Skip to main content
Jenny McGrath

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.

lowes iris professional monitoring security camera view on mobile

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.
Clue app main screen

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.
cities looking become smart need look beyond adding sensors what is a city series introduction

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.
Adult ISH Podcast

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.
avis ai technology scans rental cars for damage busy night highway

California will ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035

By 2035, all new vehicles sold in California must be zero-emission, according to a new executive order Gov. Gavin Newsom signed on Wednesday.
Tesla Model 3

Elon Musk says ‘profound’ Autopilot update will roll out to Teslas soon

During Battery Day, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the cars' Autopilot feature will get a "profound" update.
high school senior part 2 college freshman students wearing face masks

With coronavirus on campus, college freshmen face a disorienting orientation

Addison Cross is a college freshman at Texas A&M who's learning the ropes as she navigates her first year at school.
siri alexa feminist reboot voice assistant feminism

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.
uncovering natures biggest secrets with a 460m continent scale observatory neon science

Uncovering nature’s biggest secrets with a $460M, continent-scale observatory

NEON is an ecological observatory with 81 sites across the U.S. For 30 years, it will gather scientific data about climate and biodiversity.
kate mack image composite

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.
Canadian Milne Ice Shelf Collapse

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.
Wind turbines

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.
cecilia bitz sea ice polar bear unsplash

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.
once upon a time i lived on mars kate greene hi seas1

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.
Karamo Brown on Queer Eye

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.
Climate Pledge Arena

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.
Bill Gates

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.
Elon Musk

Elon Musk wants to add videoconferencing to Tesla cars

There's a camera in the rearview mirror of Tesla Model 3 cars, and CEO Elon Musk says a possible new feature could use it for videoconference while you drive.
drive-in coronavirus test

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.
iPhone Home screen and apps

Massive iPhone security flaw left millions of phones vulnerable to hacks

A flaw in iPhone and iPad Mail apps left the devices vulnerable to hacking, according to a security researcher. It gives hackers access to your device's data.
China, Shanghai, pollution

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?
roup of medical staff at hospital, doctors team standing together

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.
Plated grocery store

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?
Homemade Face Mask how to clean

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?
coronavirus covid 19 vaccines treatments list syringe a vial and pills

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.
Coronavirus

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 Go Grocery Store

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 Mars Atlas Book Kickstarter

The red planet looks almost Earth-like in the detailed maps of the Mars Atlas 

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.
oxicool air conditioner ces 2020 home cool 2

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 ces 2020 path to the future of work keynote

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.
world food programme building blocks iris scanning blockchain foodfight game for grains

Fighting world hunger with a trivia game? It’s not as crazy as it sounds

Freerice is a quiz game from the United Nations' World Food Programme. It lets players donate the equivalent of 10 grains of rice for every correct answer. The recently revamped version of the game featurre a variety of categories, including languages, math, literature, and more.
Women Scientists of the Manhattan Project

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.
women scientists of the manhattan project part 1

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 Concept Backsplash

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.