Now that Sunrise on the Reaping has officially been released, the prices for older boxed sets have started to drop. The Hunger Games books are some of the best young adult novels in recent years, and if you've been hoping to pick up a collector's edition of the series for your shelves, now is a great time.The Hunger Games Deluxe Edition box set is currently on sale for 47% of its normal price. These are paperback versions of the first four books in the series that were meant to be read, rather than just displayed. Each book comes with stenciled edges with a different version of the iconic Mockingjay on each cover.Hunger Games Deluxe Box Set Deal at AmazonIncludes 4 BooksHunger Games Box Set (Deluxe Edition with Stenciled Edges)The main reason this box set is discounted so heavily is because it doesn't contain the new book from Suzanne Collins: Sunrise on the Reaping. The box set includes The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay, and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Amazon also sells these deluxe paperback verions individually for a discount, but if you choose to get the box set you essentially get an extra book for free.Unlike a lot of other popular deluxe editions, this particular box set features only paperback novels. This is great for anyone who plans on reading them more than once rather than just leaving them up on the shelf. Hardcover editions look great, but repeated use tends to add more wear and tear to the cover than you'll see with paperbacks.Are There Any Box Sets That Include the New Hunger Games Book?PreorderHunger Games 5-Book Hardcover Box SetSee it at AmazonThere is only one Hunger Games box set available for purchase that includes Sunrise on the Reaping. Unfortunately, it is only up for preorder and won't be released until June 3, 2025. There are benefits to preordering on Amazon, and the new five-book box set is also currently already discounted by 30%. There's a preorder price guarantee for this product that will ensure you will only pay the lowest price this product reaches before its official release date. So even though it's only 30% off right now, if it dips even further after you order, you'll pay less than you originally thought.See more Hunger Games books availableHunger Games 4-Book Hardcover Box SetSee it at AmazonThe Hunger Games: Illustrated EditionSee it at AmazonThe Ballad of Songbirds and SnakesSee it at AmazonSunrise on the ReapingSee it at Amazon

Its impossible to summarize Saturday Night Lives critical influence on the entirety of pop culture. Shaping the entertainment industry from one decade to the next, SNL forever changed the nature of late-night sketch comedy in the mid 1970s, showing Americans that, yes, we can have a long-running comedy series as socially relevant as Monty Python, as biting as Mad Magazine, and as delightfully chaotic as a vintage Looney Tunes cartoon.Celebrating its historic 50th anniversary this year,Saturday Night Live has produced some of the finest comedic talents of the past half century, its alumni reading like a list of whos who in contemporary American comedy. With some of its most recognizable past performers including everyone from John Belushi, Bill Murray, Adam Sandler, and Tina Fey to Chris Farley, Will Ferrell, Eddie Murphy, and Jimmy Fallon, SNLs success is almost entirely predicated upon the talents of its foremost cast members.With a production history dating back to 1975, SNL has cycled through literally dozens of phenomenal cast members over the last five decades. While most performers contributions to the show have been celebrated for one reason or another, however, a handful of former SNL players have yet to see the critical acclaim they rightfully deserve. From underappreciated Weekend Update hosts to wildly versatile impression specialists, here are some of the most ridiculously underrated comedians to ever perform on SNL.15. Kevin NealonEvery remarkable skit needs a straight man to bounce its comedic energy off of, whether were talking about early SNL players like Jane Curtin and Chevy Chase or 90s performers like Phil Hartman and Kevin Nealon. A straight-faced comedian known for his deadpan delivery and unwaveringly straight-faced presence, Nealon typically played second fiddle to more anarchic 90s-era cast members, quickly fading into the background as Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, or Chris Farley soaked up the public limelight.While he seldom came close to matching his co-stars loud-mouthed comedic antics, Nealons dialed-back presence helped make each of his segments that much more enjoyable, from Hans and Franz and the Politically Incorrect Private Investigator to his stint as Weekend Updates regular host.14. Victoria JacksonOne of the many SNL alumni who dropped off the map upon her departure from the series in 1992, Victoria Jackson tapped into her unconventional comedic style throughout her five-year tenure on SNL. A skilled