The Ploopy Classic 2 trackball trades a USB-B port for USB-C. | Image: PloopyPloopy, a Canadian company known for its customizable open-source peripherals, has announced an upgraded version of its Classic trackball mouse. The Classic 2 has the exact same shape and ergonomics as the original but offers improved connectivity, a more accurate and reliable scroll wheel, and an upgraded design, making it easier to 3D print without the need for adding support materials.The Ploopy Classic 2 is now available as a kit youll need to assemble and solder yourself for around $101 ($144.99 CAD), or you can get it already assembled for around $147 ($209.99 CAD). Due to the design of its PCBs, the original Classic cant be upgraded to the Classic 2.The most useful improvement on the Classic 2 is a switch from USB-B that chunky USB port most often found on printers to USB-C. The company originally went with USB-B because it found the connector to be very mechanically strong, but has since found USB-C to be just as reliable after using it on other products.The Classic 2 also fixes an issue with the originals scroll wheel. If spun too quickly, it would act oddly or sometimes reverse direction unexpectedly. The problem was caused by the microcontroller in the original Classic being too slow to keep up. The solution was to upgrade the Classic 2 with a Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller, which runs the scroll wheel algorithms fifteen times faster than the one in the original Classic.Ploopy still uses the same PMW-3360 optical sensor as the Classic, as well as D2LS-21 switches under its buttons for fantastic clicks. The Classic 2 also still runs on the open-source QMK firmware, so all the software stays on the trackball with nothing that needs to be installed on your computer. You can download all of the open-source plans for the Classic 2 on GitHub should you want to modify or alter the trackballs design for your own needs.

Plot it all out on paper, and between the first and sixth episodes ofThe White Lotusseason three, very little changes. The opener was so efficient that by the end of the first hour, we knew pretty much everything we needed to about the new characters: the Ratliffs are a rat nest of moneyed, prescription-pill-popping dysfunction; the trio of 40-something women who say theyre best friends actually hate each other; Rick is powered by poison and adorable Chelsea should run a mile; and masseuse Belinda is right to worry about Greg/GaryOver the next five episodes, all of that initial construction has only been confirmed. Thats why this season, more than the previous ones, has felt at times as though theres been little story progress, because whathashappened only deepened our well-directed first impressions. Aside from the usual guessing game of who will and wont survive the murder mystery this time, thereve been very few questions we need answered.Instead, season three has doubled down on the shows raison dtre: depicting the moral vacuum inside Western capitalist ideals.The White Lotushas always been an eat-the-rich satire populating the screen with wealthy grotesques. In season one, there was boorish Shane Patton, who couldnt be happy in paradise because his beautiful and luxurious hotel suite wasnt themostbeautiful, luxurious hotel suite in the complex. (To Shane, luxury is a zero sum game: in order for him to win, somebody else had to lose.)In season two, there was Cameron and Daphne, whose perfect marriage was revealed to be a points-scoring death match in which Daphne had played the winning shot by getting pregnant by her personal trainer so that whatever Camerons indiscretions, she could always reassure herself that shed secretly humiliated him more. In both seasons, Jennifer Coolidges Tanya McQuoid was a lonely overgrown toddler whose millions not only couldnt buy her the love she craved, but also made her a target for murder.Thats just a section ofThe White Lotus expensive patchwork of unfulfilled, unhappy and unconscionable rich folks. So far, Mike Whites show has delivered the message that while having the kind of wealth that allows you to stay in these tropical palaces looks aspirational, other misery will get ya. Theres a price to pay for these peoples luxurious lives, which leave casualties in their wake. Even being around them is dangerous, as hotel manager Armond found out in season one.Season three goes one step further. The inclusion of the Buddhist monastery next to the hotel