People will do almost anything to sell their homes as quickly as possible. From a fresh coat of paint to an overhaul of your entire landscaping plan, no tip or trick is off-limits. But sometimes your property doesnt need a major renovation or even a new color palette, it just needs to be staged the right way. Home staging is the not-so-secret tool realtors use to boost their listing prospects. Encompassing everything from rearranging furniture to adding in new decor and fresh flowers, home staging can take a good listing and make it even better. When it comes to selling your home, there are many factors to consider, from realtor commissions to home inspections, and while those costs tend to have a straightforward pricing structure, staging often feels more ambiguous. How much does home staging cost, and is it really worth the investment? The truth is, a professionally staged home not only attracts more buyers but can also lead to higher offers. We talked to professional home stager Terry Mainord to demystify the costs of home staging, share insider tips on budgeting, and explain the valuable role of home stagers. Whether youre preparing for your first listing or fine-tuning your approach, this comprehensive guide will answer the burning question: how much does home staging cost? Read on to learn everything you need to know about how to make your open house a winning success.Related StoriesHow Much Does House Staging Cost?FollowTheFlow//Getty ImagesThe overall cost of home staging can be broken into two key parts: a consultation and a per-room fee. The initial design consultation is typically a flat fee or hourly rate that's usually between $300 and $600, paid one time. Here, you and the stager will discuss your goals, the rooms that need staging, and in some cases, tour your home to finalize a game plan. Home staging costs vary drastically depending on where in the country you are. While I calculate staging budgets hourly, I present clients with a flat rate, explains Mainord. These costs cover my fee, assistants, movers for delivery and pickup (including tips), furniture rental, and transportation. Mainord also includes a purchase allowance for updating light fixtures and other necessary items that cannot be rented.The per-room cost is a specific number that is assigned to each room. According to the experts at Realtor.com, the average cost is between $400 and $600 per room. Areas that need less styling and furniture, like a kitchen or basement, will cost less than high-touch spaces like living rooms and bedrooms. Most professional home stagers will charge this fee monthly for however long it takes your home to sell, especially if you are using furniture and decor they provided. This means that a standard, single-family home would cost on average $2,000 per month to professionally stage, excluding the consultation fee. The higher costs associated with being in a major metro area like New York reflect increased expenses for warehouse storage, inventory, movers, and labor, says Mainord. My stagings can range from $6,000 to $35,000 for a 90-day period, depending on the property size and whether it's vacant or occupied. Occupied residences will cost more to stage as there is a greater likelihood for the rental furniture and decor to incur wear and tear.Related StoryWhat Exactly Does a Home Stager Do?A home stager is responsible for readying your homes interior for listing and viewing when it's time to sell. Stagers often rearrange furniture or bring in other pieces to best highlight your home. Home stagers are experts who understand what potential buyers are looking for and can outfit your property accordingly. This means that if a home office is a must-have in your area, but you dont have one, a stager can transform an extra bedroom or alcove into one by bringing in a desk and other corresponding furniture. Stagers are also great at eliminating clutter or clearing overcrowded spaces. Overall, a home stager implements a design strategy to help present your home to buyers in the best possible light.Is Staging Your Home Worth It?If youre looking to set yourself up for success in an already competitive real estate market, we say that staging your home is worth it. Home staging can spark bidding wars, faster-than-average sales, and even offers well above your original listing price or appraisal. Well-staged properties sell faster and at higher prices. Unlike virtual staging, physical staging allows buyers to envision living in the home, creating an aspirational and positive experience, says Mainord. Staging can highlight a home's strengths and minimize its weaknesses. Related StoryHome Staging Cost FAQsWhat Is Virtual Staging?As the name suggests, virtual staging is home staging, but entirely virtual or digital. A standard home stager uses real furniture in your actual home to enhance the appearance. Virtual staging, on the other hand, includes altered photographs of your home, adding furniture, changing paint colors, and making your home appear better than it does in real life. While this is legal, realtors must disclose if the listing photos have been digitally altered and enhanced. Virtual staging does not change the layout or structure of your home but uses rendering software to place furniture and other items in the photos used in the online listings. Does Home Staging Help Sell a House?Yes! Home staging can help a home sell faster and for above the asking price, according to Mainord. The experts at Realtor.com agree, and state that staged homes can sell from anywhere between 10 and 20 percent more than unstaged homes. Listings that have utilized stagers are usually on the market for a shorter time as well.How Can I Find a Home Stager?We recommend starting by asking your realtor. Because you want to work with a stager who understands what your local market looks for in a home, your realtor is the best resource to connect you.Related StoryFollow House Beautiful on Instagram and TikTok.Expert consulted:Terry MainordHome StagerA native of Houston, Texas, Terry comes from a diverse creative background that includes a BFA in fine art, masters work in film and photography at Syracuse University, and a long successful career in NYC as a fashion and prop stylist. Her numerous prop styling clients included high end home furnishings clients, magazines, and retailers such as Robert Allen Fabrics, Benjamin Moore, Michael Aram, Oneida, Nambe, The Peninsula Hotel, Arte Italica, Macys, Saks and others. Years of prop styling honed her eye to how things are going to look on film an invaluable skill for a stager along with a deep understanding of composition, color and scale. She takes a unique approach to each project, whether a staging or interior. Drawn to interiors which are modern yet timeless, her stagings & interiors are infused with a richness that comes from an eclectic mixture of elements. Terry Mainord Design is based in Brooklyn, NY.