mimic who could perfectly impersonate such celebrities as Roseanne Barr and Zsa Zsa Gabor, Jackson regularly veered towards more unorthodox comedic stunts during her time on the show, as evidenced by her repeated appearances on Weekend Update.Appearing alongside Dennis Miller, it wasnt long before Jacksons straightforward demeanor devolved into increasingly strange behavior, leading her to hop on Millers desk, read poetry, perform handstands, and break out into a whimsical song and dance routine. In an era where Phil Hartman, Jon Lovitz, and Dana Carvey took to the stage, Jackson truly made it seem like anything and everything could happen on Weekend Update, solidifying herself as one of the best guests to ever appear on SNLs long-running segment.13. Tim MeadowsMore dedicated scholars of SNL history might readily recognize him for his role as the effortlessly suave Ladies Man, but Tim Meadows was oh so much more. Starring on SNL for just under a decade, Meadows somehow possessed instant chemistry with any star he appeared alongside, be it 90s loudmouths like Chris Farley or more theatrical 2000s cast members like Will Ferrell.A decent enough impressionist known for portraying the likes of Michael Jackson, Tiger Woods, and Oprah Winfrey, Meadows lended a certain level of credibility to SNLs most outlandish sketches, seldom breaking character when every other cast member broke into uncontrollable chuckles. Watching Meadows proudly embody the straight man archetype, suddenly it seemed all the more feasible that Bill Clinton strolled into an ordinary McDonalds, two shirtless Bible salesmen knocked on your front door, or that O.J. Simpson just wrote the words I did it on an ESPN football telestrator.12. Jay PharoahTo be clear, Jay Pharoah did do an amazing job embodying the smooth-voiced charisma of Barack Obama whenever he donned the guise of the Commander-in-Chief. But far from being a one trick phony when it came to his presidential impersonations, Pharaoh could also conjure up accurate portrayals of virtually any celebrity featured in People magazine or TMZ, be it Kanye West, Jay-Z, Will Smith, Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, or Denzel Washington.While his acting abilities lent him the uncanny ability to disappear into a variety of celebrity personas, Pharoahs histrionic approach to comedy afforded him a chance to portray wholly original characters, each of whom came equipped with distinct characteristics, body language, and tonal differences to their voice and pronunciations. After all, who else but Pharoah could have made the line Ill do it pop off the page so organically as he did in the darkly comic Arons List?Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!11. Chris KattanLike fellow 2000s cast members Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri, Chris Kattan regularly went all in when it came to his most animated sketch characters, dialing his performances up to a solid 11 no matter how minimal his screen-time might be. He may never have achieved the long-standing recognition of his fellow Roxbury Guy Ferrell, but Kattan easily matched his co-stars when it came to his wacky physical comedy and unparalleled dedication to a skits punchline.In many ways, there was something fearless about the way Kattan completely immersed himself in a role, no matter how embarrassing or outwardly ridiculous it might seem. Recognizing the fact that audiences were laughing at him and not necessarily with him, Kattan threw himself fearlessly into the most preposterous characters imaginable. (Cough, cough, Mango the flirtatious male stripper; need I say more?)10. Aidy BryantSaturday Night Live has always thrived when it comes to inspired partnerships or irreverent trios of comedians. Following in the footsteps of Belushi and Aykroyd, Farley and Spade, Myers and Carvey, and Shannon and Gasteyer, SNL shrewdly relied on the strength of Aidy Bryant, Kate McKinnon, and Cecily Strong throughout the 2010s, allowing for all kinds of unique sketches and unforgettable musical performances.Working together to weave otherwise so-so sketches into pure comedic gold, Bryant, McKinnon, and Strong simply clicked whenever they worked together in a single skit, effortlessly knocking it out of the park as Katy Perry-style pop singers or Irish game show contestants. While she always held her own opposite such talented co-stars, Bryant also confidently handled any role she was assigned to play, competently portraying mild-mannered school teachers, inquisitive UFO officials, and half-fly, half-fairy Tinker Bell characters humorously known as Tonker Bell.9. Jan HooksLike her fellow 90s-era co-star Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks put her dramatic flair to good use every time she appeared in a sketch. Tapping into her theatrical background for roles both big and small, Hooks showed that, in some cases, the best thing you can do to make a comedic segment that