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Friday briefing: North Korea pledges an end to nuclear testing
North Korea has suspended nuclear testing following intensive talks with South Korea, age-related immune deterioration is prevented by intense exercise
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (L) shakes hands with South Korean chief delegator Chung Eui-yong (R) during negotiations
STR/AFP/Getty Images
Your WIRED daily briefing. Today, North Korea has suspended nuclear testing following intensive talks with South Korea; humans, not bots, are to blame for spreading false news on Twitter, age-related immune deterioration is prevented by intense exercise, and more.
1. North Korea pledges an end to nuclear testing following pan-Korean talks
North Korea says it will suspend missile and nuclear tests and has extended an invitation to US president Donald Trump to participate in talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, with the goal of permanent denuclearisation (The Guardian). The surprise move was announced at the White House by South Korean security chief Chung Eui-yong following a meeting with Trump. The move follows talks between North and South Korea surrounding the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.
2. Humans are to blame for spreading false news on Twitter
Humans, not bots, are to blame for the ease with which false news has managed to spread on Twitter, according to a study published in Science (WIRED). "False news spreads further, faster and deeper than the truth in every category of news," says Sinan Aral at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who supervised the study. Aral concluded that false news stories were 70 per cent more likely to be retweeted than true ones, even though accounts tweeting false news tended to have fewer followers and be less active.
3. Age-related immune deterioration is prevented by regular intense exercise
A study into the health of long-distance cyclists has found that the intense and prolonged exercise associated with the sport massively bolsters their immune systems (BBC News). The researchers compared 125 lifelong cyclists aged between 55 and 79 and found that their T-cell levels – associated with immune response – were equivalent to those of young adults. Co-author Prof Janet Lord told BBC News: "The immune system declines by about 2-3% a year from our 20s, which is why older people are more susceptible to infections, conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and, potentially, cancer. Because the cyclists have the immune system of a 20-year-old rather than a 70- or 80-year-old, it means they have added protection against all these issues."
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4. Oculus issues Rift softare patch, apologetic gift vouchers
Following yesterday's worldwide failure of Oculus Rift virtual reality headsets due to an expired certificate on a critical file, the company has issued a patch for Rift users to manually download and run (TechCrunch). Hugo Barra, Facebook vice-president of VR, tweeted an apology and a promise of $15 in Oculus store vouchers as compensation to affected users.
5. Listen to the BBC's final new series of the Hitchhiker's Guide audio drama
BBC Radio 4 has reunited the cast of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio plays for Hexagonal Phase, the sixth instalment in the increasingly inaccurately-named trilogy (Ars Technica). The series is based on the last book in Douglas Adams series, And Another Thing…, written by Artemis Fowl author Eoin Colfer. Released in 2009, the novel delivers the more upbeat ending Adams had always wanted for the series. The first episode - and subsequent instalments - of the series will be available to listeners worldwide on iPlayer for the next month.
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The rise of Italy's right is further proof of Facebook's political crisis
Lawmakers intending to take on Facebook are likely to face years of trench warfare in the courts, prolonging any substantive progress in what – as we approach significant elections in Egypt (35 million Facebook accounts), Bangladesh (28 million), Pakistan (32 million), Thailand (46 million), Mexico (69 million) and Brazil (111 million) – has become an issue of enormous scale and great urgency as Trump-like demagogues and populists sense opportunity for office. "Thank god for the internet, thank god for social media, thank god for Facebook," said the pro-Kremlin populist Matteo Salvini after his party, the League, made big gains in this week's Italian general election.
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