complex is the shows clearest depiction yet of the battle between consumerism and spiritualism. More than ever before, the drama is drawing a line between the hideous rich and the spiritually content. This time around, were not just invited to laugh at a bunch of unhappy, black card-carrying millionaires, were invited to question their essential humanity.It all comes down to one of Chelseas lines in episode six. When a hungover Saxon petulantly asked why shed refused to hook up with him the night before (maybe indirectly blaming her choice for the fact that hed subsequently had an incestuous threesome with his younger brother), she told him that hooking up with him would have been an empty experience because he was soulless.Shes not wrong. Saxon Ratliff is an abomination, and designedly so. Beyond sex, money, and protein shakes, he has zero values. When his mother asked him if the new friends whod invited their family on a day cruise were decent people he looked nonplussed. Durr. They have a yacht, he assured her. Ofcoursetheyre decent people. To Saxon, wealth is the deserved reward of good people who make the right decisions.Its no surprise he thinks that; so does his Lorazepam-addicted mother Victoria. Money is so central to her value system that she told husband Timothy in episode six that she wouldnt even want to live if they didnt have it. (Not that hes told anybody, Timothy is currently facing FBI assets-seizure and a prison sentence for a fraudulent financial arrangement with LGBT+-murdering sultanate Brunei. If Victoria survives the season finale, shes going to have a choice to make.)Are the Ratliffs decent people? On no level. TheyreThe White Lotus ultimate creation a family so driven by acquisitive ideals that theyve become rot-filled husks so value and morality-free that their sons tumble into having sex with each other. TheyreGame of Thrones Lannisters, but less likeable.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!Well, not all of them. Daughter Piper has recognised the hollowness of their cosseted lifestyle and is seeking to escape to the Thai monastery. Depending on how thoroughgoingThe White Lotus cynicism is, there could still be hope for Piper Ratliff. There may also be hope for youngest son Lachlan. With two episodes still to go, his potential goodness hangs in the balance, though the choice he made to share a room with Saxon instead of Piper in the season opener felt like a spiritual crossroads moment that he got wrong.Season threes other guests are less extreme but still shore up the shows thesis. Franks unforgettable monologue in that Bangkok bar was a short story about the danger of getting trapped on the hedonic treadmill, always insatiably wanting more. Model Chloe may as well be a Ratliff for all her moral-free, self-serving acquisitiveness. Her murderer boyfriend Greg/Gary literally killed for his millions (or at least planned to). Even actress Jaclyns obsession with youth so ingrained that shes married a much younger man whose fidelity she constantly doubts is shown to lead nowhere good.Its all building not just to the gunshots and the discovery of whose corpse were about to see floating face-down in the resorts crystal blue waters, but to an almighty ideological clash: Consumerism v Spiritualism, Greed v Generosity, West v East, the Soulless v the Ensouled. Dont say that nothings happening this season because this is the big one: its Armageddon in paradise.The White Lotus season three continues on Sunday nights on HBO.

Spring is here and that means its time for a little room refreshing. The weekend is just the right amount of time to do a living room makeover. Yes, its true! Were not talking about moving walls or installing hardwood floors or even painting the walls a pretty living room paint color. We mean the most instant gratification, high-impact, low-effort, and low-budget ways to refresh your living room in two days or less. And if you use your time wisely, we bet you can even mark off multiple living room makeover ideas from our list below. Once you get going in the living room, were guessing you wont stop there. Many of these living room ideas, like bringing in fresh flowers or hanging a gallery wall, work in bedrooms and kitchens, too. Styling one set of bookshelves? Might as well style them all throughout the whole house. But first, the living room: Swap Out Decorative PillowsDavid A. Land for Country LivingLets just call them what they arethrow pillows are the