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WIRED UK

Climate Freeloaders Are Destroying the Planet

Governments are ignoring calls to stop fossil fuel expansion—despite there being little time left to avoid the worst effects of global warming.

‘4 People Tweeting’ Changed the Face of Nigerian Politics

A youth-led online movement propelled an outsider candidate into the political mainstream.

Ford’s New Electric Explorer Is Compact and Stylish

This SUV gets a winning design, advanced autonomous drive features, and a spaceship-level dash. So it’s a real shame it’s not coming to the US.

A New York Court Is About to Rule on the Future of Crypto

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s case against Ripple over the XRP token will establish a critical precedent.

The Quest for Injectable Brain Implants Has Begun

The hard electrodes inserted into the brain to treat Parkinson’s and paralysis damage the organ’s soft tissue. A new invention could change that.

In Case You Missed It

Online Sleuths Untangle the Mystery of the Nord Stream Sabotage

Open source intelligence researchers are verifying and debunking opaque claims about who ruptured the gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea.

Samsung’s Moon Shots Force Us to Ask How Much AI Is Too Much

We like HDR-pimped pics, but this latest camera controversy outlines how computational photography could set us down a dicey path.

Qualcomm Is Poised to Dominate EVs Before Apple Gets a Chance

Its digital chassis is an internet-connected platform for the whole car, and the tech giant has General Motors, Jeep, Mercedes, and many more on board.

Ring Is in a Standoff With Hackers

Plus: A SpaceX supplier ransom, critical vulnerabilities in dozens of Android phones, and more. 

More From WIRED

Spotlight

Putting Principles to Work, From Bottle Bricks to Naughty Barbie

The Mimran brothers want to prove that doing good can also make for good business.

It’s Official: No More Crispr Babies—for Now

In the face of safety risks, experts have tightened the reins on heritable genome editing—but haven’t ruled out using it someday.

Tech Neck Is Back

Employees working from home can’t seem to take a break—and it’s taking a toll on their health.

Insect Farming Is Booming. But Is It Cruel?

More than a trillion insects are raised each year as high-protein, low-carbon animal feed, but the practice might have an ethical blind spot.

Long Reads

What Makes a Champagne Vintage Great? Ask a Deep Learning Model

Bollinger is data mining its meticulous records to predict vintage years and weather the challenges of climate change.

Your Final Resting Place Could Be a Coffin Made of Mushrooms

Loop wants to rebuild the world with ecological structures made of fungal mycelium. Its proof of concept? Living coffins.

Meet the UK’s New Woodland Rangers: a Herd of Wild Bison

A rewilding project in Kent thinks that introducing bison to the UK can supercharge biodiversity. But how wild can introduced animals ever be?

Gravity Could Solve Clean Energy’s One Major Drawback

Finding green energy when the winds are calm and the skies are cloudy has been a challenge. Storing it in giant concrete blocks could be the answer.

WIRED Recommends

35 Actually Good Deals in the Amazon Prime Early Access Sale

Amazon's second Prime sale of 2022 brings offers on top brands like Huawei, Microsoft, Samsung, Lenovo, and more.

The Very Best Prime Day Deals Still Live Today in the UK

From headphones and blenders to smartwatches and a fan, these are the actually good deals still live today on Amazon

The Best Electric Mopeds You Can Ride in 2022

Keen to avoid the petrol pump, road tax and congestion charges? Try one of these electric mopeds.

29 of The Best Subscription Boxes to Send as Gifts

From surprise tech treats and creative craft kits, to plants in the post and alcohol-free booze, these are the best subscription gift boxes to send in 2022. 

Culture guides

The 43 Best Shows on Netflix Right Now

From You to Wednesday, these are our picks for the best streaming titles to binge this week.

The 11 Best Shows on Apple TV+ Right Now

Even if you signed up purely for Ted Lasso, there’s a lot more you should check out on the streamer.

The 37 Best Films on Netflix This Week

From The Land of Steady Habits to Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, here are our picks for the best streaming titles to feast your eyes on.

The 11 Best Amazon Prime Films Right Now

From Shotgun Wedding to Licorice Pizza, these are the best films available on the streamer.
Music

Musicians, Machines, and the AI-Powered Future of Sound

Fears that computers could replace composers are real. But some music-makers are finding ways to harness generative AI creatively. 
Crypto Crash

Crypto Faces a Banking Crisis. For Some, It’s a Conspiracy

The collapse of crypto-friendly Silvergate and Signature Bank has left the industry scrambling to find anyone willing to work with them.
Super SUV

The Kia EV9 Is a New Kind of EV Inside and Out

The all-electric SUV combines rugged and sleek design, has movable seating, and is the first to use the company’s autonomous driving tech.
Frenemy

A Spy Wants to Connect With You on LinkedIn

Russia, North Korea, Iran, and China have been caught using fake profiles to gather information. But the platform’s tools to weed them out only go so far.
WIRED30

In Ukraine, Crypto Finds a Purpose

The UN’s refugee agency has partnered with blockchain and money transfer companies to get vital aid to people displaced by conflict.
Dry Run

Europe Is Drying Up

After unusually low amounts of rain and snow this winter, the continent faces a severe water shortage.
Digital Culture

TikTok Is Changing What It Means to Be ‘Old’

As users play with Teenage Look filters and offer ways to appear younger, ageism on the app runs rampant.
Liftoff

Candela’s C-8 Is a Boat That Flies

WIRED soars across the San Francisco Bay in this $390K, Polestar-powered, all-electric hydrofoil that wants to be more like a plane.
Life of π

The Movie That Changed How People Understand Pi

Darren Aronofsky’s film, which turns 25 this year, injected the mathematical constant into pop culture's consciousness in a whole new way. 
Caveat Emptor

Scams Are Ruining Pakistan’s Digital Economy

Ecommerce is booming, but as one gaming group found out, there are few protections for buyers.
System Critical

Silicon Valley Bank’s Failure Deals a Blow to Europe’s Startups

The US lender filled a niche for European tech companies that no one else could, or would.
Midnight Run

SVB’s Collapse Is Causing Chaos in India’s Tech Sector

The bank was popular among Indian founders who needed US accounts. But many have struggled to get their money out.
Free Fall

Helium’s IoT-Crypto Network Is Barely Hanging On in Lebanon

People in the country hoped to earn a steady payout from Wi-Fi hot spots. But many are left holding useless hardware.
Domino Run

The Silicon Valley Bank Contagion Is Just Beginning

The collapse of SVB isn’t just a tech industry problem—as the rest of the world is about to find out.
TV

After The Last of Us, Everything Will Be Transmedia  

The HBO series’s wild success has changed the game. Expect to see a lot more world-building franchises.
Grave Robbers

A Face Recognition Site Crawled the Web for Dead People’s Photos

PimEyes appears to have scraped a major ancestry website for photos, without permission. Experts fear they could be used to identify living relatives.
Money for Nothing

Twitter’s $42,000-per-Month API Prices Out Nearly Everyone

Tiers will start at $500,000 a year for access to 0.3 percent of the company’s tweets. Researchers say that’s too much for too little data.
Power Play

Russia Is Powering Up a Giant Laser to Test Its Nukes

To check that atomic weapons work, scientists run simulations of explosions using high-energy lasers—and Russia is building the strongest one of all.
Online Safety

WhatsApp Has Started a Fight With the UK About Encryption

The head of the messaging app says a new law will undermine privacy. The government says it’s about protecting children.
Shot in the Dark

No One Knows if You Need Another Covid Booster

It’s cellular immunity, not antibodies, that probably protects against the coronavirus’s worst effects—and scientists haven’t worked out how long it lasts.