Google DeepMinds reported clampdown on sharing research will stifle AI innovation, warns the CEO of Iris.ai, one of Europes leading startups in the space.The UK-based lab has tightened its rules on releasing AI studies, the Financial Times reported this week. Citing seven current and former DeepMind scientists, the newspaper said the company has introduced stricter vetting and additional bureaucracy, making it harder to publish research. The changes aim to protect the companys edge in AI, the sources said.Acquired by Google in 2014, DeepMind has long been a leader in computer science breakthroughs. In recent years, however, the lab has faced increasing competition from the likes of OpenAI and DeepSeek. Under growing pressure to stay ahead, the company is reportedly erecting new barriers around its innovations and reputation.The new constraints have alarmed Anita Schjll Abildgaard, co-founder and CEO of Iris.ai, a Norwegian startup developing an AI-powered engine for science. She fears DeepMinds restrictions will hinder technological advances.The of EU techThe latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!DeepMinds decision marks the end of an era of openness and collaboration in AI research, she said.The impact on AIOn first impression, the changes at DeepMind may appear beneficial for other AI labs. The companys pioneering innovations and enormous citation counts have overshadowed other researchers in the field, who could now receive a larger share of the spotlight. But Abildgaard warns the drawbacks will far outweigh the benefits.Researchers across industries will have less access to DeepMinds undoubtedly impressive work, she said.She pointed to the example of DeepMinds AlphaFold, a system that predicts protein structure with remarkable accuracy. The software has been hailed as a solution to one of biologys biggest mysteries, with potential to fuel countless advances, from discovering new drugs to tackling climate change.Its hard to imagine projects of this importance being released so readily under this new diktat, Abildgaard said.The impacts, she warned, could be severe. In response, she urged AI companies to strengthen their commitment to openness.Europe, in particular, has one of the most fertile open-source research communities in the world, she said. As DeepMind looks inwards, smaller research communities can differentiate themselves from the American giants by embracing collaboration.Europes AI sector features prominently in the agenda forTNW Conference, which takes place on June 19-20 in Amsterdam. Ticketsfor the event are now on sale. Use the code TNWXMEDIA2025 at the check-out to get 30% off the price tag. Story by Thomas Macaulay Managing editor Thomas is the managing editor of TNW. He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers. Away from work, he e (show all) Thomas is the managing editor of TNW. He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers. Away from work, he enjoys playing chess (badly) and the guitar (even worse). Get the TNW newsletterGet the most important tech news in your inbox each week.Also tagged with

Joining some ongoing $100 price drops on iPad mini 7 and the new M4 MacBook Air, today we are turning our attention back to AirPods. Amazon has now brought back its best price of the year on the latest AirPods 4 with ANC down at $149 shipped, which is now joined by a solid $250 price drop on Apples 1TB 13-inch M4 iPad Pro. From there we move over to a 20% clearance price drop on the official blue Apple Ocean Band alongside a new all-time low Belkins 15W MagSafe Wireless Car Charger mount, a 25% price drop on Eves latest Energy (Matter) smart plug, Bose earbuds, and this 140W USB-C to MagSafe 3 nylon braided cable at just $20.All of that and more awaits below in todays 9to5Toys Lunch Break.Apples latest AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation return to Amazon 2025 low at $149 todayUpdate: After jumping back up to full price, this deal we spotted during the Big Spring Sale has now returned again this morning.Amazon now has the elevated AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation back down at the Big Spring Sale price we featured last month. Regularly $179, Amazon is now offering Apples latest AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation down back down at $148.99 shipped this is matching our previous mention and the lowest price we have tracked this year there.While we did catch a short-lived offer on the ANC AirPods 4 ahead of Christmas last year at the $139 Amazon all-time low, todays deal is otherwise on par with the best we have seen otherwise. There have also been some extremely fleeting, almost spammy, offers from less than desirable online retailers for less, but just about no one had a chance to scoop them up and Im not sure you would have even wanted too anyway I didnt.Apples AirPods Pro 2 remain the gold standard in Apple in-ear listening experiences if you ask me (and million of others) they were after all one of the most popular products among 9to5Toys readers last year despite the newer AirPods 4 hitting the market last fall, and were featured in our 9to5Toys Favorite Things of 2024 feature for this reason.That said, the AirPods 4 are a less pricey endeavor and one that we came away quite impressed with after getting hands-on last year Hands-on with AirPods 4: better in every way.Joining the active noise cancelation, Siri hands- and voice-free interactions, Voice Isolation, and Personalized Spatial Audio tech, they land with a redesigned earbud form-factor featuring a refined contour, shorter stem, and quick-press controls for music or calls alongside a case that is the smallest in the industry with wireless chargingDREAMEs Spring Cleaning sale up to $700 off intelligent robotic cleaners and effortless wet/dry vacsDREAME is offering hundreds on savings on its range of intelligent robotic vacuum and mop combos as well as its wet/dry and stick vacuum models. Delivering as much as $700 in savings on X40 Ultra Robot Vacuum and Mop, youll find some of the best prices of the year on a collection of models across the brands to meet just about anyones needs.DREAME X40 Ultra Robot Vacuum and Mop:$900(Reg. $1 600)DREAME L40 Ultra Robot Vacuum and Mop:$500(Reg. $1,500)DREAME L10s Ultra Gen 2 Robot Vacuum and Mop:$400(Reg. $900)DREAME H12 Pro Wet & Dry Vac:$255(Reg. $450)DREAME H14 Pro Wet & Dry Vac:$400(Reg. $700)DREAME H14 Wet & Dry Vac:$300(Reg. $500)DREAME Z30 Stick Vac:$350(Reg. $700)DREAME R10 Stick Vac:$190(Reg. $300)While pricing on the more affordable end of the lineup has jumped up recently, we are tracking another chance to score the 1TB 13-inch M4 iPad Pro back down at $1,649 shipped thats $250 off and matching our previous mention. Head below for more details and a chance to save even more on an open-box listing with a full Apple warranty in tow.This configuration dropped down at $1,699 for Presidents Day earlier this year, but Amazon is now offering another opportunity to land it at $50 less than that to match the best price of the year this is $250 off the full price youll find at Best Buy.Just keep in mind you can score an excellent condition open-box unit at Best Buy right now with a full 1-year Apple warranty down at $1,586.99 shipped. This is $312 off the list price at Apple and the lowest price we can find on a comparable open-box unit from a reputable dealer.The 13-inch 1TB model certainly isnt the most universally appealing it isnt exactly the most affordable tablet out there. But if youre looking to land a serious workhorse of a tablet that can offer complete workstation potential, the up to $312 in savings we are tracking here today should be on your radar.That said, if theres another configuration you have your eye on, scope out