All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.
Get WIRED's daily briefing in your inbox. Sign up here
European vaccine distrust is putting the most vulnerable at risk
The Wellcome Global Monitor report has revealed that Europeans increasingly distrust vaccines, with just 59 per cent of people in western Europe and 50 per cent in eastern Europe saying they think vaccines are safe, compared to 79 per cent globally (The Guardian). This correlates with WHO figures showing worrying increases in measles cases in countries such as France, where vaccine distrust is at 33 per cent.
Distrust of vaccines can be linked to social and political factors, but isn't necessarily solved by increased access to information: the survey found that people who'd recently sought information on health and science were less likely to agree that vaccines were safe. However, while people in other regions see the benefits of vaccination first-hand, in Europe, it's the most vulnerable who are left to suffer when herd immunity is compromised: babies too young to vaccinate, those allergic to vaccines and the immunocompromised.
Boaty McBoatface maps deep ocean warming
The autonomous submarine famously named Boaty McBoatface due to the internet's caprices has helped to solve the mystery of Antarctica's warming deep sea currents (BBC News).
In a new paper the National Oceanographic Survey team working with the sub have detailed the effects of ocean turbulence causing warmer mid-depth water to mix down into the deep as a result of changing surface wind patterns caused by increasing levels of greenhouse gasses and the ozone layer hole above Antarctica.
YouTube introduces augmented reality makeup samples
After a successful trial, Google has announced its new AR Beauty Try-On augmented reality marketing tools for makeup brands (Engadget). These will allow beauty channel viewers to use their device's camera to bring up an image of their own face alongside the channel they're watching and virtually apply the makeup featured in the video to see how it looks on them.
Patch this Firefox vulnerability immediately
If you have Firefox installed, you should update it right now to protect against a critical security vulnerability that allows malicious sites to remotely execute code (The Verge). If updates to the latest Firefox version 67.0.3 or Firefox ESR 60.7.1 aren't available for any reason, a fresh copy of the browser can be downloaded here.
Race 75 rivals to the finish in Mario Royale (until it's taken down)
A programmer going by Inferbro has turned Super Mario Bros. into a 75-player battle royale where you must all race to the finish of a randomly selected level (Engadget). It's amazing fun, but Nintendo is famously quick with DMCA takedown notices. That means Mario Royale is not likely to be online for long, so best enjoy it while it lasts.
Why men aren't donating enough blood
Listen now, subscribe via RSS or add to iTunes.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