secret weapon to making a living room feel redecorated in a snap. Often packed with color and pattern, they deliver quite the graphic punch to sofas and chairs. If youre not in the market to replace them completely, we recommend swapping out, say, the cute lumbars on a pair of chairs for a cushier set from the sofa. Just rotating the sizes and styles around the room can make a huge impact. Pro pillow tip: Size up on your inserts! For example, a 22-inch pillow cover looks loads more luxe with a 24-inch insert. Trust us on this!MORE LIVING ROOM DECORATING IDEAS:Rearrange the FurnitureMatthew KisidayFor an instant refresh that only takes a little labor (and maybe a helping hand from a friend), consider rearranging your living room furniture. Its likely easier to move chairs, for example swapping this club chair with the pair near the French doors. Side tables and accessories (try this no-fail designer formula for styling your coffee table) are easy to move around, too. And, if you move it back in a month, no loveor moneylost (talk about a living room makeover on a budget!). Another pro tip: If you have a pair of chairs, trade positions so the wear and tear on the seats and arms is more even over time. The same goes for sofa and chair cushionsits a smart practice to vacuum, flip, and rotate sofa and chair cushions monthly.MORE LIVING ROOM FURNITURE IDEAS:Bring In Fresh FlowersRoger Davies for Country LivingNo matter the season, fresh flowers go a long way in boosting the mood in your living room. This family room coffee table features a potted houseplant, but we also love a loose arrangement of clippings from the yard or a more clustered vase full of one type of bloom from the grocery store (some of our favorite grocery store flowers are hydrangeas, sunflowers, and chrysanthemums). Pro Tip: When it comes to arranging flowers, our garden editor swears by this 3-5-8 flower arranging rule. MORE FLOWER AND PLANT IDEAS:Style Your Bookshelves ALI HARPERGet those messy bookshelves in ship-shape once and for all! Display books, collections, accessories, and mementos by following these simple bookshelf ideas and tips that make bookshelves look organized and layered at the same time. Instead of pushing books all the way back to the wall, pull them closer to the edge of the shelf for a more filled-in look. Arrange books both vertically and horizontally.Tuck in favorite accessories for visual interest and hang small artwork or photos on shelf dividers for a truly layered look.When clustering items, place them in odd numbers to create balance.MORE IDEAS FOR STYLING YOUR HOME LIKE A PRO:Hang a Gallery WallRead McKendree for Country LivingWe are huge fans of gallery walls around here! These artful, often perfectly imperfect, wall arrangements just make our hearts skip a beat. And we especially love a gallery wall in a living room, where you can really sit back and take in this clever design element that is greater than the sum of its parts. Whether its comprised of vintage paint-by-numbers or precious family portraits (or a combination of the two), plan on a long day or two to get your arrangement right with these four simple steps. Pick objects to hang. If you dont have a theme in mind, choose pieces in like frames for a cohesive look. Sprinkle in non-framed items for dimension, if desired.Trace objects on butcher paper and cut out.Tape cut-outs to the wall using blue painters tape. Move them around until you get your arrangement just right.Hang items with nails. Secure with anchors if necessary.MORE LIVING ROOM WALL IDEAS:Elevate LampshadesRead McKendree for Country LivingYouve heard the phrase, Its all in the details. And in this case, with these gorgeous little pleated sconce shades, we overwhelmingly agree. The pattern play happening in this Cape Cod beach cottage is already 100 percent, but the addition of these sweet fabric-covered shades takes the whole living room look to the next levelso tailored and special.MORE IDEAS TO COZY UP YOUR LIVING ROOM:Amy MitchellManaging EditorAmy Mitchell is the managing editor for VERANDA and Country Living, where she writes articles on a variety of topicsdecorating and design, gardens, and holidays. Amys experience in the shelter magazine category spans more than 20 years, as shes previously held positions at Coastal Living and Cottage Living. Her personal pursuits include cooking, gardening, and hunting her favorite tag sale spots for the next piece of Pyrex for her prized collection.

