TBT: Inside the NSA’s secret tool for mapping out your social network

PLUS: The best WIRED stories from this month a year ago.

View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter subscriptions 05.27.21 Edward Snowden may have lifted the curtain on the NSA's secret phone-record tracking program, but thanks to "precomputed contact chaining," it turns out that database was much more powerful than anyone knew. How powerful? Powerful enough to map anyone's life at the touch of a button. Read more about the NSA's secret tool for mapping your social network, plus more of the best WIRED stories from this month a year ago below.   Inside the NSA's Secret Tool for Mapping Your Social Network Edward Snowden revealed the agency's phone-record tracking program. But thanks to "precomputed contact chaining," that database was much more powerful than anyone knew. The Best Stories From This Month, Last Year How Much Is a Human Life Actually Worth? As the US economy reopens  amid a deadly pandemic, a dire question looms. Let's weigh the risks—and do the math. Why Humans Totally Freak Out When They Get Lost People really do circle past the same tree over and over again—it doesn't just happen in movies. On the Moon, Astronaut Pee Will Be a Hot Commodity Urine can be used for landing pads, gardens, and drinking water. But will there be enough to go around? Now's The Perfect Time to Start Using a Password Manager Time has no meaning, and we're all stuck in front of screens. You may as well secure your life while you're always online. 'Milestone' Evidence for Anyons, a Third Kingdom of Particles Physicists have long known that the universe is made from two kinds of particles: fermions and bosons. Now there's a third that behaves totally differently. The Universe Is Expanding Faster Than It Should. Why? The Hubble constant predicts how rapidly space should grow—but astronomical observations don't line up. Here are the top ideas about what might be going on. GET WIRED Memorial Day Sale! Ending Soon: Get WIRED for $10 $5. You can't see into the future, but you can subscribe to WIRED. Subscribe now.     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   Copyright © Condé Nast 2021. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.