much funnier was simply to take your role seriously.Outfitting each of her characters with individual personality quirks, facial tics, and distinct body language, Hooks acting chops went a long way every time she took centerstage, helping her elevate otherwise forgettable sketches into certified classics, like Brenda the Waitress or the fan-favorite Sweeney Sisters musical act.8. Bobby MoynihanIn many ways, Bobby Moynihan appears as the ultimate SNL performer: a perfect amalgamation of buoyant slapstick, believable impressions, and the seamless ability to transition from a comedic straight man into a wild-eyed, cartoonish character.While his contemporary co-stars proved themselves adept in one category or another, Moynihan could do it all, eliciting widespread laughter with a subtle change in his facial expression or a slightly higher pitch to his voice. A scene-stealing cast member who made every sketch he appeared in that much better, Moynihan left viewers doubled-over in unending giggle fits in almost every one of his most famous sketches. (I.E., Drunk Uncle, Hobbit Office, David Pumpkins, etc.)7. Vanessa BayerNobody and I mean nobody could play ditzy cluelessness quite like Vanessa Bayer. Waltzing across the screen with a vague smile and a childish glint in her eye, Bayer was more than a dependable straight performer on SNLs sound stage. With her vacant expression and generally shy demeanor, she somehow took otherwise normal characters to entirely new heights, making their mundane presentation seem somehow alien and unnatural, like her overly-dedicated Totinos Pizza Roll character or her soft-spoken Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy.While she occasionally played more outwardly zany characters, Bayer proved that sometimes less was more when it came to memorable comedy sketches especially whenever she was paired with utterly flamboyant characters played by Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, or Kate McKinnon.6. Cheri OteriLike her fellow Spartan Cheerleader Will Ferrell, Cheri Oteri could inhabit seemingly any character she chose to play, quickly adapting herself to a variety of roles with the dexterity of Mike Myers, the confidence of Dana Carvey, and the believability of Phil Hartman.While most modern viewers tend to more fondly remember Ferrell for his role in the late 90s and early 2000s-era SNL, one shouldnt look past the Oteris entertaining stint on the show. Whether portraying a toothy Barbara Walters or deranged addict Collette Reardon, Oteri conjured up an eclectic rogues gallery of unforgettable SNL personas, proving her ability to hang with the very best of SNLs most talented impressionists.5. Jon LovitzWith Eddie Murphy departing SNL in the mid 1980s, Lorne Michaels struggled to find a performer that could succeed Murphys place as the series mainstay attraction. Enter: the unassuming everyman-turned-SNL-savior, Jon Lovitz.Sandwiched between two memorable eras in Saturday Night Lives history, its easy to underestimate Lovitzs successful tenure on the show. While he may not exactly rise to the critical might of Murphy or the so-called Bad Boys of Chris Farley and Adam Sandlers generation, Lovitzs colorful characters made SNL worth watching in the late 1980s, as seen through his nasal-voiced Annoying Man on Weekend Update or his woefully inept Pathological Liar.4. Laraine NewmanNowadays, people tend to talk about the Not Ready For Primetime Players with a mixture of reverence and awe, viewing them as fabled deities and eclectic trailblazers within the uncharted realm of sketch comedy. While most people are quick to single out the work of John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, and Dan Aykroyd in the series formative years, its also worth remembering the one-of-a-kind contributions of SNLs original underrated player, Laraine Newman.Though often relegated to a supporting role, Newman used every second of her screentime to hammer home the main premise of a sketch, no matter how dark, twisted, or outright absurd it seemed on the surface. Whether portraying the obviously inhuman Connie Conehead or creating the archetypical Valley Girl with Sherry, Newmans time on SNL was every bit as influential if not more so as her fellow OG cast members.3. Ana GasteyerYears before Tina Fey and Amy Poehler shattered the boys club mentality in SNLs writing room, Molly Shannon and Ana Gasteyer were hard at work asserting their own irreverent comedy on the series main stage. While the pair proved immensely popular with their soft-spoken NPR Delicious Dish duo, Shannon and Gasteyer enjoyed spectacular success in their individual ventures, as evidenced by Shannons erratic Catholic school girl Mary Katherine Gallagher and Gasteyers alcoholic WASP Ginger Attebury.More often appearing as the proverbial sidekick to her fellow SNL talents, Gasteyer showed she could handle herself as the center subject of a sketch time and time again. Caricaturing