the list of discounted pricing below just note the most affordable 11-inch models have been $150 more than a few times since release:Apple M4 iPad Pro 11-inch 256GB $919 (Reg. $999)Apple M4 iPad Pro 11-inch 512GB $1,099 (Reg. $1,199)Apple M4 iPad Pro 11-inch 1TB $1,449 (Reg. $1,599)Apple M4 iPad Pro 11-inch 2TB $1,869 (Reg. $1,999)Apple M4 iPad Pro 13-inch 256GB $1,099 (Reg. $1,299)Apple M4 iPad Pro 13-inch 512GB $1,299 (Reg. $1,499)Apple M4 iPad Pro 13-inch 1TB $1,649 (Reg. $1,899)Apple M4 iPad Pro 13-inch 2TB $1,999 (Reg. $2,299)Official blue Apple Ocean Band sees clearance pricing today at 20% offWhile much of the official Apple Watch band deals we featured lates last month at Amazon have now jumped back up in price, Best Buy is offering a clearance offer on the official Blue Apple Ocean Band for Apple Watch Ultra 1/2 at $79.99 shipped. This is an originally $99 model, that is now seeing a solid 20% price drop to deliver the lowest price we can find from a reputable dealer there are a ton of Apple lookalike rip-off bands out there, but this is the real thing.We have featured loads of deals on the Trail and Alpine Loops this year, but they are almost never a full 20% off and discounts on Ocean Bands are much harder to come by in general. While the shade of blue we are featuring here today is from the previous-generation offerings, it is otherwise identical to the latest models.This model is seeing clearance pricing today, but this is a brand new unit in the official Apple box and with the standard warranty.The Ocean Band, for those not already familiar, is made from a high performance elastomer with what Apple refers to as tubular geometry allowing it to stretch for a perfect fit, even over a wetsuit. The model we are featuring on sale here right now features a Natural Titanium buckle and the usual adjustable loop for a secure, and snug fit one size fits just about everyone on the Ocean Band.Prefer you some leather? Burton Goods Pilot strap for Apple Watch is now nearly 50% offand be sure to dive into the ongoing Nomad sitewide sale for deals on its wonderful straps before you check out our hands-on review of Spigens new $20 Trail Loop-style Apple Watch band.Belkins 15W MagSafe Wireless Car Charger mount just hit the $58 Amazon all-time low (Nearly 30% off)Eves latest Energy (Matter) smart plug is now 25% off once again down at $30 Prime shippedBose 48-hour Flash Sale: Diamond 60th Anniversary Edition QuietComfort Ultra Buds now $70 off, moreTodays accessories and charging deals:Apples new Sky Blue 15-inch M4 MacBook Air is now sitting at the $1,139 Amazon all-time low, more from $949While you can still score the most affordable 128GB iPad mini 7 down at $399 via Amazon, the mid-range 256GB configs quickly jumped back up to full price right in the middle of the Amazon Big Spring Sale last week. However, the deals are now back on all four colors at $499 shipped, down from the regular $599. Details below.I certainly wouldnt blame anyone for just jumping on the now $399 entry-model and calling it a day I have spent more than enough time talking about how I tend to try and save as much cash as possible when it comes to Apple storage upgrades. That said, the mini 7 starts at 128GB, as opposed to the 256GB entry point on the M4 iPad Pro for example this configuration is starting to show its age if you ask me.While it wasnt all that long ago when more than just entry-level iPads started at 64GB, the 128GB models need to go the way of the old 8GB Mac configs if you ask me. The 128GB is likely more than enough for some folks, but it is really starting to feel a bit tight for me, even on a less pricey iPad, and nows your chance to score a good mid-range compromise on one of the more affordable current-generation iPads in the lineup.iPad mini A17 Pro 128GB $399 (Reg. $499)iPad mini A17 Pro 256GB $499 (Reg. $599) iPad mini A17 Pro 256GB $699 (Reg. $799) If youre looking for a case or sleeve to safeguard your new mini, here are our favorite options from $8.50.Score Apple Pencil Pro at one of its best prices ever, now $80 (Reg. $129, New Open Box), USB-C model at $50You can score a 24GB M4 Pro MacBook Pro for the same price as the M4 1TB today, now $220 offTwelve Souths PlugBug USB-C Wall Charger with Apple Find My back to Amazon all-time low at $43 (Reg. $70)Nomads gorgeous latest-gen metal and glass 15W 3-in-1 MagSafe charger sees rare 15% price dropYou can once again score a giant 49% off Belkins 15W MagSafe Duo-style Travel Pad charger at $61Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

After nearly a decade, Nintendo finally returned with a true successor to the original Switch. The Nintendo Switch 2, unveiled at Nintendos Direct event, brings long-awaited upgrades across the board from display and performance to multiplayer features and accessories. I spent some hands-on time with the device at press-only Nintendo event yesterday, and as someone who has owned every Switch variant from the OG Switch to the Switch OLED, here are my thoughts.Nearly 6 hours of hands-on time with the new Switch 2The best part of the new Switch 2 is that it looks and feels like an upgrade in every way but is still familiar enough that you can learn the new nuances very easily. Nintendo struck a great happy medium between making it feel new but not foreign.Be sure to check the video below to see an in-depth, hands-on look at all things Switch 2 and a an inside peak at yesterdays private Switch 2 event in NYC!Nintendo Switch 2 SpecsLarger 7.9 display: Compared to the originals 6.2, the new screen is brighter and sharper.1080p LCD display with HDR: While it doesnt use OLED, it still supports HDR and looks great.120FPS: Gameplay feels more fluid when supported (not all games support 120FPS)Joy-Cons 2: These snap on with strong magnets and feel secure, eliminating the old rail system.Bigger SL/SR Buttons: A small change that makes a big difference in comfort, especially in single Joy-Con modeDual USB-C Ports: One on the top and one on the bottom for flexible charging and accessories.256GB Internal Storage: A huge leap from the 32GB on the original Switch.Improved Audio: Louder and clearer speakers, plus a built-in mic with active noise cancellation.New stand: Wider and more stable with adjustable angles.4K when docked: The new dock also includes a built-in fan for thermal management.Backward compatibility: Not every Switch 1 game will work, but most should work with a list coming soon. Hands-on experienceAs you might have assumed, the new Switch 2 is better in every single way compared to the original. The spec list alone shows you that every piece of hardware was updated to 2025 standards. But does that translate to real world improvements? Yes, yes it does.But I want to highlight a few things that really stood out. First off, the display looks fantastic in person crisp, vibrant, and fluid. Playing the new Mario Kart World felt like a generational leap, with rich environments and fast, smooth performance. It also helps that the game itself is just an overall better experience.The new Joy-Con controllers are surprisingly impressive. The magnetic attachment is strong and satisfying, with no risk of slipping off. I tested the strength with a few shake tests, and they held firmly in place. Each Joy-Con now also functions as amouse, which opens up new gameplay possibilities. I tested this in Drag & Drive, which mimics wheelchair movement with mouse-like precision super intuitive and surprisingly immersive. I also tested the mouse function in some Mario Party mini-games. While this feature is a cool demo, I cant see myself using this feature past just the Mario Party mini-games. But again, surprisingly great!Other tidbitsOne other small thing that I noticed that was worth sharing is the new