Mar 28, 2025Ravie LakshmananSpyware / MalwareAn Android malware family previously observed targeting Indian military personnel has been linked to a new campaign likely aimed at users in Taiwan under the guise of chat apps."PJobRAT can steal SMS messages, phone contacts, device and app information, documents, and media files from infected Android devices," Sophos security researcher Pankaj Kohli said in a Thursday analysis.PJobRAT, first documented in 2021, has a track record of being used against Indian military-related targets. Subsequent iterations of the malware have been discovered masquerading as dating and instant messaging apps to deceive prospective victims. It's known to be active since at least late 2019.In November 2021, Meta attributed a Pakistan-aligned threat actor dubbed SideCopy believed to be a sub-cluster within Transparent Tribe to the use of PJobRAT and Mayhem as part of highly-targeted attacks directed against people in Afghanistan, specifically those with ties to government, military, and law enforcement."This group created fictitious personas typically young women as romantic lures to build trust with potential targets and trick them into clicking on phishing links or downloading malicious chat applications," Meta said at the time.PJobRAT is equipped to harvest device metadata, contact lists, text messages, call logs, location information, and media files on the device or connected external storage. It's also capable of abusing its accessibility services permissions to scrape content on the device's screen.Telemetry data gathered by Sophos shows that the latest campaign trained its sights on Taiwanese Android users, using malicious chat apps named SangaalLite and CChat to activate the infection sequence. These are said to have been available for download from multiple WordPress sites, with the earliest artifact dating back to January 2023.The campaign, per the cybersecurity company, ended, or at least paused, around October 2024, meaning it had been operational for nearly two years. That said, the number of infections was relatively small, suggestive of the targeted nature of the activity. The names of the Android package names are listed below -org.complexy.hardcom.happyho.appsa.aangal.litenet.over.simpleIt's currently not known how victims were deceived into visiting these sites, although, if prior campaigns are any indication, it's likely to have an element of social engineering. Once installed, the apps request intrusive permissions that allow them to collect data and run uninterrupted in the background."The apps have a basic chat functionality built-in, allowing users to register, login, and chat with other users (so, theoretically, infected users could have messaged each other, if they knew each others' user IDs)," Kohli said. "They also check the command-and-control (C2) servers for updates at start-up, allowing the threat actor to install malware updates."Unlike previous versions of PJobRAT that harbored the ability to steal WhatsApp messages, the latest flavor takes a different approach by incorporating a new feature to run shell commands. This not only allows the attackers to likely siphon WhatsApp chats but also exercise greater control over the infected phones.Another update concerns the command-and-control (C2) mechanism, with the malware now using two different approaches, using HTTP to upload victim data and Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) to send shell commands as well as exfiltrate information."While this particular campaign may be over, it's a good illustration of the fact that threat actors will often retool and retarget after an initial campaign making improvements to their malware and adjusting their approach before striking again," Kohli said.Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

This week, MIT Technology Review published a piece on bodyoidsliving bodies that cannot think or feel pain. In the piece, a trio of scientists argue that advances in biotechnology will soon allow us to create spare human bodies that could be used for research, or to provide organs for donation. If you find your skin crawling at this point, youre not the only one. Its a creepy idea, straight from the more horrible corners of science fiction. But bodyoids could be used for good. And if they are truly unaware and unable to think, the use of bodyoids wouldnt cross most peoples ethical lines, the authors argue. Im not so sure. Either way, theres no doubt that developments in science and biotechnology are bringing us closer to the potential reality of bodyoids. And the idea is already stirring plenty of ethical debate and controversy. One of the main arguments made for bodyoids is that they could provide spare human organs. Theres a huge shortage of organs for transplantation. More than 100,000 people in the US are waiting for a transplant, and 17 people on that waiting list die every day. Human bodyoids could serve as a new source. Scientists are working on other potential solutions to this problem. One approach is the use of gene-edited animal organs. Animal organs dont typically last inside human bodiesour immune systems will reject them as foreign. But a few companies are creating pigs with a series of gene edits that make their organs more acceptable to human bodies. A handful of living people have received gene-edited pig organs. David Bennett Sr. was the first person to get a gene-edited pig heart, in 2022, and Richard Slayman