Table of contents for March /April 2021 in WIRED UK

When Lindsey Migliore was six years old, her grandfather bought her a Nintendo 64 and a copy of Ocarina of Time. She was captivated. Years later, as a medical school graduate, she still gamed regularly with a group of doctor friends, and they’d end up talking about the pain many of them had begun noticing now and again: a sore pinky, a disgruntled neck or a strained back. Then, around three years ago, after shoving her ice hockey bag into the boot of a friend’s car and feeling a sudden snap at the back of her wrist, Migliore realised years of video games had left her own soft tissues in a troubled state. “I was working at a hospital, so the next day, I show up and grab an ultrasound,…

Over the years, smartphone apps have ranged from gimmicky to game-changing, but more recently, they’ve begun to reflect our confusing, dystopian times. Hopefully, in 2021, we can all get back to Candy Crush, but here’s our pick of the current downloads that are a total downer. FACEBOOK CAMPUS The social media network’s latest innovation is a new version of the platform that’s accessible only to students – which, if you recall, is exactly how Facebook started life before it morphed into a world-destroying behemoth. Having devoured the public discourse, Facebook is now eating itself. CIVVL Described by Vice as “Uber, but for evicting people”, gig economy app Civvl boasts that it is perfect for landlords. It allows property owners to summon freelance goons and process servers to boot renters out…

DIRK MISCHENDAHL’S 1972 BEDFORD van was in the Trinity Leeds street food market in 2015 when a man stopped by and began insulting the quality of Northern Bloc’s ice cream. In Italian. “We’d spray painted the van grey and white to show we weren’t some posh, rolling hills ice cream, we were making it on an estate opposite a sex shop and a prison,” says Mischendahl. “We would make the ice cream at night, sell it in the day. We’d forage for sorrel, source the strawberries. But the van was always breaking down and we didn’t really know what we were doing.” At the time, Mischendahl was still fairly new to the ice-cream business. Two years earlier, he was running the agency Logistik, which he’d founded in 1996. Mischendahl says…

SIAN SYKES WAS IN HER EARLY 30S AND A project director for advertising firm J. Walter Thompson (now Wunderman Thompson) when she decided to change her life. After some soul searching in her home region of Snowdonia, Wales, she found it harder to go back to the 18-hour days and her corporate life in the capital. “When I was back home in Wales, I felt really fulfilled,” explains Sykes. “I found it quite a hard transition going back into a concrete jungle and a fast-paced environment because I’d been used to big open spaces, the freedom to play.” That’s why, in 2013, she slammed the breaks on her corporate career. “I just wanted to feel more fulfilled, and to have a better work-life balance and to reconnect with nature,” she…

Over 40 per cent of products in the UK are packaged in flexible plastic, but only four per cent of these are recycled, and the rate is even lower globally. Eight out of 11 million tonnes of plastic polluting the ocean comes from flexible packaging. “There is no doubt that plastic packaging is a broken system,” says Daphna Nissenbaum, founder and CEO of Israeli startup TIPA, which has developed a range of fully compostable packaging. TIPA’s laminates and films break down under compost conditions – high humidity and temperature, plus microorganisms – within 180 days. While they’re made entirely of compostable materials using both bio- and fossil-based derivatives, they have the same functional and optical properties as regular plastic, and they do not adversely affect product shelf-life. The technology “imitates…

Adding a dash of Asparagopsis taxiformis to cattle feed can cut methane emissions by up to 85 per cent – but we need to find a way to grow 200 million tonnes of it a year… To dose the world’s livestock feed with Asparagopsis taxiformis, the seaweed needs to be engineered to grow as an easily harvested crop Cow burps are killing the planet. Livestock contributes 14.5 per cent of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, and cows make up two-thirds of that figure. Four years ago, Josh Goldman read research from Australia’s national research agency CSIRO and James Cook University in Queensland that suggested a solution: seaweed. Sprinkle a tiny bit of Asparagopsis taxiformis into a cow’s dinner, making up about 0.2 per…

RootWave’s technology zaps weeds from the roots upwards, boiling them inside out. Against a backdrop of herbicide-resistant weeds and growing awareness of agrochemicals’ dangers, the Warwickshire startup hopes its systems could have an impact on safe and sustainable weed control. “The world desperately needs an alternative [to agrochemicals] that is energy efficient, highly efficacious and scalable,” explains RootWave CEO Andrew Diprose. RootWave doesn’t generate the heat externally; instead, its method applies electricity directly via a probe, causing a current to pass through the plant, destroying its cells. Not only is this cost efficient because the energy is targeted, it is highly effective as it kills the roots, meaning regrowth is low and, importantly, it doesn’t disturb the soil. Its system has been made possible due to advancements in modern electronics;…