everyone from a passive aggressive Martha Stewart to a spotlight-obsessed Celine Dion, Gasteyer dazzled viewers every time the cameras squarely landed on her, delivering her lines with a curiously polite smile and a hilariously over-the-top tone of voice. (Seriously, can anyone keep a straight face listening to her Culps musical act with Will Ferrell?)2. Darrell HammondWhere to even begin with Darrell Hammonds accolades and achievements on SNL? Departing the series in 2009, Hammon was the oldest comedian to maintain a starring role on Lorne Michaels hit series, portraying a grand total of 107 different celebrities over his 14-year tenure on the show.Effectively filling the void left by the late great Phil Hartman, Hammond became SNLs go-to impressionist throughout the late 90s and most of the 2000s. Whether appearing as a comically boring Al Gore, a combative Sean Connery, or a lecherous Bill Clinton, Hammond quickly adapted to any role Michaels required him to play, joining the elite ranks of equally iconic impersonators like Dana Carvey, Bill Hader, Will Ferrell, or Mike Myers.1. Will ForteA comedian well and truly ahead of his time, Will Forte could perform in any sketch that was asked of him, excelling as much as a comedic straight man as he did with endlessly eccentric characters like political hopeful Tim Calhoun or the absent-minded MacGyver parody, MacGruber.Like all the best SNL performers, Forte thrived in roles no other cast member could have properly played, especially when it came to such ceaselessly odd creations as the Falconer or Andy (the Ohhh, noooo guy from Reinhold Investments). Pioneering cringe comedy years before The Office, Parks and Rec, or Modern Family made the genre commonplace in contemporary pop culture, Forte could get audiences laughing, wincing, and shaking their head in panicked discomfort every time he wandered on-screen. In more ways than one, he was like a soft-spoken cross between Chris Farley, Steve Carrell, and Bill Hader, delivering overwhelmingly original jokes with an expressionless face and hilariously nonchalant tone of voice.

Mar 22, 2025Ravie LakshmananFinancial Security / CryptocurrencyThe U.S. Treasury Department has announced that it's removing sanctions against Tornado Cash, a cryptocurrency mixer service that has been accused of aiding the North Korea-linked Lazarus Group to launder their ill-gotten proceeds."Based on the Administration's review of the novel legal and policy issues raised by use of financial sanctions against financial and commercial activity occurring within evolving technology and legal environments, we have exercised our discretion to remove the economic sanctions against Tornado Cash," the Treasury said in a statement.In conjunction with the move, over 100 Ethereum (ETH) wallet addresses are also being removed from the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list.The department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added Tornado Cash to its sanctions list in August 2022. It was estimated to have been used to launder more than $7.6 billion worth of virtual assets since its creation in 2019, the Treasury said at the time.However, a U.S. Fifth Circuit court issued a decision in November 2024, reversing a decision about the mixer, ruling that OFAC "overstepped its congressionally defined authority" when it sanctioned the cryptocurrency mixer.This stemmed from the court's view that OFAC's ability to sanction entities does not extend to Tornado Cash because its immutable smart contracts cannot be deemed as "property" under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)."With respect to immutable smart contracts, the court reasoned, there is no person in control and therefore 'no party with which to contract,'" according to documents filed by the Treasury Department as part of the case.It further said it remains committed to using its powers to combat and disrupt malicious cyber actors from exploiting the digital assets ecosystem, and it will do everything in its capacity to restrict the ability of North Korea to fund its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs."Digital assets present enormous opportunities for innovation and value creation for the American people," said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent."Securing the digital asset industry from abuse by North Korea and other illicit actors is essential to establishing U.S. leadership and ensuring that the American people can benefit from financial innovation and inclusion."Last May, a Dutch court on Tuesday sentenced Alexey Pertsev, one of the co-founders of Tornado Cash, to 5 years and 4 months in prison. Two of its other founders Roman Storm and Roman Semenov were indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice in August 2023.Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

If you fall into a lower tax bracket, you could pay less in taxes and keep more of your money.

