Jenny McGrath
Former Senior Writer, Home
Author/Co-Author of 1137 articles
Jenny McGrath is a senior writer at Digital Trends covering the intersection of tech and the arts and the environment. Before joining she wrote blogs for a software company and articles about TV for Wetpaint.com. As Digital Trends’ first home editor, she reviewed tons of appliances and smart home gadgets. In her free time, she likes to read and pretends to solve mysteries.
Don’t DIY — Lowe’s Iris offers $15-a-month professional monitoring
Lowe's wants to make professional home monitoring more affordable with its $15-a-month plan via its Iris smart-home system.
With period-tracking apps, the fate of your fertility is far from clear
Fertility and period-tracking apps promise to be an easy way to keep tabs on menstrual cycles or help users become pregnant. Yet their accuracy isn’t flawless, and the consequences can be quite critical. In addition, users have to enter a lot of personal data, and it’s not always clear how apps use that information.
Becoming a smart city takes more than sensors and buzzwords
What makes a smart city? We asked some experts, and they all agree: No city is really there, yet, but many cities are looking to the future.
Best new podcasts for the week of August 31, 2019
Everyone and their cousin seemingly has a podcast, but not all podcasts are created equal. With new and returning podcasts coming on the scene every week, it can be hard to figure out what to listen to. This week: Big cat crimes, 1619, American Girl dolls, and Adult-ish.
It’s time to give Siri, Alexa, and other smart home devices a feminist reboot
Dr. Yolande Strengers and Dr. Jenny Kennedy talk about their new book, Smart Wife: Why Siri, Alexa, and Other Smart Home Devices Need a Feminist Reboot.
This is how the universe will end (according to a theoretical astrophysicist)
In her new book, The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking), Katie Mack explains five ways the universe could end. Digital Trends interviewed her.
A Canadian ice shelf has collapsed into giant ice islands
The Milne Ice Shelf was located in the Canadian Arctic. It recently collapsed into two giant ice islands.
Data storage and dirty energy: What Big Tech’s carbon neutral pledges leave out
Big Tech companies position themselves as leaders by touting their carbon neutral pledges. But these don't always paint the full picture.
Polar bears could disappear from most of the planet by 2100
A recent study from Nature Climate Change predicts polar bears could disappear from most of the Earth by the year 2100, due to greenhouse gas emissions.
She lived in a simulated Mars habitat for four months. Here’s what she learned
Kate Greene, author of Once Upon a Time I Lived on Mars, spoke to Digital Trends about her book and how her simulated mission feels similar to the pandemic.
Queer Eye’s Karamo Brown: Social media isn’t a place for healthy conversation
Karamo Brown is one of the Fab Five on Netflix's Queer Eye reboot. He doesn't believe social media sites are the best places to have productive discussions.
Seattle’s carbon-neutral NHL venue will be Climate Pledge Arena, thanks to Amazon
Amazon paid for the naming rights to Seattle's new NHL arena. The company is calling it the Climate Pledge Arena based on its commitment to carbon neutrality.
The FDA has shut down a Bill Gates-backed coronavirus testing program
The FDA has requested the shutdown of SCAN, a Seattle-based coronavirus testing program backed by Bill Gates, while it awaits an emergency use authorization.
Why is it so difficult to get tested for coronavirus in the United States?
Coronavirus testing in the U.S. hasn't met any of the benchmarks various experts have proposed in order to ease social distancing measures. Here's why.
A blessing in the skies: How coronavirus is affecting Earth’s atmosphere
China, Italy, and the U.S. have all seen reductions in pollution levels as people shelter in place. What would it take to make it last after the pandemic?
Avoid Twitter’s swamp of misinformation by following these epidemiology experts
Epidemiologists, public health experts, and others are spending time on Twitter to bring the public some good, reliable COVID-19 information amid the pandemic.
Should you wipe down or sanitize your groceries?
Amid the coronavirus outbreak, many people have taken to deep-cleaning all their groceries — but is it a good idea?
How to clean and sterilize your homemade face mask
Homemade face masks are now being recommended to help keep people from spreading disease to others. How can you keep yours clean if you're wearing it daily?
All the COVID-19 treatments currently in clinical trials
Institutions around the world are working to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the novel coronavirus. The pathway is a long and difficult one.
How a puzzle game could help scientists find a coronavirus cure
Foldit is a puzzle game anyone can play to try and help find a cure for the coronavirus. Citizen scientists have used it to help solve other tricky problems.
Amazon’s first grocery store is hassle-free and surprisingly affordable
Amazon opened its first cashier-free grocery store in Seattle. Like smaller Amazon Go stores, it's filled with tech that lets you grab your groceries and go.
The red planet looks almost Earth-like in the detailed maps of the Mars AtlasÂ
If Mars seems mysterious and foreboding to you, the Mars Atlas might make the Red Planet a little more accessible, though there's still much more to discover.
The OxiCool chills your house with water instead of refrigerant
The OxiCool is an air conditioner that uses water as a refrigerant. Regular air conditioners use chemical refrigerants that cause greenhouse gas emissions. It's supposed to be more energy-efficient than air conditioners that run solely on electricity.
Ivanka Trump spoke at CES, but she didn’t say very much
Ivanka Trump, daughter and adviser to President Donald Trump, delivered a keynote at CES 2020 on Tuesday, January 7 -- but she said little that was new or enlightening before a crowd of tech journalists, largely using the time to hype herself and promote her father's administration.
Hidden figures of the Manhattan Project: Meet the women behind the A-bomb (Part 2)
During World War II, thousands of people worked in various capacities building the first atomic bombs. The Manhattan Project is often thought of as a collection of brilliant men, but there were women scientists there, too. Unfortunately, the didn’t have the same opportunities as their male colleagues after the war was over. This is their story.
Hidden figures of the Manhattan Project: Meet the women behind the A-bomb (Part 1)
During World War II, thousands of people worked in various capacities building the first atomic bombs. The Manhattan Project is often thought of as a collection of brilliant men, but there were women scientists there, too. Unfortunately, the didn’t have the same opportunities as their male colleagues after the war was over. This is their story.
GHSP makes a (back)splash with its touchscreen concept kitchen
Screens in the kitchen are nothing new, but GHSP brought a concept to CES 2019 that was pretty unique. It was a massive touchscreen that covered where backsplash usually lives. The control panel could move all around the surface, so it was right where you needed it at any given time.