“This shoot was the first time that I’d left London since the start of the plague, and I’d never have thought that I’d be so excited at the prospect of a road trip to Newcastle, Leeds and deepest Wales,” says photographer Dan Burn-Forti of his shoot for Work Smarter. “The trip took in getting up close and personal with 300 alpacas, some off-road excitement across the moors of Northumberland, a bit of tasty vegan ice cream in Leeds, and finished with us standing barefoot in the sea on one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen, Newborough beach in Anglesey. I think it reminded me that Britain is in fact marvellous.”…

For a small country, Israel has a disproportionately high number of alt-meat startups – more than 50, according to Nir Goldstein, managing director of the Good Food Institute Israel. “It’s a hot market. We don’t know of any alt-protein startup that hasn’t been able to raise seed funding,” says Goldstein. The Israeli government also funds two food-tech incubators, The Kitchen and Fresh Start. Plant-based analogues dominate the scene: Rilbite’s minced-meat alternative is made from eight grains and vegetables, while More Foods’ faux beef strips use a high-protein yeast blend “to create a novel taste and texture [that] resembles whole-muscle cuts,” says founder Leonardo Marcovitz. Some companies are also turning to 3D printing. Redefine Meat’s Alt-Steak emulates the texture and structure of the real McCoy by digitally mapping over 70 parameters…

Accessed over 15 billion times a month, Wikipedia is hugely influential, but 20 years after launch, it still has a ways to go: articles on white men dominate, for example – but it’s an easy fix. Jess Wade, a physicist at Imperial College London, shares her five tips for impactful editing. 1. Play by the rules Remember that Wikipedia is nonpartisan, impartial and aggregates reliable sources to summarise knowledge. There are rules on what and who counts as “notable” and worthy of an entry – and writing about yourself, your family or your boss is a clear conflict of interest. 2. Citations and saves A Wikipedia page is only as good as its reference list. For every sentence you type, try and add an appropriate citation. Wikipedia’s visual editing interface…

As businesses prepare for the new normal, now is the time to make smart decisions about the future. By 2023 it’s estimated that companies worldwide will invest $1.1tr in Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, while the number of connections will top 3.5bn devices and sensors according to market intelligence company IDC. It’s a step towards creating the digital-defined business, where data drives decision making. “The ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ of the business world are becoming obvious,” says Anne Sheehan, director of Vodafone Business UK. “And it is technologies such as IoT that are proving to be the differentiator to introduce more efficient processes or generate new revenues.” Sheehan points to the company’s recent report which found that 87 per cent of UK businesses that implemented IoT technologies have already seen…

DR QUIDEST SHERIFF’S MEDICAL CAREER suffered a set-back before it had even begun. Days before she was due to take up her place at Rowan University’s School of Osteopathic Medicine in New Jersey, she was knocked off her bike. In addition to breaking numerous bones, she suffered a traumatic brain injury. Not that she allowed that to hold her back. There was simply too much at stake. “I was the first in my family to get to medical school – on both sides – and I’m a minority. I felt I couldn’t take a break,” she explains. “I started medical school with a sling on my arm and my leg in a boot.” But, after four years of studying, the brain injury was taking its toll. Panic attacks became the…

After a year during which uncertainty and disruption became the new normal, opportunities now lie in the ashes of a global pandemic. Over 500,000 people were made redundant in 2020, according to official UK government figures published in December. For many this is the moment to question everything, career choices especially, and follow a new path. Beyond the grief and the shock of losing a job, there is a chance for reinvention. I was made redundant in 2017. It wasn’t the best moment of my life, but it created space to ask myself “what am I doing?” and “what do I really want?”. The need to earn money meant that I took one step into freelancing, but my goal of creating a business became a work in progress. Those of…

There’s a moment in Pixar’s post-apocalyptic opus, Wall•E, where our titular hero saves a Spork from the skyscrapers of landfill – it’s a throwaway moment in every sense, but with 40 billion single-use utensils wasted just in the US each year, and six trillion items of plastic waste now drifting in the world’s oceans, it’s one to be taken seriously. Enter Pebble, a go-anywhere cutlery set made from recyclable anodised titanium-coated steel and recycled old compact discs (remember those?). This 175g set includes a folding knife, fork, spoon, straw and chopsticks, all neatly stowed in a case that clips to your backpack. They’re full sized, sustainable, dishwasher-safe and infinitely more enjoyable to eat with than any compostable or bamboo alternative. Pebble Triple Pack, £49 otherware.co From funding civil wars to…

Among rolling vineyards in the south of France lies a farm like no other. Forget cattle and crops, this flagship project from French company Ÿnsect is home to billions of Tenebrio molitor – mealworm beetles and their larvae. Nurtured from eggs, the beetles are harvested for their protein and processed into a nutritional powder or oil ready for animal or plant feed. Many insect species have featured as a food staple for centuries, and more recently as quirky meat-free alternatives on eco-restaurant menus. But Ÿnsect’s founders hope that using insects to feed animals and plants will help to solve a huge sustainability crisis. By 2050, the World Resources Institute forecasts a 70 per cent human calorie gap, meaning our ability to produce food will need to expand rapidly to meet…