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for March 22.

What we've been playing - vegetarian games, unignorable ghosting, and an impromptu sales pitchA few of the things that have us hooked this week.Image credit: Ubisoft Feature by Robert Purchese Associate Editor Additional contributions byTom Orry, and Tom PhillipsPublished on March 22, 2025 22nd MarchHello and welcome back to our regular feature where we write a little bit about some of the games we've been playing. This week, Bertie rekindles a career as a travelling salesperson; Tom Orry struggles to get his WiFi working; and Tom Phillips enjoys a refreshingly animal-friendly game.What have you been playing?Catch up with the older editions of this column in our What We've Been Playing archive.Avowed, Xbox Series X (and briefly on Geforce Now)I've thought of a name for a band: Girls Avowed. What?Watch on YouTubeI'm still loving Avowed, albeit in very small doses as I've been preoccupied reviewing Atomfall this week. To my shame I got a little bit distracted by Avowed visuals again, this time spending far too long spinning around to look at the ghosting on my wand as I moved. Now I've seen it I can't unsee it, and it's a real blight on an otherwise lovely looking game, and also impacts the grass and other parts of the world. I think it's to do with the use of FSR to make the image look sharper, but it falls down badly when you move. Oh well, it's not as if I'm going to stare at this forever and let it ruin an otherwise great game, is it.Speaking of ruining things. I used all my free time one evening earlier this week trying to get my Samsung OLED TV to connect to my router's 5 Ghz network instead of the 2.5 Ghz in the hope it would make Geforce Now more playable over WiFi. Long story short, I failed and the TV just won't find the 5 Ghz network despite being able to see my neighbour's. My hope was that 4K Geforce Now Avowed would look better than the Series X version. My quest continues, but I refuse to plug in the 5 metre network cable I used before as it became a health hazard.-Tom OAssassin's Creed Shadows, Xbox Series XNaoe is the time to jump in!Watch on YouTubeUbisoft's latest Assassin's Creed might involve a lot of stabbing humans but, as far as animals are concerned, it's surprisingly vegetarian friendly. It's something I only realised yesterday, while chatting with a Eurogamer reader about the game in our launch Q&A, but it's something I'm really grateful for.Shadows' world is teeming with animals - cats, dogs, monkeys, birds, deer, wild pigs and many more. But all of them are there to be appreciated as part of the environment around you, rather than as something to be hunted, skinned and turned into a leather upgrade.Interactions with animals consist of either petting them - which often unlocks the creature for your homestead - or drawing them, an activity that requires you approach carefully to avoid scaring them off. The end result is an attractive Sumi-e painting you can hang up in your homestead, rather than the creature's head stuck up on the wall like in Valhalla.As a historical series, it's natural that Assassin's Creed has featured hunting over the years. Our first steps as the Native American Ratonhnhak:ton, otherwise known as Connor Kenway, involved learning how to hunt animals as a young boy. Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, which was more grisly, saw us harpooning whales as Connor's grandfather Edward - something I wonder about Ubisoft keeping in the upcoming, still-unannounced remake.Shadows, then, shows that video games can do more with animals than make them a target or a resource to be farmed. It's a small thing in an enormous game, but I appreciate it.-Tom PSlice & Dice, AndroidPLAY IT! I don't get commission. Watch on YouTubeAnother trip away, another chance to play Slice & Dice - the dice-rolling, turn-based, fantasy battler I've talked about a few times. But this time was slightly different: this time I was in the company of other games journalists. Cue dramatic music as we cut to Bertie's suddenly startled face.There's extra pressure on a mobile game in this situation. For years, Slice & Dice has been my guilty pleasure - a game I chanced upon that I unexpectedly kept returning to. I've admitted to myself that I love it, now, but I was self-conscious about Slice & Dice for a long time. And here I was on a plane sitting next to another journalist who turned to me and asked, directly, unblinkingly, searchingly, "What are you playing?" So I panicked. They were playing Balatro on their phone, which is a rock solid, uncriticisable choice. What would they think of mine?I cleared