BY LEXI PANDELL Dozens of horses died at Santa Anita Park last year. So engineer Mick Peterson is deploying everything from sensors to satellites to keep accidents down as the Breeders' Cup approaches.   THE FINAL FRAMES How Amateur Video Is Helping Us Understand Deadly Tsunamis BY GLORIA DICKIE In 2004, when a tsunami devastated communities in southern Asia, videos shot by tourists and locals became a new tool for analyzing the deadly waves.   BACKCHANNEL One Scientist's Quest to Bring DNA Sequencing to Every Sick Kid BY SARAH ELIZABETH RICHARDS Ryan Taft didn't know that he would become one of the world's leading experts in diagnosing rare genetic diseases. Then he met Stephen Damiani.   LETTER FROM SYRIA ISIS Ravaged Syria. Meet the People Identifying the Lost Dead BY KENNETH R. ROSEN Thousands of bodies are buried in shallow graves around Raqqa. One group is using Facebook and Google Earth to identify human remains and rebury them where they belong.   TESTING, TESTING Are Humans Fit for Space? A 'Herculean' Study Says Maybe Not BY JASON PONTIN Scientists around the world compared the genomes and health changes of twin astronauts. Scott Kelly (left) flew in the International Space Station for a year while Mark Kelly stayed on Earth.   SPONSORED CONTENT Turkey Comas: The End of Productivity as We Know It? There may be a cure: Copper keeps you organized, reminds you to follow up on deals, and logs your convos. An inside look at how to be productive at work. GET WIRED Insider access to our Black Friday sale   For a limited time, get a full year of print + digital access for just $10 $5.   Subscribe today     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 or manage your newsletter subscriptions