material of the Switch 2. It has this nice, soft touch, rubbery feel that really helps mitigate fingerprints and greasy smudging. I think the new material will hold up great over time. You also might notice that there is a new button that does have the right Joy-Con with the letter C. This is the new Chat button that instantly puts you into a chat mode with other friends who are online. You will be able to have audio calls, video calls, screen share games, talk with multiple people, and play with people while video chatting, all enabled by the new Nintendo Camera. This was a big emphasis with the Switch 2. Nintendo has always preached community, and this new feature will continue to do so.Accessories and New FeaturesNintendo also introduced a few first party accessories that I wanted to touch on. There were two that really stood out to me:Nintendo Camera:$50 webcam with ultra-wide lens and a physical privacy shutterIntegrates directly into Nintendos new chat feature with a dedicated controller buttonReal-time face feeds during games like Mario Party, with screen sharing supportWorks across all play modes: handheld, tabletop, or dockedOne camera gives you four live video feeds with head trackingThe most impressive part for me was the fact that it can simultaneously track up to four people in the room with just the one camera. Felt like magic. New Pro ControllerImproved ergonomics and heftUSB-C chargingNew programmable back paddle buttonsGreat haptics and fingerprint-resistant finishSells for $80, a bit pricey for my liking but still a very well made controller that deserves the Pro namePricing & availabilityThe Switch 2 officially launches on June 5, with pre-orders starting on April 9th. Alongside that release, the Switch 2 will be sold in two variants. One has just the console, and the other is bundled with the new Mario Kart World game. Nintendo will also be releasing a slew of first-party accessories, which are listed below.Nintendo Switch 2: $449Switch 2 Bundle with Mario Kart World: $499Webcam Accessory: $49.99New Joy-Cons: $89.99Pro Controller: $79.99Final thoughtsAfter nearly six hours of hands-on time with the new Switch 2, Ive concluded that this is a meaningful and well-rounded upgrade that addresses many of the original Switchs shortcomings. From the better display and faster performance to the improved build and multiplayer features, it feels like Nintendo has thoughtfully refined the console without reinventing the wheel. They have added some fun new features, included some new updated games that I am excited to try, and kept the form factor extremely portable.If youre a longtime Switch owner or someone whos been holding out, this feels like a worthy step forward and one thats clearly built with both solo and social gamers in mind.FTC: 9to5Toys is reader supported, we may earn income on affiliate links Subscribe to the 9to5Toys YouTube Channel for all of the latest videos, reviews, and more!

Submitted by WA ContentsSid Lee Architecture completes cylindrical aquatic complex in Laval, CanadaCanada Architecture News - Apr 03, 2025 - 16:24 html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Montreal-based architecture practice Sid Lee Architecture has completed a cylindrical aquatic complex in Laval, Canada. This public project, situated in the center of the North Shores newly built downtown area, aims to address the citys increasing demand for contemporary infrastructure that caters to its residents, enhances their everyday lives, and fosters the growth of sports and recreational activities.Lavals Aquatic Complex, inspired by biophilia and movement, offers a lively space centered around families and the community.Moreover, the development provides the city cutting-edge amenities designed to foster the next generation of Olympians and mentor future athletes.Symbiotic with natureThe complex, situated close to the Cosmodome, is positioned at the boundary of a forest and beckons visitors to enter a space where they can fully engage with nature.The tall glass facades of the recreational pool, oriented along a north-south axis, provide a soothing view of the trees while preserving a degree of intimacy with the backdrop of foliage."The presence of the woodland on the site guided the architectural vision from the start," said Jean Pelland, architect and principal partner at Sid Lee Architecture."The spaces were developed to create a symbiotic relationship between the aquatic plates and the intimacy provided by the tranquil nature of the area," Pelland added.The space is flooded by a natural light that changes as the day progresses, thanks to a continual exchange between the interior and exterior. The trees in the vicinity are essential for light filtration and for reducing visual and auditory disturbances.This fluid linkage between the forest and the water's prevailing presence in the area fosters a harmonious setting where the complexs aim is embodied by well-being and performance.A dynamic conceptionThe cylindrical facade displays a delicate interplay of vertical textures, crafted in a rotating arrangement of three consecutive bands around the buildings central axis. This composition connects the complex to the landscape in a lively and welcoming manner, while also structuring its various functions."On the inside, the simplicity of the spaces offers a refined setting that lets the magnitude of the pools and the views of the surrounding nature shine," added Carl-Antonyn Dufault, design director at Sid Lee Architecture.A bicolor treatment delineates each zone according to its function in order to organize the different areas of the complex. Yellow splashes add warmth and a friendly vibe to the two bright swimming areas, while blue waves wrap the private spaces in tranquility.Inclusive and evolving amenitiesThe building was designed in three distinct sections, each providing a specific purpose, to accommodate the diverse needs of users. The first section introduces the public spaces, which consist of a roomy lobby, an agora, and a recreational pool featuring a slide and water games designed for family enjoyment.Private areas are allocated to the intermediate section, which includes contemporary changing rooms, admin offices, and a gym tailored for local sports teams.The last section contains the largest basins: an Olympic-sized pool for competitive swimming and a diving pool designed for athletes of various levels.This section features infrastructures like a 10-meter diving tower, which is rare in Quebec, thus making this complex an extraordinary training venue for elite sports.Custom-built equipment, such as a movable bridge for partitioning the Olympic pool and an adjustable floor to modify the pool's depth, can be positioned above the water for special occasions like competitions and medal ceremonies.The complex develops alongside the athletes who use it, providing them with support throughout their careers and fostering the growth of local talent.The athletic area's bleachers, which provide a view of both basins, can be accessed by the public via a raised corridor that floats from east to west. Every area of the Aquatic Complex features facilities designed for universal access."Universal accessibility is at the heart of our approach. Aquatic activity, which is inclusive by nature, transcends age and physical capacities," concluded Marjolaine Plasse, project manager at Sid Lee Architecture."It was essential for us, as well as for the city of Laval, that our intervention allowed for all members of the community to enjoy the new facilities."Laval is equipped with cutting-edge facilities as a result, with a recreational and sports activities balance that promotes community health and wellness.Sid Lee Architecture also created an infinite grid structure for flexible office spaces at base of IM Pei's iconic tower 1 Place Ville Marie in Montreal, Canada.Sid Lee Architecture belongs to the Sid Lee creative agency family. Founded by architects and urban designers Jean Pelland and Martin Leblanc, the firm is a business venture that partners since 1999. Project factsArchitects:Sid Lee ArchitectureLocation:LavalClient:City of LavalSize:13,700m2Completion date:2024General contractor: PomerleauElectromechanical engineer: Ponton GuillotStructural engineer: L2C ExpertsLandscape architect:Rousseau LefebvreAcoustical consultant: MJM Acoustics LtdAquatic consultant: Soucy AquatikEnergy efficiency consultant:AkonoviaSustainability consultant:VertimaArchitects - initial project:NFOE | hcma architecture + designAll images David Boyer.> via Sid Lee Architecture