my throat and turned to them and launched into what I now realise sounds like my Slice & Dice sales pitch. "Oh this? Just a dice-rolling game I've had on my phone for a few years that I'm now convinced is brilliant." And look, I don't get commission but perhaps I should, because by the time we were on the return flight home, they'd ditched Balatro and installed Slice & Dice, and I did the pitch to a few other press people, too. Every convert counts.I even had my own good fortune in the game while on the plane home, carefully strategising my way to the final battle, only to blow it all on the way home with a few bum rolls. (I never thought I'd write "bum rolls" on Eurogamer.) Slice & Dice isn't as fun in those moments, nor are the inevitable consolation runs I begin afterwards. This, I maintain, is a game best dipped into sporadically over many years, as I'm starting to believe I will, as long as creator Tann continues to update it.Incidentally, because of my obsession, I got in touch with Tann to see if they wanted to talk about the game, but to my surprise they didn't. They thanked me for my kind words (I said nice things) and then they disappeared back into the ether, to being an indecipherable genius in the dark, magically shortening every journey I take.-Bertie

BlenderKit Spring Sale By Vilem Duha on March 22, 2025 Add-ons BlenderKit is an extensive 3D asset library seamlessly integrated into Blender 3D. The ever-growing database includes 3D models, materials, brushes, scenes, HDRIs, node groups, and Blender add-ons.Spring to life with BlenderKit! Get a huge 3D asset library 25% off!More than anything, BlenderKit is a community. Founded in the spirit of open-source, BlenderKit is available for free. With a Full Plan subscription, users support BlenderKit creators and open-source development, while enjoying access to the full database.BlenderKit is now having a spring sale, offering a 25% discount on Full Plan and Blender add-ons.Our sale will end on April 3rd, so be sure to collect your discount!Have a wonderful spring,The BlenderKit team

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 21: (L-R) Opponents Leon Edwards of Jamaica and Sean Brady face off during ... More the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at The O2 on March 21, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCLeon Edwards is back.The former UFC welterweight champion, current No. 1 contender, and No. 12 fighter in the promotions pound-for-pound rankings returns to the Octagon on Saturday in London.Itll be a home game for Edwards at the O2 Arena, where he will face No. 5 Sean Brady in the main event of UFC Fight Night London. I have all the results and highlights of every finish as they happen below.Main Card (Starting at 3:00 PM ET) on ESPN+Welterweight Bout: Leon Edwards vs. Sean BradyLight Heavyweight Bout: Jan Bachowicz vs. Carlos UlbergWelterweight Bout: Gunnar Nelson vs. Kevin HollandWomens Strawweight Bout: Molly McCann vs. Alexia ThainaraLightweight Bout: Jordan Vucenic vs. Chris DuncanFeatherweight Bout: Nathaniel Wood vs. Morgan CharrireUFC Fight Night London Preliminary Card (Starting at 12:00 PM ET) on ESPN+Lightweight Bout: Jai Herbert vs. Chris PadillaFlyweight Bout: Loneer Kavanagh vs. Felipe dos SantosHeavyweight Bout: Marcin Tybura vs. Mick ParkinMiddleweight Bout: Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Andre PulyaevWomens Strawweight Bout: Shauna Bannon vs. Puja TomarBantamweight Bout: Nathan Fletcher vs. Caolan LoughranLightweight Bout: Guram Kutateladze vs. Kaue Fernandes3 Things to Watch at UFC Fight Night LondonLeon Edwards Could Pass GSPMANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JULY 27: Leon Edwards of Jamaica warms up prior to his fight during the UFC ... More 304 event at Co-op Live on July 27, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesIf Edwards-Brady goes the distance (the fight is scheduled for five rounds), the former will pass Georges St-Pierre for second-most total fight time in the UFCs welterweight division.Edwards would trail only Neil Magny in that department amongst welterweights.Gunnar Nelson Looking to Add to His UFC RecordsLONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 21: Gunnar Nelson of Iceland poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night ... More ceremonial weigh-in at The O2 on March 21, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCGunnar Nelson takes on the reeling Kevin Holland on the main card. Holland has lost two fights in a row and four of his last five. Nelson is currently the UFCs all-time leader in submission wins at welterweight with 7 and significant strike accuracy