was the first to get a kidney, in early 2024. Unfortunately, both men died around two months after their surgery. But Towana Looney, the third living person to receive a gene-edited pig kidney, has been doing well. She had her transplant surgery in late November of last year. I am full of energy. I got an appetite Ive never had in eight years, she said at the time. I can put my hand on this kidney and feel it buzzing. She returned home in February. At least one company is taking more of a bodyoid-like approach. Renewal Bio, a biotech company based in Israel, hopes to grow embryo-stage versions of people for replacement organs. Their approach is based on advances in the development of synthetic embryos. (Im putting that term in quotation marks because, while its the simplest descriptor of what they are, a lot of scientists hate the term.) Embryos start with the union of an egg cell and a sperm cell. But scientists have been working on ways to make embryos using stem cells instead. Under the right conditions, these cells can divide into structures that look a lot like a typical embryo. Scientists dont know how far these embryo-like structures will be able to develop. But theyre already using them to try to get cows and monkeys pregnant. And no one really knows how to think about synthetic human embryos. Scientists dont even really know what to call them. Rules stipulate that typical human embryos may be grown in the lab for a maximum of 14 days. Should the same rules apply to synthetic ones? The very existence of synthetic embryos is throwing into question our understanding of what a human embryo even is. Is it the thing that is only generated from the fusion of a sperm and an egg? Naomi Moris, a developmental biologist at the Crick Institute in London, said to me a couple of years ago. Is it something to do with the cell types it possesses, or the [shape] of the structure? The authors of the new MIT Technology Review piece also point out that such bodyoids could also help speed scientific and medical research. At the moment, most drug research must be conducted in lab animals before clinical trials can start. But nonhuman animals may not respond the same way people do, and the vast majority of treatments that look super-promising in mice fail in humans. Such research can feel like a waste of both animal lives and time. Scientists have been working on solutions to these problems, too. Some are creating organs on chipsminiature collections of cells organized on a small piece of polymer that may resemble full-size organs and can be used to test the effects of drugs. Others are creating digital representations of human organs for the same purpose. Such digital twins can be extensively modeled, and can potentially be used to run clinical trials in silico. Both of these approaches seem somehow more palatable to me, personally, than running experiments on a human created without the capacity to think or feel pain. The idea reminds me of the recent novel Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica, in which humans are bred for consumption. In the book, their vocal cords are removed so that others do not have to hear them scream. When it comes to real-world biotechnology, though, our feelings about what is acceptable tend to shift. In vitro fertilization was demonized when it was first developed, for instance, with opponents arguing that it was unnatural, a perilous insult, and the biggest threat since the atom bomb. It is estimated that more than 12 million people have been born through IVF since Louise Brown became the first test tube baby 46 years ago. I wonder how well all feel about bodyoids 46 years from now. This article first appeared in The Checkup,MIT Technology Reviewsweekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first,sign up here.

According to reports, a strong 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit Mandalay in Thailands neighbour, Myanamar, causing shockwaves which rocked the Thai capital hundreds of miles away.It is believed 320 construction workers were on site when the building near Chatuchak Park, which was set to become government offices, came down. In its latest update the National Institute of Emergency Medicine said that 70 people were missing and another 20 workers were stuck in a lift. Videos show the under-construction building collapsing within seconds.Emergency services are continuing their search for survivors among the rubble, though there has already been one confirmed death.Bangkok is not thought of as a high-risk earthquake area. BBC journalist Bui Thu told the BBC World Service that it had been a decade since Bangkok had a really strong or powerful earthquake like this.She added: Buildings in Bangkok are not engineered for earthquakes, so I think thats why I think theres going to be big damage.In my apartment I just see some cracking on the walls and water splashed out of swimming pools and people just yelling.Other videos showed high-rise buildings swaying as the aftershocks hit the city, including the 77-storey MahaNakhon skyscaper by Ole Scheeren. Earthquake 2025-03-28Richard Waitecomment and share TagsEarthquake