Farmers must monitor weather forecasts and soil moisture data, track inventory, and protect their crops against pests and disease. AGRIVI’s cloud-based software allows them to manage all of this through one central application, and provides in-depth analytics. AGRIVI was founded in 2013 by Matija Zulj, a Croatian communications technology expert who recognised that farmers need tools to run their farms more efficiently and sustainably. AGRIVI’s line comprises basic Farm Management software for individual growers, delivered as a self-service platform on subscription, as well as Enterprise Farm Management for larger companies, and a Farmer Network Management tool for organisations that oversee networks of farmers. Kimberly-Clark, Driscoll’s and Nestlé all use the software, while governments also use it to raise national agriculture production and acquire data for policy-making. The company recently secured…

One day in 2009, a nervous young man rushed out of his home in Incheon, South Korea, head held down. Having not showered in weeks, his skin was oily, his hair unkempt. The loungewear he had on, one of only two sets he owned, was badly stained. He knew he smelled. But he’d run out of necessities, so he’d have to go to the shop down the street. It’d just be five minutes. All he had to do was stock up on instant ramen, Coke and cigarettes, and then he’d be back. After picking up his supplies, the man walked back home. But as he was approaching the front entrance, a panic spread over him: he didn’t know the passcode to open the door. It had been so long since…

OPENING UP THE GATES “There’s a video of comedian Gary Gulman doing stand-up about the wealth difference between Bill Gates and Donald Trump,” says John Keatley, who photographed Gates for our cover. “I asked Bill if he knew it. He did – and loved it. It’s rare that a person is the subject of a comedian, but not the butt of the joke. Bill and I tossed funny lines from the routine back and forth, and I got some wonderful moments of unguarded emotion.”…

Language is in a constant state of mutation. As society changes, neologisms sprout, new words become codified – app, selfie, meme, troll – and old ones die out. And the rise of new technologies also impacts our non-verbal communication. Linguistics professor and digital communications specialist Vyv Evans has suggested that some of our basic hand gestures, or “emblems”, will soon die out due to younger generations not understanding them: like scribbling on your hand in a restaurant to signal for the bill, or making a winding motion to ask someone to lower their car window. In July 2020, TikTok user Daniel Alvarado documented how his kids put their hands flat against their face to denote a phone call, instead of the traditional closed fist with outstretched thumb and pinky –…

Patek Philippe Ref. 6301P-001 Grande Sonnerie Price on request patek.com Powered by the 703-part GS 36-750 PS IRM movement, Patek’s intricate timepiece wraps the Grande and Petite Sonnerie chiming mechanisms in a platinum case with a black enamel dial. Moodo AIR 2-in-1 Air Purifier and Aroma Diffuser £196.90 moodo.co Optimise your WFH setup with the app-controlled Moodo Air. It can scent your space using one of 32 recyclable fragrance capsules, while also purifying the air you breathe – its HEPA filters remove pesky particulate matter such as pollen, dust and mould. Allbirds Wool Dasher Mizzle shoe £130 allbirds.co.uk Engineered for running in the rain, the Wool Dasher blends ZQ-certified Merino wool, SweetFoam (a sugarcane-derived carbon-negative green EVA material) and FSC-certified rubber. It also features Allbirds’ PuddleGuard fluorine-free water repellent. Tom…

“L’Oréal Paris has launched the first ever digital makeup line for live video. During the pandemic, beauty brands have been rethinking product testing (no makeup samples anymore) and e-commerce: the crisis has become a driving force of innovation, which is brilliant.” “Kegel balls, also known as vaginal exercise balls, are awesome for pelvic floor exercises. Three kids later and I am in pretty good shape. It helps with confidence and ultimate happiness – which makes me a better mum, partner and business leader.” “I’ve been loving Steven Bartlett’s ‘Diary of a CEO’ podcast. It’s really useful relating to a business owner who’s trying to connect with some of the difficult issues in the world. I haven’t got much time to read at the moment, so it’s a good ‘on-the-go’ listen.”…

Cecilia Harvey spent nearly 20 years on Wall Street, working capital markets for the likes of Accenture, Citi and HSBC. And yet it feels almost natural that her road has now led her to healthcare. Growing up, she was surrounded by generations of nurses and support workers, who streamed in and out of her childhood home in New York. “Everybody in my family worked in a hospital – my mother, my grandmother, my grandmother’s older sister, and my two aunts,” she explains. “I remember sitting at that kitchen table and watching each of them come home exhausted, and hearing the stories that they told me about the patients that they cared for, many of whom came from communities that I grew up in, where [they didn’t have] access to certain…