at 60.5%.However, its been two years since Nelson competed, with his last fight coming in March 2023. He won that fight over Bryan Barberena via armbar in the first round.Nelson has also secured five performance bonuses thanks to his submission grappling wizardry. If Holland isnt on his game, he might be the newest addition to Nelsons highlight reel.Fighters Making Their Main Roster DebutsLONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 21: Alexia Thainara of Brazil poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night ... More ceremonial weigh-in at The O2 on March 21, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCTwo fighters on the card are making their debuts after qualifying for the main roster on the most recent season of Dana Whites Contender Series. Alexia Thainara, 27, is from Brazil.She scored a unanimous decision win over Rose Conceicao in September 2024 to earn her contract. Thainara will have to get it done in hostile territory as she faces the homestanding Molly McCann.LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 21: Andrey Pulyaev of Russia poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night ... More ceremonial weigh-in at The O2 on March 21, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLCRussias Andrey Pulyaev, 27, also took a unanimous decision win on the Contender Series. He got the better of Liam Anderson in August 2024 to grab a spot on the roster. Hell also have a tough fight on his hands against the uber-athletic Christian Leroy Duncan.CLD, a Gloucester native, is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Gregory Rodrigues in July 2024. This fight could be excellent while putting the winner in a position for a well-known opponent in their next fight.As the events of the day affect these projections, Ill replace the text with the relevant reactions. Be on the lookout for more UFC Fight Night London coverage through the weekend.

Artists concept of a radio interferometer being deployed on the lunar far side using JPL single ... More axel rovers. The tethers extending from a Blue Origin lander contain thin wire dipole antennas, communications, and power.Blue OriginFor the first time ever, a very low frequency radio telescope has successfully sent back astronomical data from the lunar surface. Although the mission didnt quite go as planned, the data has enabled ground-based researchers to confirm the low frequency signature of our own Milky Way Galaxy. A team led by the University of Colorado at Boulder has published their results in The Astrophysical Journal.We have demonstrated that radio astronomy from the Moon can be done at reasonable costs, and the science potential is high, Jack Burns, a co-author on the paper and a professor emeritus of Astrophysics at the University of Colorado Boulder, tells me via email.The team used the NASA-funded $2.5 million ROLSES-1 (Radiowave Observations on the Lunar Surface of the photo-Electron Sheath) instrument sent to the Moon as part of Intuitive Machines 2024 Odysseus lander. Although Odysseus landed near the Malapert A crater, within some 10 degrees of the Moons South Pole, it landed badly.Even so, we managed to collect some data from the lunar surface that gave us a modest detection of our galaxy in the radio spectrum, Joshua Hibbard, the papers lead author and a doctoral candidate in astrophysics at the University of Colorado Boulder, tells me via email. The instrument was able to make the detection because the galaxy is extraordinarily bright at low radio frequencies, he says. Thats due to high energy particles spiraling in the galactic magnetic field and emitting enormous amounts of radiation, Hibbard says.The spacecrafts communications antennas ended up badly aligned and deployed horizontal to the lunar surface.The lander came in hot with both vertical (6 mph) and horizontal (2 mph) velocities higher than expected, Burns tells me. The strut on one of the six landing legs absorbed the brunt of the lander impact, breaking its leg and causing the lander to tilt some 30 degrees to one side, he says.The Good News?We took data for about 80 minutes while in transit to the Moon with one antenna, says Burns. Then after landing, we deployed the remaining three antennas and over two days took about 20 minutes of data, he says.As a result, the team was able to detect radio emissions from the Milky Way.The disk and the halo of the Milky Way are chock full of high energy charged particles (cosmic rays) and magnetic fields embedded within the thin interstellar medium, explains Burns. And as high energy cosmic ray electrons spiral in the galaxys magnetic field, they decelerate and