The pandemic isn’t over, not by a long shot. Infections, hospitalizations and deaths have been on the rise in the US as the delta variant of the coronavirus runs rampant. Those being hit hardest are the unvaccinated, and only about half the total population in the US is fully vaccinated. That’s forcing a reckoning across the federal government, the tech industry and elsewhere.

Yet opposition to the COVID-19 vaccines and restrictions remains strong in many areas, both in the US and around the world. There have been mass protests in recent days from Paris to Sydney. This prompted CNET’s Daniel Van Boom to try to come to terms with what’s motivating the disaffected and what that means for all of us. “Like the coronavirus itself,” he writes, “the distrust that fuels these protests infects the entire world.”

Van Boom’s commentary is among the many in-depth features and other thought-provoking pieces that appeared on CNET this week. So here you go. These are the stories you don’t want to miss:

Commentary: COVID denialism and anti-vaxxers can no longer be ignored.

Don Arnold/Getty

CNET’s Jesse Orrall outsourced several of his daily decisions to algorithms for a week to better understand the lines of code that are playing a greater role in guiding all our lives.

CNET

Your visit may or may not include a giant unicorn floatie.

Swimply

Commentary: Paired with a GamePass subscription, it’s the easiest way to jump into next-gen gaming.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

If confirmed, the finding would push back our earliest evidence of animal life by about 350 million years.

Getty

It’s corny, ridiculous and at times downright exhausting. But CNET’s Mary King couldn’t stop watching.

Netflix

Premium network Starz decided to overrepresent women and people of color at its network, and it found a secret to success.

Starz

Many people are confused when it comes to the rules surrounding HIPAA. We’ll help explain.

Sarah Tew/CNET

The finale for a show like Kevin Can F**k Himself was always going to be tricky.

Jojo Whilden/AMC