Anjuinta Court care home in Bedford, completed by The Tooley and Foster Partnership in 2009 Tooley Foster has ceased trading after 132 years, following issues with the price of professional indemnity (PI) insurance The studio was one of the oldest architectural practices in the world, having been founded by Herbert Tooley in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, in 1892. It became Tooley & Foster Partnership in 1910, rebranding as Tooley Foster in 2021, when it boasted a workforce of 30 people.But the practices main trading arm, Tooley Foster 1982 Limited, entered voluntary liquidation at the end of last year owing 1.6 million, with total assets estimated to be worth just 138,000.Now a secondary company, The Tooley & Foster Partnership LLP, has entered liquidation this week. The groups employee benefit trust, Tooley Foster Trustees Limited, is set to be dissolved later this month.AdvertisementLiquidator Stewart Bennett of S T Bennett & Co told the AJ that directors had opted to wind up the practice as work was drying up and because it struggled to afford PI insurance in the wake of claims brought against the practice, with quotes coming in at 17,000 a month.In August 2024 Vistry Partnerships launched legal action against The Tooley & Foster Partnership LLP and other consultants, although details of the case are yet to be published.Tooley Foster, a one-time AJ100 member, specialised in education and health work since its inception, but also worked on commercial, care home and a range of housing projects.At the time of entering liquidation the main company (Tooley Foster 1982 Limited) owed 23,000 to trade creditors, 272,000 to employees, 611,000 to directors, 50,000 to banks and 86,000 to HM Revenue and Customs.A full statement of affairs for The Tooley & Foster Partnership LLP has not yet been made public.AdvertisementLast month 50-year-old Manchester and Sheffield-based MHA Architects entered voluntary liquidation, with company director Jimmy Lennon telling the AJ that the principal cause of its demise was the cost of PI insurance.The AJ has attempted to contact Tooley Fosters former directors.Saffron Hall, a building for Saffron Walden County High School completed by The Tooley and Foster Partnership in 20142025-04-03Will Ingcomment and share

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April 2, 2025Go Inside a Mexican Wolf Recovery Project Whose Future Is Now UncertainThe critically endangered Mexican wolf was mounting a comeback, thanks to a conservation program that dropped fostered wolf pups into wild dens. Then politics happened.By Justin Grubb edited by Jeffery DelViscioWhile filming Operation Wolf Foster, I witnessed firsthand the immense coordination needed to transport critically endangered Mexican wolf pups into the wild. It took years of persistence to reach the point where I could document the work happening in the field and follow a single litter of pups from managed care to the wild.When I documented the pup swap just one year ago, I learned that the program had been going strong for a decade, following the first successful foster in 2014. But it had taken nearly 20 years to get to that first foster. Since 1998 the Mexican wolf recovery effort has been an extraordinarily complex initiative, spanning state and international borders and requiring the collaboration of local nongovernmental organizations, tribal leaders, and state and federal agencies.The decades of effort seem to be working. As of last year, nearly 300 Mexican wolf pups have been fostered into the wild.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Now that progress hangs in the balance.Severe funding cuts to the agencies that have been responsible for this work are putting the Mexican wolfand countless other endangered speciesat greater risk. And while the Mexican wolf recovery project may seem like an effort to save one isolated species, the reestablishment of ecosystem architects such as this wolf can have huge long-term effects on the health of our ecosystems.As Danielle Rosenstein of the Endangered Wolf Center said in Operation Wolf Foster, Mexican wolves play a key role in the ecosystem in Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico. Theyre whats known as a keystone species. And without them, that whole trophic cascade falls apart.As conservationists brace for an uncertain future, they are being forced to navigate the growing challenges left in the wake of the current administrations policies. And for the Mexican wolf, the future may be less bright.TRANSCRIPTSarah Holaday: Is everybody ready?Holaday: Okay.Danielle Rosenstein: This is what it's all about to save this endangered species.Pito Lopez: This is our annual Mexican Wolf population census, where we set out to get a minimum count and number of Mexican wolves in the wild.(...) To do this, we use a helicopter that goes out with a team to dart and catch wild wolves.Lopez: It's extremely hard to hit a small Mexican wolf out of a helicopter. So that takes a lot of training, a lot of knowledge of the wolves, a lot of knowledge of darting. Once they dart a wolf, they'll fly it back to us.Lopez: We'll have someone go out there, grab the wolf. We then bring them back to the processing station here and check their health, as well as put a radio collar on them to track their movements once released.(...)Susan Dicks: Do you know about what time the second dart went in?Dicks: 9:06? Okay.Dicks: Danielle, 9:06, 400 milligrams. All right.Dicks: The wolf was darted with some drugs so that we can safely work on the wolf. We do blood tests, we do vaccines, we stabilize the animal with IV fluids and subcutaneous fluids. We've kind of advanced in all our evaluation to doing some measurements, and so we get lots of data from the teeth, from the body length, the feet, everything.Dicks: After she recovers, we'll take her back to her territory and we'll release her back to the wild. And we found the radio collar will tell us where she is, so we will get to see that data that they rejoin. And we actually don't seem to ever have problems with that. They find their pack pretty quickly.Lopez: We're finishing up taping a collar right now. The red on the shoulders identifies that they're breeding. We also like to put some fun tape on the box so we can ID the wolf on trail cameras. You're good? You're ready? Yeah. That's all good to go.Lopez: The collar has both VHF and GPS.