emit radio waves via a process called synchrotron radiation, he says.And for the first time, the team detected this galactic synchrotron emission from the moon.But is it really necessary to go to the Moon for radioastronomy?Ground-based radiotelescopes all operate at higher frequences, says Burns. On the Moon, especially the far side, we operate at frequencies of tens of kHz to 50 MHz that are not accessible from Earth, he says. Thats due to radio frequency interference and because Earths ionosphere both refracts and absorbs radio emission, says Burns.A Radio Noisy Earth EnvironmentThe advent of numerous satellites orbiting the Earth makes radio astronomy more and more difficult these days, says Hibbard. So, there are many frequencies in radio astronomy that are now completely useless for science, he says.But the lunar far side is the most radio quiet spot in the inner solar system. And because it always faces away from Earth, it is shielded from our planets natural and artificial radiomagnetic noise.Yet why have Moon-based radio observations taken so long?Lunar radiotelescopes have been proposed for the last four decades now. It's a scientific tragedy that in the 50 years since NASAs Apollo program went silent that its taken so long to utilize the perfect spot for low frequency radio observations from the lunar far side.After Apollo was terminated by President Richard Nixon, we lacked access to the Moon, says Burns. Now, after half a century of technological advances, individual companies can design and build uncrewed spacecraft with NASA serving as the anchor client for space science payloads, he says.Whats Next?LuSEE-Night, the Lunar Surface Electromagnetics Experiment-Night, will launch in early 2026 to the Moons far side to do the first cosmological observations of the Dark Ages of the early Universe. And in 2028, ROLSES-2 will land on the lunar near side to complete science investigations originally scheduled for ROLSES-1.And further down the road?The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program has funded us to design the ultimate cosmology telescope on the lunar far side, called FarView, says Burns. It consists of 100,000 dipole radio antennas, he says.The idea is to extract aluminum from the lunar regolith, in partnership with Lunar Resources, Inc. in Houston, using an electrolysis process that will enable the construction of the arrays dipole antennas.This saves tons of mass that would otherwise be transported to the Moon at high expense, says Burns. We will be able to demonstrate advanced manufacturing and operate the first distributed scientific facility on the Moon, he says. We currently are in Phase II of funding from NIAC and we plan to propose for a Phase III study and to build a prototype array on the Moon, he notes.Burns says the FarView project has targeted about a dozen potential far side sites for the observatory. And that he is meeting with NASA later next month to discuss a potential prototype for the mission.Craters on the far side of the Moon as photographed during NASA's Apollo 11 lunar landing mission, ... More 20th July 1969. Half of the International Astronomical Union Crater number 308 is visible at the top right, at coordinates 179.3 degrees east longitude and 6 degrees north latitude. (Photo by Space Frontiers/Getty Images)Getty ImagesA Unique Radio Probe Of Habitable PlanetsLow frequency radio observations from the lunar far side can also uniquely probe and detect magnetic fields associated with potentially habitable planets, says Burns. High energy cosmic rays from the parent star of exoplanets get trapped in the magnetic fields, causing them to radiate at low radio frequencies, he says. We can potentially detect these polarized radio emissions using arrays of radiotelescopes that we are designing for the far side, Burns notes.Probing The Cosmic Dark AgesDuring the Dark Ages, just before Cosmic Dawn, we believe the Universe was filled with mostly neutral Hydrogen and dark matter, says Hibbard. If we can measure this signal, it could allow us to understand and perhaps characterize dark matter, he says.Thus, one of the main science drivers for lunar far side radiotelescopes is the study of the cosmological 21-cm signal of neutral hydrogen, says Hibbard. It is in fact the only known probe of the Universe some 100 million years after the Big Bang and before the first luminous objects formed like stars and galaxies, he says.The Bottom Line?These observations allow us to test the standard models of cosmology and physics during a unique epoch of the universe uncontaminated by complications produced by feedback from stars and galaxies, says Burns.