Thinking of striking out on your own? Here’s how to avoid the most common mistakes people make Workplace unhappiness and redundancies during the pandemic inspired more people to start their own businesses in 2020: Companies House reports 397,135 new companies registered from Q2 to Q3. But according to Startup Genome, 90 per cent of startups fail – with 20 per cent folding in the first year, and half before their fifth birthday. Only 25 per cent make the 15-year mark. The main reason: 70 per cent of startups scaled prematurely – they did too much, too quickly, and it proved unsustainable. Besides miscalculating how long it will take to break even, the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed (IPSE) says one of founders’ biggest mistakes is overspending in the…

According to the Bank of England, the pandemic’s impact on the economy will drive the rate of unemployment to peak at 7.5 per cent between April to June 2021. In anticipation of this, the majority of people in the UK (61 per cent) would accept a role in a different sector and focus, according to LinkedIn’s Workforce Confidence Index. But how can job seekers get these roles without experience? According to the social media network, it’s all about soft skills. “Emotional intelligence, collaboration and teamwork are highly valued,” explains Janine Chamberlin, senior director at LinkedIn. “[They] help people be great at their job and are transferable.” Creativity, persuasion, collaboration, adaptability and emotional intelligence are in demand, but it’s key to have practical examples of these – and outcomes – to…

Seven years ago, Berlin startup Infarm was a bedsit pipedream. Now its vertical farms sit in supermarkets and restaurants all over Europe. But can it move from salad garnishes for the wealthy to providing healthy produce for the urban masses? Gartenfeld Island, in Berlin’s western suburb of Spandau, was once the bellows of Germany’s industrial revolution. It hosted Europe’s first high-rise factory and, until World War II, helped make Berlin, behind London and New York, the third-largest city on Earth. Today’s Berlin is still a shell of its former self (there are over a hundred cities more populous), and the browbeaten brick buildings that now occupy Gartenfeld Island offer little in the way of grandeur. Flapping in the gloom of a grey November morning in 2020 is a sign which…

In 2011, French engineers Aymeric Barthes and Gaëtan Séverac began collaborating with farmers to design robots capable of weeding. Not only do Naïo Technologies’ machines minimise dependence on chemicals, they also address a shortage of farming labour. “Even in the poorest countries, it’s becoming difficult to find people to work in the fields, because it’s just too painful,” Séverac says. Around 200 of Naïo Technologies’ robots are deployed across Europe, North America and Japan. There are currently three models: Ted, designed for vineyards; Oz, for small farms; and Dino, for largescale plots. The machines are equipped with mechanical weeding arms, machine learning and GPS navigation. Once the farmer has created a map of each bed, the machine will do the rest – at least, until it needs a recharge. In…

It was a Nasa mission that gave rise to the idea behind Nature’s Fynd, the US company behind a fungi-based protein that could revolutionise the way we source protein. The company’s co-founder, Mark Kozubal, was gathering lifeforms that survive in extreme environments in Yellowstone National Park’s acidic springs in 2009 as part of a project to explore life on other planets. He came across a microbe, Fusarium strain flavolapis, that proved particularly hardy – and which also produced vast amounts of protein. “Once we discovered we had this great-quality protein, that put us on a quest to find a way to make it into delicious food,” says Thomas Jonas, one of Kozubal’s co-founders. For millennia, we’ve picked from the low-hanging fruit of nature for food – often literally. But environmental…

Burrowed 1.5km beneath a valley in Ticino, a region of southern Switzerland close to the Italian border, the Bedretto Underground Laboratory for Geoenergies is part construction site, part mechanics garage, and part excavation. Inside the six-by-three-metre cavern – once part of a railway tunnel – a team of researchers specialising in geology and seismology conduct their work wearing hard hats. This is one of the world’s leading research facilities in deep geothermal, a renewable energy source that has the potential to upend our reliance on unsustainable and fossil fuels, and may even help with phasing out nuclear. “I’m sorry it’s a bit of a mess today,” says lab manager Marian Hertrich, referring to the motors, laptops, giant spools of fibre-optic cables and drill rig that compete for space in the…

5.2 MILLION CCTV cameras, including video doorbells, estimated to be installed across the UK, according to CCTV.co.uk 20 Extra days it took the UK to bring its coronavirus R number below 1 during the first wave – only Sweden managed worse 1 IN 3 The proportion of people who end up in their dream job, according to a survey of 2,000 Americans 37% Percentage of quotes attributed to female experts in health-related news coverage of the coronavirus, compared to the 63 per cent of quotes attributed to male experts ONE PERCENT Percentage of farming companies worldwide accounting for 70 per cent of the world’s crop fields, ranches and orchards, according to the International Land Coalition £1,700 Average monthly pay for interns in the consulting sector, making it the most lucrative…