(...) On it, the GPS is how we're able to keep track of the wolves. The VHF is real time, so whenever we need to look for a wolf pack, that is how we track our wolf packs as we're out working out in the field.Lopez: So this individual is Alpha Female 2503. So she came from the Endangered Wolf Center and was a cross-foster. She is a product of the captive program. So cross-fostering is during the springtime, we'll bring pups out at about 10 days old, and we'll introduce them into a wild den. This helps get genetics into our population. It's very effective. And the wolves are like so family oriented that they'll take care of any wolf's pups. They're like, oh, there's pups. And they're excited, even if it's not theirs.Rosenstein: So this pup was fostered in 2020 and is now the Alpha Female in her pairing. And it's just really very exciting to get to see her kind of come to fruition and have her own pack out in the wild. Our sense is kind of the whole reason why we work at the Indian Wolf Center, doing what we do is getting to see these animals live their wild lives. I have a lot of feelings right now. I'm very happy. I'm a little bit emotional getting to see her here. And just really excited for her future out in the wild.Lopez: Our next step in this process is to release the animal back where her mate is. Eventually they're going to translocate each other through howling. By tonight they'll probably find each other again.Rosenstein: I'm feeling like pretty ecstatic that I got to be here for this. She has her feet under her. She's out back in the wild now, hopefully finding her mate really soon.(...) And to get to be out in the wilderness with wild wolves is just incredible.Maggie Dwyer: Mexican wolves once roamed all throughout southwestern United States and down into Mexico. And settlers moved west with their livestock that came into conflict. Mexican wolves were typically shot or poisoned to death.Dwyer: In the mid to late 1800s there was an anti-predator campaign that tried to get rid of wolves and bears and mountain lions from the landscape. By the 1970s there were no Mexican wolves left in the United States and only a handful existed in the wild in Mexico. In the late 1970s the last few remaining wild Mexican wolves were caught and brought into zoological institutions to help breed the animals for future recovery efforts.Dwyer: One of the biggest challenges left in Mexican wolf recovery is maintaining the genetic health of the wild population. And the safe population of being able to foster pups into the wild population is a great solution for that.Rosenstein: We are here at one of our Mexican wolf habitats getting ready to give them some fresh water and food for the day.Rosenstein: The Mexican wolves we take care of here at the Endangered Wolf Center are all potential release candidates for their wild counterparts. So we care for them as if each individual is going out to the wild.Rosenstein: Mexican wolves are a critically endangered species. Some of the reasons why include habitat loss and hunting. Over the years Mexican wolf population has declined drastically due to the misconception that wolves are dangerous.Rosenstein: Mexican wolves play a key role in the ecosystem in Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico. They're what's known as a keystone species. And without them that whole trophic cascade falls apart. They play a key role in maintaining that balance in the wild.Rosenstein: Caring for these critically endangered Mexican wolves is such a unique experience. We aren't able to train them like a typical zoo animal. So we have to use keen observation skills to make sure they are healthy and displaying appropriate natural behaviors.Rosenstein: We limit our time around the habitats. We give naturalistic enrichment. We want to make sure that their pack dynamics are as natural and healthy as possible. So our family groups consist of typically a mom and a dad, the offspring from last year and then the puppies. The way we can do that is by having large habitat spaces for that whole pack to live.(...) The way we're raising these puppies is to make sure that they are the most genetically healthy, well balanced, have great natural instincts and making sure that they can then go off to reproduce in the future.Rosenstein: Alright, so we scatter the sense around the front of the habitat and we're going to leave and get to watch and see if the wolves are curious and what they think about our sense.Rosenstein: Now that we've exited the habitat, we're able to watch the wolves come down and interact with the enrichment that we just gave out. One of them picked up a stick and ran off with it already. So I'd say we have a pretty good success on our hands.Rosenstein: So right now it's the beginning of April and we're just a few weeks away from experiencing hopefully a pup foster. We're watching moms very closely to see if they're having any kind of physiological changes associated with pregnancy. We're watching if her belly's growing, if she's starting to pull belly fur. We're watching if she's spending more time in the den. We're taking very careful notes and coordinating back with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to see if any of the wolves in the wild are experiencing some of the same things. The wolves in the wild will start localizing around the den as they're getting closer to giving birth and we'll start seeing a similar thing with our wolves here.Rosenstein: So it's about three in the morning. We just got down to the habitats at the Endangered Wolf Center and we're getting ready to head in to see how many puppies they have for us.Holaday: Come on through. Everybody stay clumped together.Holaday: People who have guard poles are on the outside.Tamara Smith: Its a maleRosenstein: So we've just started pulling the puppies out of the den. Tami's doing a really quick sex check.Smith: Its a maleRosenstein: So far we've got two boys.Smith: Male.Rosenstein: Three boys.Smith: FemaleSmith: Male, this guy's littleSmith: MaleSmith: Chunky little girl.Rosenstein: Alright, we have two females and five males.Rosenstein: And we'd like to leave a female and the smallest female, correct? Is this the only one? I think this one's the smallest one.Smith: Okay, let me just check this guy out real quick for a cleft palate just to make sure we dont have any issues. We look good there, okay.Smith: Alright well put this girl back.Holaday: Alright,(...) let's go.Rosenstein: Alright, so we've just got six puppies in this carrier. We're heading out of the habitat to begin their pup exams. We left one female in the den to stay here and help contribute to the managed care population. And the rest of these guys are going to head out to a life in the wild. (Music)Rosenstein: It's the first pup of the morning.(...) So the very first thing we're going to do for these exams today is whiz them. And whizzing is a very special talent. It's where mom would actually stimulate the genitals and make the puppy go to the bathroom. But because mom's not here, we have to do it for him. But we have them whiz before we weigh them to make sure we're getting an accurate weight on this puppy for all of the treatments it's going to receive today.Rosenstein: We're making sure that they look big and strong, that all their reflexes are appropriate, that they are going to be set up for success in a life in the wild.Rosenstein: We're going to be taking a little bit of blood on these puppies to do a health check-up. We are giving them a dewormer.Rosenstein: Our veterinarian is checking their heart rate to make sure that it's beating appropriately and checking their respiratory rate as well.Rosenstein: This left one's great. Good job, little one.Vet: Just the regular location?Rosenstein: Yep, yep, just between the shoulders.Rosenstein: We'll be inserting a microchip into these pups. This is going to be the first identifier when these pups grow up in the wild and they get caught again. This will be how we know that they were a foster puppy. This microchip number will stay with them for their whole life.Rosenstein: We're about to load up the pups and head to Spirit of St. Louis airport where we're going to meet a Lighthawk pilot and head out to the recovery area.Rosenstein: So right now we are getting ready to tube-feed these pups. We're about an hour away from landing and in order to help expedite everything once we get on the ground, we want the pups ready to go.