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves Source:&nbsp Flick / HM Treasury Network Rail will build up to 40,000 homes in the next decade via a new property company, the government has announced The new developer will become operational later this year and attract public and private investment to build homes on unused land in the UKs rail estate, the government said on Thursday (27 March).The property company will be created between Network Rail, which owns and maintains the UKs rail network, and London & Continental Railways (LCR), an existing state-owned development company.The treasury named four sites which are in the pipeline for development by the new company. These are:AdvertisementNewcastle Forth Yards: a 40.5ha site by the Tyne, to the west of Newcastles city centre, where up to 5,000 homes could be built;Manchester Mayfield: where there is an opportunity for another 1,200 homes around the disused Mayfield station, according to the government. Early plans relating to a 1.4 billion regeneration on the site have been submitted by shedkm and Studio Egret West, with plans overseen by a public-private partnership which includes LCR.An unnamed site in Cambridge: the government says a mixed-use scheme with 425 new homes could be built here. The site is probably around the under-construction new station at Cambridge Biomedical Campus.An unnamed site in Nottingham: the government says 200 homes could be built following 348 successfully delivered homes at The Barnum. The Barnum is next to Nottingham Station, was designed by Franklin Ellis Architects and developed by Bloc Group and Network Rail.The government has also said it is creating a new task force to help build homes on publicly-owned brownfield land.Unused land will be identified, developed and released by a cross-government collaboration, which will focus on getting it back into productive use as quickly as possible by removing barriers, the government said.This ambitious new partnership approach will explore new delivery models, establish collaborative agreements between the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Homes England, Network Rail and other government bodies, bring in the private sector ultimately getting spades in the ground sooner.The government said the first site to be unblocked will in Ripon, North Yorkshire. The site will be transferred from the MoD to Homes England later this year to expedite the delivery of 1,300 homes.It added that a partnership between the MoD and Homes England will also aim to unlock 1,300 homes at Chetwynd Barracks in Nottinghamshire and deliver thousands of homes at Wyton airfield in Cambridgeshire.AdvertisementChancellor Rachel Reeves said: For too long, surplus government-owned sites have gone underused, but they are a huge untapped resource that could create opportunities for the next generation of homeowners.In contrast with the failed approach of the past, we are making the best use of public land to build the homes that families and our Armed Forces need, improving opportunities for homeownership and creating jobs across the country.2025-03-28Will Ingcomment and share

You've got Black Mirror and Stranger Things, but Netflix has so much more sci-fi to enjoy.

This change makes it easy to find recently saved photos in the app.

March 27, 20255 min readUrban Wildfire Smoke Sensors Miss Some Harmful ChemicalsAs fires burned in Los Angeles this year, newer toxin monitors found contaminants that arent measured by standard methods. Now scientists and officials are pushing for better detectionBy Katharine Gammon & KFF Health News edited by Josh FischmanSmoke from this year's Los Angeles fires contained hazardous chemicals. Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty ImagesWhen the catastrophic Los Angeles fires broke out in January of 2025, John Volckens suspected firefighters and residents were breathing toxic air from the burning homes, buildings, and cars, but it was unclear how much risk the public faced. So, the professor of environmental health at Colorado State University devised a plan to get answers.Volckens shipped 10 air pollution detectors to Los Angeles to measure the amounts of heavy metals, benzene, and other chemicals released by the flames, which burned more than 16,000 homes, businesses, and other structures, making it one of the countrys costliest natural disasters.These disaster events keep happening. They release pollution into the environment and to the surrounding community, said Volckens, who shared his results with local air regulators. We have this kind of traumatic experience, and then were left with: Well, what did we just breathe in?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.Scientists and public health officials have long tracked the pollutants that cause smog, acid rain, and other environmental health hazards and shared them with the public through the local Air Quality Index. But the monitoring system misses hundreds of harmful chemicals released in urban fires, and the Los Angeles fires have led to a renewed push for state and federal regulators to do more as climate change drives up the frequency of these natural disasters.Its questionable whether the Trump administration will act, however. Earlier this month, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced what he described as the biggest deregulatory action in history, which critics warn will lead to a rollback of environmental health regulations.While Air Quality Index values are a good starting place for knowing whats in the air, they dont provide a full picture of pollutants, especially during disasters, said Yifang Zhu, a professor of environmental health sciences at UCLA. In fact, the AQI could be in a healthy range, but you could still be exposed