(...) We are doing everything we can to prepare for the next step of the adventure.Rosenstein: Once we land, we're going to meet up with the field team and we're going to head out to the staging area where we're going to wait to hear if the field team has found the den location and how many puppies are out there.Rosenstein: They seem to be handling the journey super well.Rosenstein: Once we get the go-ahead from the search team, these pups are going to go on about an hour-long hike to that den. They're going to do a quick check on those wild puppies. They're going to mix all the puppies together, make them all smell the same, and then put them back in that wild den.Tessa McDonnell: So once we have our pups in a backpack, it's my job to get these pups to the den site. This is a pretty intense period.McDonnell: We're trying to get them there as quickly as possible and we're competing with rising temperatures. It's getting hot in the day. We've got hills to climb, so we're going over steep terrain. It's rocky hills. You're sliding down washes as you're going down into the den site in the canyon.McDonnell: It's hot. We're sweating. We're trying to make sure that these Mexican wolf pups that you're carrying on your back are healthy and in okay condition the whole time. I'm going to have to check these guys real quick. I'm checking on them periodically, making sure they're cool, making sure they're healthy while getting them there just as soon as possible.McDonnell: We're very close to the den and just kind of trying to stay quiet as we approach.Field Team: All right, we're reading your loud clear. We are a little past the location. So be careful coming in. There is an open face on the opposite side.McDonnell: Copy that.McDonnell: Ahead of us is another team currently locating the wild den. When they approach, the wild wolves often flush from the den and watch us from afar.McDonnell: Once we get out to the den site, we're going to pull the wild pups out of their natal den. We remove them over nearby the den to process them with the cross-fostered pups. We're going to mix them together and we take their saliva for genetic information.McDonnell: We try to make them all smell the same. That way it kind of tricks mom a little bit into thinking they're hers. And then we take them all back together and put them back into the den very carefully.Biologist: Im Santa Claus over here.McDonnell: It's a really exciting endeavor to carry them into the wild and be a part of their journey and to safely take them and place them into their new home.Dwyer: We started with zero wolves in the wild, so to go from zero animals in the wild to almost 300 is a great success story.(...) I'm excited for the future of Mexican wolf recovery. Our population is growing at a really healthy rate and I think we have a lot to look forward to.McDonnell: I think what excites me about the program is that this is a multi-use ecosystem and it's really reflective of natural environments that we see moving into the future and to be able to have wolves on that landscape is incredible.Lopez: When I first moved to New Mexico, I heard stories of wolves howling on the banks of the Gila and for decades that howl went missing.(...) Because of recovery efforts, Mexican wolf numbers are getting back up. I get to hear that same exact howl and preserve that howl for future generations.

April 2, 20258 min readJWSTs Next Year of Amazing Science RevealedAs Funding Worries Loom LargeThe next year of science on the James Webb Space Telescope has been announced amid mounting budgetary uncertainty that could affect the unparalleled observatoryBy Jonathan O'Callaghan edited by Lee BillingsAn artists concept shows galaxies reflected in the large segmented primary mirror of NASAs James Webb Space Telescope. Mark Garlick/Science Photo Library/Alamy Stock PhotoLaunched in December 2021 after three decades of development and at a cost of some $10 billion, NASAs James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is one of the biggest investments ever made in astronomy. That investment has already paid off enormously: the telescope is revealing incredible new details of the early universe, distant galaxies, potentially habitable exoplanets and even familiar objects in our solar system. JWST is now on the cusp of its fourth year of operations, and researchers seeking to maximize the telescopes transformational science have unveiled its next planned swathe of groundbreaking observations. But this comes amid increasing budgetary uncertainty in the U.S. and concerns that NASA might be forced to slash its science fundingwhich could include significant cuts to JWST.Its up and running, its been fully commissioned, and its returning incredible science, says Paul Byrne, a planetary scientist at Washington University in St. Louis. Webb is a marquee flagship program. If we have to cut at all, it seems like an absolute own goal.JWST is located 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, well beyond the orbit of the moon. Here its giant gold-plated mirror can look unhindered into the cosmos, protected by a tennis courtsized sunshield that blocks our stars light and heat. All this gives JWST unprecedented sensitivity to some of the faint wisps of light reaching us from the first few hundred million years in which the first stars were kindled and galaxies coalesced. But not all the telescopes achievements have come from so far afieldcloser to home, it has captured the first views of the auroras of Neptune, taken images of planets around other stars and helped scientists study neighboring galaxies to probe the limits of dark energy.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Every year the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)which runs the telescopeenlists hundreds of astronomers to help choose where JWSTs wandering eye should be pointed next. On March 11 the STScI announced the latest batch of programs it had chosen for JWSTs next year of observations, Cycle 4, which runs from July 2025 to June 2026. In total, the allocation committee selected 274 programs from 2,377 submitted proposals from 39 countriesan oversubscription ratio of about nine to one. About 8,500 hours of observing time were awardedthe most ever for JWST.That record-setting amount was possible this year because, unlike in the previous three cycles, Cycle 4 doesnt have a block of time reserved on the telescope for scientists that helped build JWST. In Cycle 3 we allocated around 5,500 hours of time [to the rest of the astronomical community], says Laura Watkins, head of STScIs science policy division. This time we were able to give away more.The telescopes time is split evenly across eight subcategories of astronomy, including exoplanet science, galaxies, the solar system and black holes. Most programs are awarded up to tens of hours of observing time on the telescope, but larger programs can be awarded more than 100 hours. Three solar system proposals were successful in the largest category this time, Watkins says. This was a good year for solar system [science].One of those programs will use JWST to hunt for small objects down to a kilometer in size that orbit beyond Neptune, giving us crucial information on the amount of material in the outer solar system. Another large program will take another look at Uranus and Neptune and try to give us a better understanding of their mysterious magnetic fields. It is going to actually map out the magnetic field, says Heidi Hammel, an astronomer and planetary scientist at the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy and a member of the program team. These will be the first magnetic maps made for these two planets in nearly four decades, after the flybys of each world by NASAs Voyager 2 spacecraft in the late 1980s.Also in our solar system, JWST will cast its gaze on Jupiter to perform a rather stunning piece of historical investigation. It will study the gas giant planet for signs of an impact that captivated the world in 1994, when Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 crashed into the planet after breaking apart. That event briefly marred Jupiters face with more than 20 giant dark spots, some of which were as large as Earth. Astronomers monitored them using telescopes including Hubble. JWST should be able to detect water, carbon dioxide and other comet-sourced compounds still swirling around the planet from the bygone impact, allowing researchers to better understand how the cometary debris was incorporated into Jupiter and how the giant worlds atmosphere has subsequently recovered.Shoemaker-Levy 9 is the gift that keeps on giving, says Hammel, who led Hubbles 1994 observations of the comets impact. Were still using it to understand the dynamics of Jupiter.Another big winner in Cycle 4 is white dwarf science, the study of stars like our sun that have exhausted all their fuel and left just a dense, dead stellar core behind. Eight programs on these interesting objects were chosen, and Mary Anne Limbach of the University of Michigan is involved with five of them. We had a great cycle, she says. Im really excited. One of her programs will investigate whether white dwarfs could support habitable planets. Experts think planets can endure the end-of-life phase when a sunlike star becomes a white dwarf, but its unclear if clement conditions could still persist upon rocky worlds like Earth in the stars shrunken habitable zone, where liquid water could exist. Limbach will use JWST to seek out rocky Earth-sized planets in the habitable zones of two white dwarfs by looking for telltale infrared glows around these stellar corpses that might indicate the presence of such worlds. If there is an Earth analog in either of those systems, we should be able to see it, she says. And if its on the larger side, we should be able to detect carbon dioxide and maybe even a hint of ozone.One of the most enduring mysteries discovered by JWST so far has been a strange class of unexplained galaxies in the early universe. Called little red dots (LRDs), they appear very red and compact, suggesting they might be extremely dense clusters of stars or perhaps burgeoning supermassive black holes that are growing into the behemoths found today at the centers of large galaxies. Such is the allure of LRDs that in Cycle 4 a half-dozen separate programs have been chosen to study them, one of which is led by Anthony Taylor of the University of Texas at Austin. He will use JWST to probe the light coming from LRDs to discern if it comes from stars or the white-hot accretion disks that surround feeding black holes. Theyve really grabbed everyones attention, he says. With JWST, we have the tools to attack these things.But perhaps the hottest research area for JWST concerns planets around cool, dim red dwarf (or M dwarf) stars, which are slightly smaller than our sun. In some respects red dwarfs are ideal planet-hunting targets because they make up the majority of stars in our galaxy, and the worlds they harbor tend to be easier to see through their relatively dim stellar glare. One such red dwarf planetary system, TRAPPIST-1, has seven Earth-sized worlds, several of which are in the stars habitable zone. Theres a catch, however: red dwarfs are also more prone than our sun to dramatic outbursts of stellar activity that might easily strip away planetary atmospheres to render otherwise Earth-like worlds essentially uninhabitable.Early observations from JWST have found fewer atmospheres on red dwarf planets than expected, perhaps a result of the volatile relationship between these planets and their star. In several Cycle 4 programs, JWST will study more of these worlds in search of their atmosphere. One of those programs, led by Jacob Lustig-Yaeger of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, will look at six planets around three red dwarfs in an attempt to define a cosmic shoreline of how big and far from its star such worlds must be to support an atmosphere. The first-order goal is to figure out which planets have atmospheres and which dont, Lustig-Yaeger saysbut the stretch goal, he adds, is to help identify targets to search for signs of life in future JWST observing cycles. Most if not all good candidates will be transiting, meaning that they cross the face of their star as seen from Eartha favorable backlit orientation that can allow more details about their atmosphere to be seen.Katherine Bennett of Johns Hopkins University, meanwhile, will use JWST to look for an atmosphere on a world called LTT 1445Ab, which at 23 light-years away is the closest known rocky planet transiting a red dwarf. The planet is likely too hot to support life but could still be an important test case for improving our understanding of which worlds can have an atmosphere. Well be able to tell both the composition and thickness if there is an atmosphere, she says, and perhaps even the planets surface pressure as well.In March JWST revealed snapshots of four gas giant planets around a larger star more similar to our sun. Such direct images are hard to come by because of how faint planets are against their star, but JWST can spot big, warm worlds that are sufficiently far from their stellar host. William Balmer of STScI, who led those observations, will lead another program in Cycle 4 to image another gas giant around a nearby star that orbits at a similar distance of Saturn around our sun. Balmer hopes to observe ammonia there, which could offer insights about how the planets atmosphere operates. Were really curious about how the chemistry works on these other planets in other solar systems, he says; JWST may also be able to possibly see water clouds on the planet.All these programs represent just a small fraction of JWSTs immense and diverse science. Although in human terms the observatory is only now a toddler in age, JWST is entering its prime. Engineers and scientists are finally feeling familiar with its unique abilities and limitationswhich is why rumors of looming budget cuts for the observatory have shocked the astronomical community. Its in its prime mission, says Casey Dreier, senior space policy adviser at the nonprofit science advocacy organization The Planetary Society. Cuts to JWSTs bottom line might reduce its operational capacity, Dreier says, something that seems unfathomable given the amount of time and effort that has gone into building and launching this incredible machine.Already the impacts of budgetary pressures are being felt as part of the Trump administrations sweeping shake-up of U.S. federal spending. Limbach says that scientists awarded observing time on JWST are given funding by STScI to run their programs that is equivalent to about $5,000 per hour. In Cycle 4, however, the amount of funding on offer is likely to be more constrained. Usually if you have a program where the science is particularly difficult, you can ask for more funding, she says. This year there is a hard limit. Without adequate funding, it would be hard to do the science to the quality we have been doing it because we wont have the manpower, she adds. Theres a lot of science that will get left out.In previous cycles, astronomers have found out by July or August how much funding they will receive for their programs. This year, more than ever, there will be an anxious wait for that to happen. This year no one knows, Limbach says. There is a lot of uncertainty.