to higher air toxins from the fires, she added.Heavy smoke from the Eaton fire in Los Angeles.Josh EdelsonAFP via Getty ImagesIn February, nearly a dozen lawmakers from California called on the EPA to create a task force of local and federal authorities to better monitor whats in the air and inform the public. Locals are unsure of the actual risks they face and confused by conflicting reports about how safe it is to breathe the air outside, which may lead to families not taking adequate protective measures, the lawmakers wrote in a letter to James Payne, who was then the acting EPA administrator. The EPA press office declined to comment in an e-mail to KFF Health News.Lawmakers have also introduced bills in Congress and in the California legislature to address the gap. A measure by U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) and U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) would direct the EPA to allocate grant money to local air pollution agencies to communicate the risks of wildfire smoke, including deploying air monitors. Meanwhile, a bill by Democratic state Assembly member Lisa Calderon would create a Wildfire Smoke Research and Education Fund to study the health impacts of wildfire smoke, especially on firefighters and residents affected by fires.The South Coast Air Quality Management District, a regional air pollution control agency, operates about 35 air monitoring stations across nearly 11,000 square miles of the Los Angeles region to measure pollutants like ozone and carbon monoxide.During the fires, the agency, which is responsible for the air quality of 16.8 million residents, relied on its network of stations to monitor five common pollutants, including PM2.5, the fine particles that make up smoke and can travel deep inside the body. After the fires, the South Coast AQMD deployed two mobile monitoring vans to assess air quality in cleanup areas and expanded neighborhood-level monitoring during debris removal, said Jason Low, head of the agencys monitoring and analysis division.Local officials also received the data collected by Volckens devices, which arrived on-site four days after the fires broke out. The monitors about the size of a television remote control and housed in a plastic cover the size of a bread loaf were placed at air monitoring stations around the fires perimeters, as well as at other sites, including in West Los Angeles and Santa Clarita. The devices, called AirPens, monitored dozens of air contaminants in real time and collected precise chemical measurements of smoke composition.Researchers replaced the sensors every week, sending the filters to a lab that analyzed them for measurements of volatile organic compounds like benzene, lead, and black carbon, along with other carcinogens. Volckens devices provided public health officials with data for a month as cleanup started. The hope is that the information provided can help guide future health policies in fire-prone areas.Theres not one device that can measure everything in real time, Low said. So, we have to rely on different tools for each different type of purpose of monitoring.ASCENT, a national monitoring network funded by the National Science Foundation, registered big changes after the fires. One monitor, about 11 miles south of the Eaton fire in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, detected 40 times the normal amount of chlorine in the air and 110 times the typical amount of lead in the days following the fires. It was clear the chemical spikes came from urban wildfire smoke, which is more dangerous than what would be emitted when trees and bushes burn in rural areas, said Richard Flagan, the co-principal investigator at the networks site in Los Angeles.Ultimately, the purpose is to get the data out there in real time, both for the public to see but also for people who are doing other aspects of research, said Flagan, adding that chemical measurements are critical for epidemiologists who are developing health statistics or doing long-term studies of the impact of air pollution on peoples health.Small, low-cost sensors could fill in gaps as government networks age or fail to adequately capture the full picture of whats in the air. Such sensors can identify pollution hot spots and improve wildfire smoke warnings, according to a March 2024 U.S. Government Accountability Office report.Although the devices have become smaller and more accurate in the past decade, some pollutants require analysis with X-ray scans and other costly high-level equipment, said J. Alfredo Gmez, director of the Natural Resources and Environment team at the GAO. And Gmez cautioned that the quality of the data can vary depending on what the devices monitor.Low-cost sensors do a good job of measuring PM2.5 but not such a good job for some of these other air toxins, where they still need to do more work, Gmez said.UCLAs Zhu said the emerging technology of portable pollution monitors means residents not just government and scientists might be able to install equipment in their backyards and broaden the picture of whats happening in the air at the most local level.If the fires are predicted to be worse in the future, it might be a worthwhile investment to have some ability to capture specific types of pollutants that are not routinely measured by government stations, Zhu said.KFF Health News, formerly known as Kaiser Health News (KHN), is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.